Ping works, internet doesn't

Sample content — demonstrates the Scenario template.

A user reports they can ping their default gateway successfully, but cannot load any websites or reach anything outside the local network.

What would you check next?

Think through this before scrolling — what’s your first three checks?

Walkthrough

1. DNS resolution — try nslookup google.com. If it fails, the problem is DNS, not routing.
2. Default route on the gateway — the gateway itself might not have a valid route to the internet (e.g. its own upstream link is down, or its default route is misconfigured).
3. NAT/firewall policy — if this is behind a firewall, check whether outbound NAT/policy actually permits this host’s traffic to the WAN.

Key takeaway

“Can ping the gateway” only proves Layer 2/3 connectivity to that one hop — it proves nothing about DNS, NAT, or upstream routing.