Windows 11 cannot ping apple devices

Question

Windows 11 cannot ping apple devices

Dale Walter 0

My Windows 11 PC cannot ping apple devices on the same network, even with the network designated "Private" and Windows firewall turned off. Another Windows machine on the same network can successfully ping apple devices, so I know it isn't a problem with the router or target Mac.

Dale Walter 0 Reputation points

2026-04-01T16:23:05.2966667+00:00

Another Windows machine on the same network can successfully ping apple devices

3 answers

Your answer

Dale Walter 0 Reputation points

2026-04-01T16:23:05.2966667+00:00

Another Windows machine on the same network can successfully ping apple devices

Answer 1

Dale Walter 0

Problem involves all Apple devices on my network (MacBooks, iPhones, iPads). None appear on arp -a list on the problem machine but do on the other Windows PC on the network

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Answer 2

Dale Walter 0

Apple devices do not appear on arp -a list.

Problem with all apple devices on my network (MacBooks, iPhones, iPads)

April Pagunsan 260 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-04-01T17:21:51.3266667+00:00
Thank you for providing some information Dale Walter, since your Apple devices never appear in arp -a on the affected Windows 11 PC while another Windows machine on the same network can both populate ARP entries and ping them shows that this is not an ICMP or Windows Defender Firewall issue but a local Layer‑2 failure and isolating the problem to that PC’s network stack and network driver, or a low‑level filter driver rather than the router and subnet or Apple device settings.

Can you try to fully reset the Windows networking stack (this is critical)?

This fixes most ARP‑level issues and is the best place to start.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Run these commands exactly as shown, one at a time:

netsh int ip reset

netsh winsock reset

ipconfig /flushdns

shutdown /r /t 0

After the reboot, test again. In many cases, this alone restores normal ARP behavior.

You may also want to check for hidden filter drivers. If the issue continues, it’s often caused by leftover drivers from VPNs, virtual machines, or security tools. Open Device Manager, click View > Show hidden devices, then look under Network adapters (and Non‑Plug and Play Drivers, if listed) for old VPNs, VirtualBox/VMware adapters, or packet‑filtering drivers. If you spot anything you no longer use, uninstall it and reboot these drivers can interfere with ARP even when the firewall is turned off.

Answer 3

Hi Dale Walter.

Thanks for posting here in Microsoft Community, I understand that your Windows 11 PC is unable to ping Apple devices on the same network, even though another Windows machine can.

First, confirm this is ICMP-specific (not a general network problem)

From the problem PC, try reaching the same Apple device using non‑ICMP checks.

Start with a ping:

ping <apple-device-ip>

``

If that doesn’t work, check ARP instead: arp -a

Then look for the Apple device’s IP address in the list.

How to interpret the results:

If the ARP entry exists but ping still fails, Layer 2 connectivity is working

That means ICMP traffic is being blocked locally

At this point, it strongly points to a Windows networking stack, driver, or service issue, not a general connectivity problem.

Also, may I know if this happens on all Apple devices or only a specific one?

If you still needed further assistance or you still have any more question feel free to comment I'll be happy to assist you.

Best regards,

April P.

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Windows 11 cannot ping apple devices

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