route print

route print

Command: route print

Category: Network

Type: CMD

Purpose

Displays the IP routing table on your computer, showing all network routes that Windows uses to send network traffic. Essential for advanced network troubleshooting, understanding network paths, and diagnosing routing issues.

Quick Summary

See exactly how your computer routes network traffic to different destinations. The routing table shows which network interface and gateway Windows uses for each destination network. Critical for diagnosing connectivity problems, VPN issues, and complex network configurations.

How to Use

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
2. Type route print and press Enter.
3. View the routing table with interface list, active routes, and persistent routes.

Alternative commands:

route print
netstat -r  (equivalent command)

Understanding the Output

Section 1: Interface List

• Shows all network adapters with their index numbers
• Displays MAC addresses and adapter descriptions
• Used to identify which adapter handles which route

Section 2: IPv4 Route Table

• Network Destination: Target network or host
• Netmask: Subnet mask for the destination
• Gateway: Next hop IP address (or "On-link" for local networks)
• Interface: Local IP address used to reach the destination
• Metric: Route priority (lower numbers = higher priority)

Section 3: IPv6 Route Table

• Similar information for IPv6 routes
• Includes link-local and global IPv6 addresses

Section 4: Persistent Routes

• Routes that survive system restarts
• Manually added routes that persist

Tips and Best Practices

• The default route (0.0.0.0) shows where traffic goes when no specific route matches.
• Lower metric values indicate preferred routes when multiple paths exist.
• "On-link" gateway means the destination is on the local network segment.
• Compare routing tables before and after VPN connections to troubleshoot routing issues.
• Use route print | more to page through output if it's too long.
• Save output for documentation: route print > routes.txt

Common Use Cases

• VPN troubleshooting: Verify VPN routes are added correctly.
• Network connectivity issues: Check if routes exist for problematic destinations.
• Multi-homing: Verify traffic routing when multiple network adapters are active.
• Gateway problems: Confirm which gateway is being used for internet traffic.
• Split tunneling: Verify which traffic goes through VPN vs regular connection.
• Network documentation: Document current routing configuration.

Prerequisites

• Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell
• No administrator rights required to view routes
• Administrator rights required to modify routes
• Available on all Windows versions

Key Route Entries Explained

Default Route (0.0.0.0):

• Destination: 0.0.0.0
• Netmask: 0.0.0.0
• Catches all traffic not matching other routes
• Typically points to your router/default gateway

Localhost (127.0.0.1):

• Routes to local loopback interface
• Used for local communication within the computer

Local Network:

• Destination matches your local subnet
• Gateway shows "On-link"
• Direct communication without routing through gateway

Multicast (224.0.0.0):

• Used for multicast traffic
• Typically routes to "On-link"

Managing Routes

Add a route (temporary):

route add 192.168.2.0 mask 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1

Add persistent route:

route -p add 192.168.2.0 mask 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1

Delete a route:

route delete 192.168.2.0

Change a route:

route change 192.168.2.0 mask 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.2

Clear all manual routes:

route -f

Troubleshooting

• Can't reach certain networks - Check if route exists; add manually if needed.
• VPN doesn't work correctly - Verify VPN adds necessary routes when connected.
• Conflicting routes - Multiple routes to same destination; lower metric route is used.
• Traffic goes wrong way - Check metric values and gateway assignments.
• Route disappears after reboot - Add with -p flag for persistence.
• Access denied when modifying - Run Command Prompt as Administrator.

Reading Route Priorities

When multiple routes match a destination:

1. Most specific route wins (longest matching prefix)
2. If equally specific, lowest metric wins
3. If metrics equal, route added first is used

Example:

• Route to 192.168.1.0/24 is more specific than 192.168.0.0/16
• Route with metric 10 is preferred over metric 20

Common Network Issues

Problem: Can't reach internet

• Check default route (0.0.0.0) exists and points to correct gateway
• Verify gateway IP is reachable: ping gateway_ip

Problem: VPN routing issues

• Compare routes before and after VPN connection
• Check if VPN added necessary routes
• Verify split tunnel configuration if applicable

Problem: Slow or wrong path

• Check metrics to verify preferred route
• Look for multiple routes to same destination
• Consider network congestion or physical path issues

Related Tools

• netstat -r - Alternative command for viewing routing table
• ipconfig - Display network adapter configuration
• tracert - Trace the actual path packets take
• pathping - Combination of ping and tracert with statistics
• netsh interface ip show route - Alternative routing table view
• PowerShell: Get-NetRoute - PowerShell cmdlet for routing information