An MTR test is a diagnostic tool that can help identify where connections on the internet are failing and may identify what’s causing your connection to fail. Please ensure you run the test while using the specific network that is having an issue.

How to Perform an MTR On Windows

Step 1: Download WinMTR. This is a free tool you can obtain from Github here: https://github.com/White-Tiger/WinMTR/releases 

On that page, you’ll want to download the file that ends in ‘static’. The version may change, but the static one is the one you want. See below:

Once the ZIP file is downloaded, extract it on your system. Open the folder where it was extracted to and double click on "WinMTR64.exe"

Step 2: Run your MTR Test. To do this, enter a domain name or IP address in the host box, then click Start. If you are going to test a hostname or domain name, make sure that it is not behind Cloudflare. If it is, use the server's direct IP address.

Step 3: It’s best to let an MTR test run for about 15 minutes or so to accrue a good dataset.

Once you’re ready to stop the test, click Stop.

Now you can see the results of your MTR Test.

Step 4: It’s more than likely that our team asked you to run this test and are awaiting an export of the results. To do this, click Export Text. (Yes, you can export as HTML but TXT files are much smaller and easier to work with via attachments).

After clicking export, you’ll be given the option to name the file. You can give it any name you want at this point.

That’s it! Now you have created an MTR report on Windows, exported it as a TXT file, and are able to send us the file for examination.

How to Perform an MTR On Linux

Installing MTR on Linux is pretty easy. You’ll just need to use the terminal to download the package from it’s repository and install.

If you’re running a RHEL based distrol, such as CentOS, Fedora, or RHEL, open your terminal and enter:

yum install mtr

After it’s been installed, enter this command to run the test:

mtr google.com -c 1000 -r

Then press return.

Note, if your user on the Linux system does not have sufficient permissions, you can use the command below. You’ll need to enter your root or admin user password to run this, however.

sudo yum install mtr

If you’re running a Debian based distro, like Ubuntu, use the instructions below:

Open your terminal and enter:

apt-get install mtr

Note, if your user on the Linux system does not have sufficient permissions, you can use the command below. You’ll need to enter your root or admin user password to run this, however.

sudo apt-get install mtr

After it’s been installed, enter this command to run the test:

mtr google.com -c -1000 -r

Since the MTR text runs in a terminal, you can select the text in the terminal, right-click on it, select copy, then paste the results in a ticket to our support team, should you have been requested to run an MTR Test.

How to Perform an MTR On macOS

The MTR tool does not come pre-installed on macOS devices and is not available in the Apple store. To be able to install MTR, you will need to have the Homebrew package management system installed on your computer. Homebrew makes libraries and utilities available for your Mac that are not included in the Mac OS X installation by default.

Installing MTR

Running MTR

Once MTR is installed, open your Terminal app and run this command:

sudo mtr google.com -r

Let the MTR trace run for 10-15 minutes. Since the MTR text runs in a terminal, you can select the text in the terminal, right-click on it, select copy (or Press Command-C to copy), then paste the results in a ticket to our support team, should you have been requested to run an MTR Test. Use your mouse to highlight the traces results.

And that’s it! Now you know how to run an MTR test and send our support team the results!