> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Editing the hosts file on Windows, macOS, and Linux

> A hosts file is a file that maps domain names to IP addresses. This article explains how to edit the hosts file on Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux.

A *hosts* file contains mappings of hostnames to IP addresses. It is frequently used to test a website when the domain's DNS settings have not been updated yet.

This article explains how to edit the *hosts* file on the following operating systems:

* Microsoft Windows
* Apple macOS
* Linux

<Warning>
  **Important**

  The *hosts* file is a plain text file, so you should use a plain text editor like Notepad or nano to edit it. Do **not** use a word processor like Microsoft Word, which can add additional formatting and cause more problems than it solves!
</Warning>

## Microsoft Windows

To edit the *hosts* file on Microsoft Windows, follow these steps:

1. Click **Start**, type `notepad`, and then click **Run as administrator**.

2. Click **Yes** to allow the app to make changes to your device.

3. On the **File** menu, click **Open**.

4. In the **Open** dialog box, in the location bar, type `\%SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc` and then press Enter.

5. In the **Text Documents (\*.txt)** list box, select **All Files (\*.\*)**.

6. In the list of files, double-click **hosts**.

7. Move the cursor to the end of the file, and then type the following text. Replace *xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx* with the IP address you want to use, and replace *example.com* with the domain name:

   ```
   xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx example.com
   ```

   > 🚧 Important
   >
   > There must be at least one space between the IP address and the domain name.

8. To save your changes, press **Ctrl-S**.

## Apple macOS

To edit the *hosts* file on macOS, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal window. In the dock, click the **Launchpad** icon, and then in the **Search** box, type `terminal` and press Return.

2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press Return:

   ```shell theme={null}
   sudo nano /etc/hosts
   ```

   ![](https://files.readme.io/f38a9dc1d8297211fbda9dc938a5f3ec5b10bbd1c1ab9f9cf09431f80226fba1-image.png)

3. Type your password.

4. In the nano editor, move the cursor to the end of the file, and then type the following text. Replace *xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx* with the IP address you want to use, and replace *example.com* with the domain name:

   ```
   xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx example.com
   ```

   > 🚧 Important
   >
   > There must be at least one space between the IP address and the domain name.

5. To save your changes, press **Ctrl-O**, and then press Return.

6. To exit the nano editor, press **Ctrl-X**.

   > 🚧 Important
   >
   > To ensure the new hostname mapping works correctly, you should also clear the DNS cache. For information about how to do this, please see [Clearing the DNS cache on your computer](/docs/clearing-the-dns-cache-on-your-computer).

## Linux

To edit the *hosts* file on Linux, follow these steps:

1. In your preferred text editor, open the */etc/hosts* file with administrator privileges. For example, at the command prompt, type the following command:

   ```shell theme={null}
   sudo vi /etc/hosts
   ```

2. Move the cursor to the end of the file, and then type the following text. Replace *xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx* with the IP address you want to use, and replace *example.com* with the domain name:

   ```
   xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx example.com
   ```

   > 🚧 Important
   >
   > There must be at least one space between the IP address and the domain name.

3. Save your changes to the */etc/hosts* file.

## Related articles

* [Accessing your web site before DNS propagation is complete](/docs/accessing-your-web-site-before-dns-propagation-is-complete)

* [Accessing cPanel](/docs/accessing-cpanel)

* [Accessing WebHost Manager](/docs/accessing-webhost-manager)