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Azure Speed Test

PsPing network latency test

The browser-based Azure speed test cannot measure ICMP ping or TCP ping due to platform limits. Use PsPing from the PsTools suite to measure latency directly against Azure targets, including ICMP ping, TCP ping, and bandwidth tests.

Run PsPing latency test

To use the PsPing tool for a network latency test, follow these steps:

  1. Step 1: Download PsTools
  2. Step 2: Extract the entire package and open a command prompt.
  3. Step 3: Enter this command: psping target:port (replace "target" with an IP address or DNS name of publicly accessible virtual machines, storage, SQL databases, or other endpoints).
  4. Step 4: Upon completion, you'll see output displaying latency results in milliseconds (as shown below when using a storage endpoint and port 80 as target):
    PsPing command output showing TCP connect statistics to Azure storage endpoint, including minimum, maximum, and average latency in milliseconds
    PsPing output showing latency test results with connection statistics

Browser test vs PsPing

Both tools measure latency, but at different layers of the network stack. Choose based on what you need to measure.

AspectBrowser testPsPing
ProtocolHTTPS requests to Azure Blob StorageTCP connect or ICMP echo
What it measures Real-world application latency including DNS, TLS handshake, and HTTP processing Raw network round-trip time without application overhead
Use case Simulates actual user experience for web apps, APIs, and cloud services Baseline network diagnostics and infrastructure-level validation
RequirementsNone (runs in browser)PsTools download, command line

Frequently asked questions

Where can I learn more about PsPing parameters?
Visit the Microsoft Sysinternals PsTools page for detailed documentation on each PsPing parameter.
Why doesn't regular ping work with Azure?
Azure blocks external ICMP protocol, so the general ping.exe using ICMP won't function. However, PsPing can directly test connectivity to an unblocked specific TCP port.
How do I test latency between Azure virtual machines?
To test latency between virtual machines in the same VNET or different VNETs across various regions, see Region to Region Latency and Test VM network latency .