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Oct 15, 2023 · The hosts file is the first place Windows checks for IP addresses when connecting to websites and can be manually edited to block access to specific websites. The hosts file is located in "C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc" on both Windows 10 and 11, and you need administrative permissions to edit it.
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The Hosts file (also referred to as etc/hosts) is a text file used by Windows (and other operating systems) to map IP addresses to host names or domain names. This file acts as a local DNS service, for your local computer, and it overrides the mappings from the DNS server that your computer is connected to, through the network.
- Ciprian Adrian Rusen
Jul 23, 2024 · The Windows Hosts file is a system file you can edit to map hostnames or servers to IP addresses. Most people won't ever need to edit this file, but sometimes certain apps and services require making some changes. This wikiHow teaches you how to open, edit, and save the Windows Hosts file.
- 1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard. This opens the Windows menu and the search bar.
- 2. Type notepad into the search bar. Don't click anything yet—just type the word and wait for the search results to appear.
- 3. Right-click Notepad in the search results. A menu will expand.
- 4. Click Run as administrator. This opens Notepad as an administrator. You may have to click Yes on a security warning to open the app.
- 5. Click the File menu and select Open. This opens your file chooser.
- 6. Navigate to the path that contains the hosts file. The hosts file is located at c:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc. You can paste that path into th...
- 7. Select All Files from the drop-down menu. It's the menu toward the bottom-right corner of the window. You should now see a handful of files, inc...
- 8. Select the hosts file and click Open. The hosts file is now open for editing.
- 9. Make changes to the file. Now that the file is open, you can add the correct lines to the file. When you add a line to the hosts file, you'll wa...
- 10. Click the File menu and select Save. This saves your changes to the hosts file.
Jul 10, 2024 · Key Takeaways. The hosts file is located in the drive path C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. You should ensure you can view hidden folders on Windows to access this file. You can use the built-in...
- Bhaskar Sharma
- Author
- Male
- October 25, 1998
2 days ago · Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Type "cmd" in the Windows search bar, right-click Command Prompt, and choose "Run as administrator." It’s important to run Command Prompt as an administrator, because you’ll need special permissions to edit system files like the hosts file. If you skip this step, you might run into "Access ...
Dec 6, 2023 · Users with administrative privileges can modify the Windows hosts file to override this process and map hostnames to specific IPs. Find out how to edit the hosts file in Windows and control domain name resolution on your local machine.