8 Network Troubleshooting Commands Every Windows User Should Know

Graphical settings tell you whether you’re connected; command-line tools tell you where a connection is failing. IT professionals reach for the same handful of commands every day, and they are all built into Windows. To open a prompt, press Win+R, type cmd and press Enter.

1. ipconfig – see your network configuration

ipconfig
ipconfig /all

ipconfig shows each network adapter’s IPv4 and IPv6 address, subnet mask and default gateway (your router). ipconfig /all adds the adapter’s physical (MAC) address, DHCP server, DNS servers and lease times.

What to look for:

• An address beginning 169.254. means the PC didn’t receive an address from the router.
• No Default Gateway means the PC doesn’t know how to reach anything outside your local network.
• The DNS Servers line shows who is translating website names into addresses.

Useful variations:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

These drop and request a new IP address, and clear the local DNS cache. They are standard first steps for “connected but no internet” problems.

2. ping – test whether a device responds

ping 192.168.1.1
ping 1.1.1.1
ping www.example.com

ping sends small test packets and reports whether replies come back and how long they take (in milliseconds). Testing in this order – router, public IP address, website name – shows which link fails. Add -t to ping continuously (stop with Ctrl+C), which is handy for spotting intermittent drop-outs on Wi-Fi.

High or wildly varying times to your router point to a weak or congested Wi-Fi signal; high times only to distant servers point further upstream.

3. tracert – trace the route to a destination

tracert www.example.com

tracert lists each router (“hop”) between you and the destination, with response times. If results stop at hop 1 or 2, the problem is local; if they stop much later, it’s with your provider or beyond. Rows of asterisks (* * *) in the middle of an otherwise successful trace are common – some routers simply don’t answer trace requests.

4. pathping – combine ping and tracert

pathping www.example.com

pathping traces the route and then spends a few minutes measuring packet loss at each hop. It’s slower but excellent for finding where packets are being dropped – useful evidence when you contact your internet provider.

5. nslookup – test DNS

nslookup www.example.com
nslookup www.example.com 1.1.1.1

nslookup asks a DNS server to translate a name into an IP address. The first command uses your default DNS server; the second asks a specific public server. If the second works but the first fails, your configured DNS server is the problem – switching DNS servers is likely to help.

6. netstat – see active connections

netstat -an
netstat -ano

netstat lists active network connections and listening ports. Adding -o shows the process ID (PID) responsible, which you can match against the Details tab in Task Manager. It’s mostly useful for advanced troubleshooting – for example, checking whether an app is actually listening on the port it should be.

7. getmac – find physical addresses

getmac /v

getmac lists the MAC address of each adapter with readable names. You may need it when setting up router access controls or DHCP reservations. Note that Windows can use random hardware addresses for Wi-Fi networks, so the address the router sees may differ from the adapter’s built-in one. More in our guide to finding IP and MAC addresses.

8. netsh – reset networking components

These commands repair damaged network settings. Run them in an administrator prompt, then restart:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

netsh winsock reset restores the Winsock catalogue (which some VPN and security tools modify); netsh int ip reset resets TCP/IP settings. They overlap with the Network reset option in Settings and are best saved for after the simpler steps have failed. You may need to reconfigure VPN software afterwards.

netsh can also show stored Wi-Fi profiles:

netsh wlan show profiles
netsh wlan show interfaces

The second command shows the current signal strength, radio type (for example 802.11ax) and connection speed – a quick way to check Wi-Fi quality.

A simple diagnostic sequence

When something isn’t working, run these in order and note where things first go wrong:

1. ipconfig – do I have a valid address and gateway?
2. ping <gateway> – can I reach my router?
3. ping 1.1.1.1 – can I reach the internet by IP address?
4. nslookup www.example.com – is DNS working?
5. tracert www.example.com – where does the path stop?

Conclusion

You don’t need to be a network engineer to use these tools. ipconfig, ping and nslookup alone will pinpoint most home and office connection problems, and tracert and pathping give your internet provider clear evidence when the fault is theirs.