If you are experiencing network issues—such as a slow internet connection, dropping packets, or an inability to reach a specific server—network administrators typically rely on command-line tools like ping, traceroute, and netstat to diagnose the problem. While macOS includes a powerful Terminal for running these commands, Apple also built a fantastic graphical user interface (GUI) for these tools called “Network Utility.”
This utility provides an easy, point-and-click interface for pinging servers, performing DNS lookups, tracing network routes, and port scanning. Unfortunately, starting with macOS Big Sur, Apple officially deprecated this app and buried it deep within the System folder, making it impossible to find via a standard Spotlight search. However, the application is still fully functional if you know where to look.
How to Launch the Hidden Network Utility on a Mac
You must navigate directly to the application’s hidden folder within the core System Library.
- Open the Finder application on your Mac.
- In the top menu bar, click Go and select Go to Folder… (or press Shift + Command + G).
- In the search box that appears, carefully type the following exact path:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/ - Press Enter to jump to that folder.
- Look through the list of applications in this hidden directory until you find Network Utility.
- Double-click Network Utility to launch it.
Once the app is open, you will see a clean, multi-tabbed interface. You can click the “Ping” tab to easily test a connection to a website (e.g., typing google.com and clicking Ping), or use the “Traceroute” tab to visually map the hops your data takes to reach a destination server, all without typing a single Terminal command.