How to trace routes and look up DNS

Updated September 2026 · Beginner-friendly guide

Overview

tracert shows routing hops toward a destination. nslookup asks DNS for records that map names and addresses.

Both are diagnostic clues, not final verdicts. Routers may hide or deprioritize trace replies, and DNS answers can legitimately vary by location.

Asterisks in one trace hop often mean no diagnostic reply, not that later traffic failed.
nslookup first identifies the DNS server, then prints the answer.
Use domains you own or public examples for repeated testing.

Type each command at the prompt, then press Enter. Replace sample names and paths with ones that exist on your computer.

Commands are generally not case-sensitive, but preserving the spelling shown here makes scripts easier to read.

tracert example.com
tracert -d example.com
nslookup example.com
nslookup -type=mx example.com
nslookup example.com 1.1.1.1

Options change how a command behaves. Add spaces exactly as shown, and use the command's built-in help when an option is unfamiliar.

A path containing spaces must be enclosed in double quotes, such as "C:\My Files".

tracert -d skips reverse name lookups and is often faster.
tracert -h number limits maximum hops.
nslookup -type=mx requests mail records; other common types include A, AAAA, and NS.

Check the current folder and read the command output before assuming an operation succeeded.

Practice with disposable files first. Commands that delete, overwrite, or stop a process may not offer an Undo button.

Route details can reveal internal network names and addresses.
A different answer from another DNS server is not automatically malicious; caching and content delivery networks cause differences.
Do not conclude that the first slow hop causes end-to-end slowness.

Create a temporary practice folder under your user profile so the examples cannot affect Windows system files.

After each command, inspect the result with dir or another read-only command before continuing.