September 27, 2022
The ping command is a way to test the connection speed between your computer and a website. Pinging can diagnose the strength, distance, and availability of a connection over the internet.
Windows:
- Open a command prompt in one of two ways:
a. Click the start menu, type "cmd" into the search bar, then press Enter, or
b. Hold down the Windows key and the R key at the same time to open the Run Prompt window, type "cmd" into the bar, then click OK or press Enter.
- In the Command Prompt window, type "ping" followed by the destination — either an IP address or a domain name, then press Enter.
- The results of the ping will begin to show in the Command Prompt. Each ping test makes four attempts and gives a response for each. If the response looks like this, the test was successful.
If the response looks like either of the following examples, the test failed.
Mac or Apple:
- Open a Finder window in one of two ways: a. Click the blue and gray face icon in the dock; or b. Press the Command key and the A key at the same time
- Open the Utilities folder
- Open the Terminal app
- Type "ping" followed by the destination — either an IP address or a domain name, then press Enter.