How to Resolve: “The request timed out” — Can’t Ping Azure Virtual Machines in the Same Virtual Network

“The request timed out.”

If this error occurs when attempting to ping between VMs from within the same VNET in Azure, it’s likely that either the Windows Firewall or the Network Security Group are blocking the ICMP ping traffic.

Otherwise, you might be attempting to reach a VM that does not have a public IP assigned, or you could be reaching out to a private IP that is outside of the Azure Virtual Network.

To resolve this error, go to the Windows Firewall and select “Advanced settings.”

Then, create a new Custom Inbound Rule to allow ICMP (ping/echo) requests.

Under Programs, select “All programs.”

Under “Protocol and Ports”, select ICMPv4.

Select the IP address Scope, Allow the connection in the Actions, select the network profile scope, and give the rule a name.

Then, test the ping request again. If the request still times out, check the Network Security Group settings in Azure to ensure ICMP traffic is allowed in the security rules.

Note: if you have a private IP, you will only be able to ping within the virtual network and won’t be able to ping outside of Azure without a dedicated public IP address. You can validate this by pinging both the private and the public IPs.