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Network Traceroute

Trace the network path to a host, showing every router hop along the way with timing and geolocation data.

iPhoneiPadMacApple Vision ProApple TVApple Watch

Overview​

Network Traceroute maps the route that your data takes to reach a destination on the internet. Every time you visit a website or connect to an online service, your data passes through a series of routers -- the traceroute tool reveals each of these intermediate stops (called "hops") and measures how long it takes to reach each one. This is invaluable for diagnosing where a slow connection bottleneck occurs: is the problem on your local network, with your internet provider, or at the destination itself?

Table of Contents​

Target Card​

The target card at the top of the screen is where you set up the traceroute:

  • Status Pill -- a colored badge indicating the current state (Idle, Tracing, Finished, Stopped, or Error).
  • Host Input -- type or paste the destination address. This can be a domain name (e.g., apple.com) or an IP address (e.g., 8.8.8.8).
  • Start / Stop Button -- tap Start to begin the traceroute. While tracing, tap Stop to end it early.
  • Settings -- configure traceroute parameters (such as maximum hops, timeout, and protocol) before starting.

Route Map​

One of the most distinctive features of this tool is the interactive Route Map, which plots the geographic path of your data on a map.

  • The map uses MapKit and shows a visual representation of the route from your device to the destination.
  • Each hop that has geolocation data appears as a node on the map, connected by lines showing the path your data takes.
  • Animated nodes pulse to indicate the traceroute progression.
  • You can tap on individual nodes to see details about that hop, including its hostname, IP address, response time, and location.
  • The map automatically adjusts its view to fit the entire route as new hops are discovered.

Not all hops will appear on the map. Geolocation data is looked up via third-party IP geolocation services and requires an internet connection, and some routers use private or unlocatable IP addresses. When geolocation is unavailable for a hop, it is still shown in the hop-by-hop breakdown below.

Hop-By-Hop Breakdown​

Below the map, each hop along the route is displayed as a row with detailed information:

  • TTL Number -- the hop number in the route (1, 2, 3, and so on). Hop 1 is typically your local router, and the final hop is the destination. TTL stands for Time to Live -- each router decreases this value by one, which is how traceroute discovers each successive hop.
  • Hostname -- the hostname of the router at this hop, if available (e.g., core-router.isp-name.net). Some routers do not provide a hostname and will show only an IP address.
  • IP Address -- the IP address of the router at this hop.
  • Response Times -- the time in milliseconds it took to receive a response from this hop. Multiple probes are sent to each hop, so you may see several time values. Lower values mean a faster connection to that point. A large jump in response time between two consecutive hops can indicate a bottleneck at that link.
  • Geolocation -- the approximate geographic location of the router, including country and city when available. This information is looked up via third-party IP geolocation services (ipwho.is primary, with ipinfo.io fallback) and requires an internet connection; results depend on the service and are approximate. It can reveal interesting details about your data's journey, such as which countries your traffic passes through.
  • Status -- whether the hop responded normally or timed out. Hops shown as * * * (asterisks) indicate that the router at that point did not respond to the probe, which is common and does not necessarily indicate a problem.

Raw Output View​

For users who prefer the traditional traceroute format, the Raw Output view shows the complete traceroute text output in a familiar terminal-style layout. This includes all hops, response times, and any error messages in the standard format that network administrators are accustomed to.

Toolbar Actions​

The toolbar provides buttons for managing your traceroute results:

  • Share -- share the traceroute results (including the route data and timing information) with other apps or save them to a file.
  • Copy -- copy the full traceroute output to your clipboard.
  • Clear -- remove all results and reset the tool for a new trace.

Notes And Limitations​

  • Some routers along the path are configured to not respond to traceroute probes. These appear as * * * (asterisks) in the output. This is normal behavior and does not mean there is a problem.
  • Geolocation data comes from third-party IP geolocation services and may not be perfectly accurate. The location shown for a hop represents where the IP address is registered, which may differ from the router's physical location.
  • Firewalls, corporate networks, and some internet service providers may block or interfere with traceroute traffic, leading to incomplete results.
  • The route your data takes can change over time. Running a traceroute at different times of day may show different paths as internet routing adjusts for traffic patterns.
  • The number of hops to a destination typically ranges from 5 to 30. If the traceroute reaches the maximum hop limit without arriving at the destination, the target may be unreachable or blocking traceroute traffic.
  • The map view requires an internet connection to load map tiles. The hop-by-hop breakdown and raw output remain available regardless of map connectivity.
  • Response times at each hop represent the round-trip delay from your device to that specific router, not the delay between consecutive routers.
Last updated on by Rogerio Hirooka