brew install mtrInstall mtr with Homebrew (it isn't built into macOS).
When to use it
Use mtr when a connection is unreliable rather than dead: calls that break up, games that lag in spikes. A single traceroute only samples each hop three times; mtr shows which hop starts losing packets over a few minutes.
Steps
Install it
macOS doesn't ship mtr. Install it with Homebrew.brew install mtrRun it interactively
mtr needs raw sockets, so run it with sudo. The screen updates continuously; press q to quit.sudo mtr apple.comProduce a report
-r report mode, -w wide (full host names), -c number of probes.sudo mtr -rwc 100 1.1.1.1Share the result
Copy the report into a support ticket; ISPs know how to read mtr output.
Output explained
HOST: mac Loss% Snt Last Avg Best Wrst StDev
1.|-- 192.168.1.1 0.0% 50 2.1 2.4 1.8 6.2 0.7
2.|-- 100.74.95.254 0.0% 50 9.8 10.6 6.0 31.2 4.1
3.|-- 10.238.55.45 12.0% 50 11.0 12.2 9.1 20.4 2.3
4.|-- 10.238.55.46 0.0% 50 13.1 12.9 10.2 18.8 1.9
5.|-- 1.1.1.1 0.0% 50 14.0 14.3 12.0 19.1 1.5
- Loss% per hop. Loss at one hop that doesn't continue to later hops (hop 3 here) is just that router rate-limiting replies: not a real problem.
- Loss that starts at a hop and continues to the destination is real packet loss on that link.
- Avg / Best / Wrst are latencies; a large StDev means jitter.
Options and variations
| Flag | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -r | Report mode: run, then print a summary | sudo mtr -r apple.com |
| -c N | Probes per hop | sudo mtr -rc 200 apple.com |
| -w | Wide report with full host names | sudo mtr -rw apple.com |
| -n | No name lookups | sudo mtr -n apple.com |
| -T -P PORT | TCP probes to a port | sudo mtr -T -P 443 apple.com |
Common errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| mtr: Failure to open IPv4 sockets: Operation not permitted | Run without root | Use sudo mtr. |
| command not found: mtr | Not installed or Homebrew's bin not in PATH | brew install mtr; on Apple silicon Homebrew's sbin is /opt/homebrew/sbin. |
Do it in the app
LightAtom's traceroute shows each hop on a world map with its router name and round-trip times, a visual complement to mtr's statistics.
Frequently asked questions
What is mtr?
My Traceroute: a tool that combines traceroute and ping, probing every hop continuously and reporting loss and latency statistics per hop.
How do I install mtr on a Mac?
With Homebrew: brew install mtr. Run it with sudo, because it needs raw sockets for its probes.
How do I read packet loss in mtr?
Only loss that continues through to the final hop matters. Loss at a middle hop that disappears in the next hops is that router deprioritising replies to probes.