When a website is slow or keeps dropping, your hosting provider or internet provider will often ask for an MTR test. MTR combines ping and traceroute: it shows every network stop (a "hop") between your computer and the server, and measures delay and lost packets at each one. This guide shows how to run one on Windows and how to read the results.
Quick answer
- Download WinMTR from its GitHub releases page (
WinMTR_x64.zipfor most PCs). - Extract the zip and run
WinMTR.exe. No installation is needed. - Type the server's domain or IP address in Host and click Start.
- Let it run for at least 2 minutes, click Stop, then Export TEXT and send the file to whoever asked for it.
What you need: a Windows 10 or 11 PC and the address of the server you have trouble reaching.
1. Download WinMTR
WinMTR is a free, open-source MTR tool for Windows. The original version has not been updated since 2011, so use WinMTR-refresh, a maintained version that also supports IPv6. WinMTR-refresh
Open the releases page and download the zip for your PC:
WinMTR_x64.zipfor most Windows PCs (Intel or AMD processors)WinMTR_Arm64.zipfor Windows on ARM, such as Surface Pro X or Snapdragon laptops
Not sure? Press Windows + Pause, or open Settings › System › About, and look at System type.
2. Extract and open it
Right-click the downloaded zip, choose Extract All, then open the extracted folder and double-click WinMTR.exe.
3. Run the test
- In Host, type the address you are having trouble with, for example
www.example.comor the server's IP address. Use the same address that is slow or failing. - Leave Resolve names ticked to see the names of the networks along the way.
- Click Start.
WinMTR lists every hop and updates the numbers every second. Let it run for at least 2 minutes (around 100+ in the Sent column). A short test can miss problems that come and go. If the issue only happens at certain times, run the test while it is happening.
4. Save and share the results
Click Stop, then Export TEXT and save the file. Send it to your host or ISP, along with:
- your own public IP address (search "what is my IP" to find it)
- the date and time of the test
- what the problem looks like (slow pages, timeouts, dropped calls)
How to read the results
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hostname | The router or server at each hop, from your PC (top) to the target (bottom) |
| Loss % | Share of test packets that got no reply |
| Sent / Recv | Packets sent and replies received |
| Best / Avrg / Worst / Last | Delay in milliseconds: lowest, average, highest and latest |
Look at the last line first. It is the server you tested. If it shows 0% loss and a steady average, the connection to that server is fine, whatever the lines above show.
Loss in the middle is often not a problem. Many routers give MTR's test packets low priority and skip some replies, even while they pass your real traffic normally. If a middle hop shows 30% loss but every hop after it shows 0%, that router is just busy answering, not dropping traffic.
Real packet loss continues to the end. If loss starts at one hop and every hop after it, including the last, shows loss too, the problem starts at or just before that hop:
- Loss from the first one or two hops: your own network (Wi-Fi, router or cable). Try a wired connection.
- Loss starting in the middle and continuing to the end: a provider along the route. Send the report to your host or ISP.
- Loss only at the last hop: the server itself, or its firewall. Send the report to your host.
Delay works the same way. A sudden jump in Avrg that carries on to the last line is real. A single slow hop in the middle, with normal times after it, is not.
No download? Use pathping
Windows has a built-in tool that does a similar job. Open Command Prompt and run:
pathping www.example.com
It first lists the route, then measures every hop (about 25 seconds per hop, so a few minutes in total) before printing the results. Microsoft pathping documentation WinMTR is easier to read and is what most providers ask for, but pathping works when you cannot install anything.