Destination Host Unreachable - Reasons and Solutions

The error message "Destination Host Unreachable " tells that the ping request from our computer cannot find the route to the destination IP address(destination host). It means, the Packet send from your computer reached the destination network successfully but the remote gateway failed to find the destination host. So the remote gateway sends an Echo message Destination host unreachable. One major possibility for this error; there is no route listed in the remote gateway, for the packet sent from your computer to the destination host. If there is no route available, it is impossible to find the destination host and your computer will receive an error message "Destination host unreachable" from remote gateway. So one of the reasons for this can be a faulty routing table. If the destination host is down at the time the packet send, it may result in destination host unreachable error message.


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You may get Destination Host Unreachable message even if you ping to a host in the same subnet. When you ping to a host in the same subnet, your computer sends an ARP request for the MAC address of the destination device. If the host does not exist, you will get destination host unreachable message. It is because without completing ARP request, ICMP echo cannot be sent. It concludes all possible reasons for Destination host unreachable error message with possible troubleshooting steps.

Reasons to getting Destination Host Unreachable Message

1. The ping packet find the destination network but failed to find the destination host
2. Packet Routing issue on Remote gateway
3. Destination host might be down
4. Connection issues

Analyzing Destination Host Unreachable message

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\corenetworkz>ping 4.2.2.2

Pinging 4.2.2.2 with 32 bytes of data:

Destination host unreachable.
Destination host unreachable.
Destination host unreachable.
Destination host unreachable.

Ping statistics for 4.2.2.2:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

C:\corenetworkz>

When I ping to an IP address in a different network, ping packets reach default gateway. My default gateway sends the packet to a remote gateway. So ping packet finally reaches the remote network. However, if the remote gateway failed to find the remote host, it will send an echo Destination host unreachable.

How to Resolve Destination Host Unreachable
The possible fix for the ICMP error message "Destination Host Unreachable" :

1. Make sure that the local host is configured correctly
2. Make sure Destination Computer/Device is up
3. Disable the Firewall and check for the issue
4. Perform a tracert to the destination IP and check where the problem lies

You can also check the solution for similar issues to learn more about this Destination Unreachable error messages. To check the extended troubleshooting guide click on the link below.
ICMP Echo Message Destination Net Unreachable


When the packet received at remote gateway ad failed to find the remote host, you will receive ICMP Echo Destination Host Unreachable message. However, if your computer didn't get a response from the remote gateway the situation is different. The below link tells how to handle that situation.
Request Timed Out -Reasons and solutions


If you receive Destination Host Unreachable message, you can assure that the issue lies with the remote gateway. However, if you receive the transmit failed message, you can fix it by trying the steps listed in the link below.
ping Transmit Failed, Error Code 10045

Another transmit failed error message with different error code is:
Ping Transmit Failed Error Code 65


Since the message Destination host unreachable depends on the remote gateway, you cannot do much in your network or computer. But if you receive hardware error instead of destination unreachable message, you can resolve it by following the steps provided in the link below.
Reasons and Solutions for Ping Hardware Error Message

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