How to Fix The Ping Error Request Timed Out?

When someone faces problems with network connectivity, the first thing he has to do is to ping the destination address to check the connectivity.

Ping is a network utility available in every Operating System. On a Windows computer, you can run ping utility from the Command Prompt.

When you ping a destination address, your computer sends echo requests to the destination and wait for the reply.

If the network connection is fine, your computer will receive a reply from the destination.

If there is a problem, your computer will not receive the correct ICMP reply from the destination address. Instead, you will get one of the many ICMP error messages.

Request Timed Out is one of the most common ICMP error messages to a failed ping. Let us check the meaning of this ICMP Echo Reply.

The ICMP error message Request Timed Out explains your computer waited for replies from the destination host for a reasonable amount of time but received none.

If you are not familiar with this ICMP Echo reply, have a look at the screenshot below.



On Command Prompt, I ping the IP address 4.2.2.2, and you can see the reply I received.

C:\corenetworkz>ping 4.2.2.2

Pinging 4.2.2.2 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

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

C:\corenetworkz>

Let us check why do you get the Request Timed Out while pinging a remote address.

Possible Reasons to get the Ping Error Message Request Timed Out

1. Incorrect Network Adapter or Firewall Settings on your PC
   
   
2. The remote host might be down
   
   
3. There might not be a route back to your computer
   
   
4. The firewall installed on the destination host may be blocking your ICMP request
   
   
5. Your device did not have an Internet connection at the time of receiving replies
   
   

Let us check how to troubleshoot the ICMP Echo Reply Request Timed Out and how to resolve it.

How to Fix the Ping Error Request Timed Out?

1. Ping Another address from your computer
   
   You should check whether you can ping any other address from your computer. You can check it by ping another website or Google DNS address from your computer.
   
   
   • Open Command Prompt
     
     
   • Type ping www.corenetworkz.com and press enter key. Check for the result.
     
     
   • If it fails, go to the next step in this troubleshooting guide.
   
   
   
2. Ping the Localhost
   
   
   
   
   • Type cmd on Windows search
     
     
   • Open command prompt and type ping 127.0.0.1. Press the enter key.
     
     
   • Check whether you get a reply
   
   
   
   
   
   If you do not get proper replies from the localhost, either the network adapter settings are corrupt, or the firewall is blocking the replies.
   
   You can fix it by following the instructions below.
   
   
   • Type command in the Windows search and right-click the command prompt, to open as an Administrator.
     
     
   • Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter key
     
     
   • Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter key
     
     
   • Type netsh int ip reset and press Enter key
     
     
   • Type netsh int ipv6 reset and press Enter key
     
     
   • Type netsh int ipv4 reset and press Enter key
     
     
   • Reboot your computer
     
     
   • Check for the issue
   
   
   
3. Disable the Firewall and Check for the issue
   
   An aggressive firewall on your computer can prevent it from receiving ICMP Echo replies to your ping.
   
   If the firewall blocks the replies, your computer will show a Request Timed Out message on the command prompt.
   
   Try to ping the Google DNS address to check for the issue after you disable the Firewall and other security tools on your PC.
   
   ping 8.8.8.8
   
   
4. Power Cycle the Network
   
   A proper power cycle can fix most of the network connectivity issues. To do this, follow the instructions below.
   
   
   • Switch off the devices on your network
     
     
   • Disconnect power cables from Modem and Router
     
     
   • Disconnect the Ethernet cables from Modem, Computer, and Router
     
     
   • Reconnect the power and ethernet cables
     
     
   • Power on the Modem and Router after one minute
   
   
   
   
   

In this tutorial, you have learned how to fix the Request Timed Out Ping error message. However, it is not necessary to drop ICMP echo replies for every ping packets your computer sent.

Occasionally you may see Ping Request Timed Out intermittent replies. Out of four ICMP echo requests, one or two may receive replies successfully.

Why Do You Get Intermittent Request Timed Out Error?

Have a look at the ping reply given below.

C:\corenetworkz>ping 8.8.8.8

Pinging 8.8.8.8 with 32 bytes of data:

Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=132ms TTL=113
Request timed out.
Reply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=514ms TTL=113

Ping statistics for 8.8.8.8:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 2, Lost = 2 (50% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 132ms, Maximum = 901ms, Average = 441ms 

When you ping the Google DNS address, you received two replies and two Request timed out messages. Let us check why do I receive two intermittent Request timed out replies.

A loose network connection or old network components can cause this issue. In that case, I recommend you perform a complete network power cycle to fix it.

1. Ping Error Message Destination Host Unreachable
2. Ping Error code 2 - Reason and fix
3. PING: Transmit failed. General Failure - Reasons and Solution
4. How to Fix Destination Net Unreachable Error Message?

About The Author:

Alex George is a Cisco and Microsoft certified Network Engineer. He has been working in the Network Engineering field since 2006.

He has CCNA and MCSE certifications.

The author's area of specialization is wireless and Cybersecurity.