This guide will teach you how to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol using the ping command.

Open the Run dialog

Use the shortcut [Win] + [R] to bring up the run dialog. Enter “cmd” and press [Return] to start the command prompt console.

Use the command prompt

Let’s say you want to test the reachability of a host with the IP address “192.168.1.26”. Your command would look like:

ping 192.168.1.26

Press [Return] to execute the command and wait for the result. In the example below, the host is reachable.

If the host is not reachable, the result would be “Reply: Destination host unreachable”.