A troubleshooting method and a troubleshooting apparatus are disclosed. The troubleshooting method includes: sending a forward detection message to at least one node on a path to be detected, where the forward detection message carries information about a forward path to be detected and information about a backward path to be detected; and detecting faults according to a backward detection message returned by the at least one node. With the troubleshooting method and the troubleshooting apparatus disclosed herein, troubleshooting operations such as fault detection and fault location can be performed for the forward path and the backward path that require bidirectional path detection.