Destination Host Unreachable Error Message- Reasons and Solutions

While troubleshooting network connectivity problems, you might have received Destination Host Unreachable error message as the ping reply. This tutorial teaches you the meaning and the solution for this error.

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.

Let us check the reason for getting Destination Host Unreachable error on your computer?

Reasons For Getting Destination Host Unreachable Error 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

One of the frequent questions I received from our readers is whether this error is related to the Operating System like Windows error and Linux error?

The answer is no.

You will get this message if 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. Then your computer will receive an error message "Destination host unreachable" from the remote gateway.

Another reason is a faulty routing table. If the destination host is down at the time the packet sent, it may result in the destination host unreachable error message.



Explanation of The Destination Host Unreachable Message

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.

It denotes there is no route listed in the remote gateway for the packet sent from your computer to the destination host.

It is impossible to find the destination host without a route, and your computer will receive the alert Destination host unreachable from the remote gateway.

If the destination host is down at the time the packet sent, it will also result in the destination host unreachable error message.



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 a destination host unreachable message.

It is because, without a destination host, we cannot complete the ARP request. So, it cannot send an ICMP echo.

These are the possible reasons for Destination host unreachable error message. Now let us check the troubleshooting steps.




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>

Why Am I Getting Destination Host Unreachable ICMP Error

When I ping to an IP address in a different network, ping packets reach the default gateway.

My default gateway sends the packet to the remote gateway.

So the ping packet finally reaches the remote network. If the remote gateway fails to find the remote host, it sends 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 configuration is correct
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

This tutorial explained how to fix one type of Destination Unreachable error. There is another type of similar error. To check the extended troubleshooting guide, click on the link below.
ICMP Echo Message Destination Net Unreachable


When the packet received at the remote gateway and failed to find the remote host, you will receive the 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 know the issue lies with the remote gateway. If you get the transmit failed message on your PC, you may visit 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. It is independent of your PC Operating System. You can see this alert on both Windows and Linux Computer.

But if you receive hardware error instead of destination unreachable message, you can fix it by following the steps provided in the link below.
Reasons and Solutions for Ping Hardware Error Message

About The Author:

Alex George is a Microsoft and Cisco Certified Network Engineer. He has been working as a network engineer for more than ten years.

His Professional Qualifications: CCNA, CCNP, and MCSE.