How to Ping an IP Address on a Mac

When a computer connects to the Internet, the system is assigned an IP address, which networks use to identify it. In addition, all web servers and websites have IP addresses associated with them. Users with a computer connected to the Internet can ping other IP addresses to see if a remote system is active or if they can connect to it. Mac users can ping IP addresses through the "Network Utility" application. This article explains how to ping an IP address on a Mac.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mac running OS X 10.4 or later

1. Open a new Finder window by clicking on the icon in the dock.

2. Navigate to the "Utilities" folder, which can be found in the "Applications" section of the Mac hard drive.

3. Double-click on the "Network Utility" icon to start the networking application.

4. Click on the "Ping" tab at the top of the application window.

5. In the main field, type the IP address you wish to ping, then enter the number of ping attempts you would like to complete.

6. Click the "Ping" button to begin testing the connection. Ping results will appear in the main application window.