Hosts files are used to map hostnames (such as www.example.com) to IP addresses (such as 192.168.1.1). This can be useful for blocking websites, redirecting traffic, and more. Windows 10 includes a built-in hosts file editor, which can be used to add or remove entries from the host’s file.
In this article, we’ll show you how to add or edit entries in the Windows 10 hosts file.
- Download the latest version of Notepad++ from https://notepad-plus-plus
- org/downloads/
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation
- Once Notepad++ is installed, launch the program and open the host’s file located at C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\
- Add the following line to the end of the host’s file: 127
- example.com
- Replace example.com with the desired hostname you wish to use
- Save your changes and close Notepad++
- To test that your new hostname is working, open a web browser and navigate to http://example.com
You should see a page saying “It works!” or something similar indicating that you’ve successfully added a new hostname entry to your Windows 10 system!
How To Edit Hosts Files in Windows 10?
How Do I Add to My Hosts File?
Assuming you’re using a Windows machine, adding entries to your host’s file is pretty simple. Just follow these steps:
- Open up Notepad (or any other text editor).
- Go to File > Open. Then navigate to the following location: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\. You should see a file called “hosts.”
Select that file and open it up in Notepad. - Now, you can add whatever entries you want to the bottom of the file. Each entry should be on its own line, and each line should consist of an IP address followed by a hostname (or multiple hostnames, if you want).
For example, if you wanted to block Facebook, you could add this line: 127.0.0.1 facebook.com www.facebook.com - Once you’re done adding entries, save the file and close it out.
That’s it! Your changes will take effect immediately, and any attempts to access the blocked websites will now result in errors (since your computer will think those websites are located at 0 .0 .0 .0 ).
How Do I Get to the Host File in Windows 10?
To access the host file in Windows 10, you’ll need to first open File Explorer. Then, go to the following directory: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. In this directory, you should see a file named “hosts.”
This is the file that you’ll need to edit in order to modify your system’s host file. To edit the host’s file, right-click on it and select “Open With.” From there, choose a text editor like Notepad or WordPad.
Once you have the file open in your text editor, you can make any changes that you want. Just be sure to save your changes before closing the file. Keep in mind that making changes to your host’s file can potentially break things on your computer.
So, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, it’s best to leave the file alone.
How Do I Add Hosts to My Computer?
Adding a host to your computer is a pretty simple process, and there are a few different ways to do it. One way is to use the command line interface (CLI), and the other is to use a graphical user interface (GUI). If you’re using the CLI, the first thing you’ll need to do is open up a terminal window.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to type in the following command: Sudo nano /etc/hosts This will open up the host’s file in the Nano text editor.
From here, you can simply add your new host by typing in its IP address and then hitting the Enter key. For example, if you wanted to add Google’s DNS servers, you would add the following lines: 8.8.8.8 google-public-DNS-a.google.com 8.8.4.4 google-public-DNS-b.googlecom
Once you’ve added all of the hosts that you want, simply hit Ctrl+X to exit Nano, and then hit Y when it asks if you want to save your changes. That’s all there is to it! If you’re using a GUI, things are even simpler.
Assuming that you’re running some sort of Linux distribution with a desktop environment like GNOME or KDE installed, all you need to do is open up your favorite text editor (like edit ornate) and then go to File > Open…
How Do I Fix a Missing Host File?
If your host file is missing, there are a few things you can do to fix it. First, try restoring it from a backup. If you don’t have a backup, you can try recreating the file using the following steps:
- Open Notepad and create a new document.
- Type the following lines into the document: 127.0.0.1 localhost::1 localhost
- Save the document as “hosts” (without quotes) and make sure to save it as a .txt file type. On Windows, you may need to select “All Files” from the “Save as type” drop-down menu in order to see .txt files.
- Copy this newly created hosts file to your C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc directory (replacing any existing hosts file that may be present).
Host File Location in Windows 10
The host file is a text file that contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. It’s used by your computer’s DNS server to resolve domain names to IP addresses. The host’s file is located in the following directory in Windows 10:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts You can open and edit the host’s file with a text editor like Notepad or Wordpad. Just be sure to save it as a plain text file.
The first thing you’ll notice in the host’s file is that it has no extension. That’s because it’s a system file and doesn’t need an extension. The second thing you’ll notice is that there are already some entries in the file.
These are called default entries and they’re used to map common domain names like localhost (127.0.0.1) and broadcast host (255.255.255.255) to their corresponding IP addresses.
Conclusion
Adding a host file in Windows 10 is a simple process that can be done in a few steps. First, open the Notepad application and then click File > Open. In the Open dialog box, change the file type to All Files and then locate the host’s file.
The host’s file is usually located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\. Next, add the desired IP address and hostname for each site you want to block or redirect. For example, to block Facebook, you would add the following line: 127.0.0.1 facebook.com www.facebook.com.
Save your changes and then close the host’s file. Finally, restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
