The hosts file contains file storage information that associates the server with the host name and IP address. However, Windows continues to synchronize the hosts file, even though DNS is increasingly used to resolve IP addresses. You can use the Windows 11 hosts file to change the resolving IP addresses. In this guide, I’ll show you how to do it Edit or change your hosts file on a Windows 11 PC and laptop.
Why do you need to edit or change your hosts file?
What is the hosts file? The hosts file is a computer file used by the operating system to map host names to IP addresses. The hosts file is a plain text file traditionally referred to as the host. For various reasons it may be necessary to update the hosts file on your computer in order to correctly resolve the website for the domain name.
The most common reason is to allow users to view or publish web content immediately after purchasing a new domain name or transferring an existing domain name to another Internet Service Provider (ISP). There is a delay time for new and transferred domain names that can range from a few hours to a few days. During this time, the information from the new domain or the transferred domain is disseminated on the Internet and is usually not available.
If you need to update your site immediately and can’t wait for the domain information to spread across the Internet, the workaround is to edit a file on your computer. Whatever the reason, editing the hosts file in Windows 11 is pretty straightforward.
Steps to edit or change your hosts file on Windows 11
So if you want to change or modify the hosts file on a Windows 11 PC, you need to do the following two steps:
Step 1. Back up your hosts file
Before editing the hosts file, you must create a backup of the hosts file. If something goes wrong, you should be able to revert to the working version.
- Open that File manager on your PC, then navigate to the
C:→Windows→System32→drivers→etcFolder. - Or you can copy and paste the file path below into File Explorer and then press Enter to open the Hosts folder.
- C: Windows system32 drivers etc
- A file called hosts will appear in this folder. Copy the hosts file and paste it in another location for backup. You can also do it in etc Folder under a different name, but administrator rights are required.
Step 2. Change or edit the hosts file in Windows 11 using Notepad
Now that you’ve backed up your hosts file, you can now easily modify, edit, or even modify your hosts file. To do this, follow the steps below:
- First, open Notepad as an administrator. To do this, look for “Notepad” in the Start menu, then right-click the Notepad application icon and select “Run as administrator” from the menu.
- Now a permission prompt will appear on the screen asking you:Would you like to allow this app to make changes to your computer? ” Choose ‘Yes‘from the dialog box. Then Notepad will open with administrator rights so that you can edit the hosts file.
- To edit the Hosts file, click Open (Ctrl O) on the File menu and a window will appear asking for the location of the file. Navigate to and open the hosts file.
- Now you can add the new IP address and the domain name you want to resolve to the end of the file and use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S to save it. If you open Notepad in administrator mode, you can easily save files without additional permissions.
Tip: You can do the same with other text editor programs like Notepad ++. For example, I opened the hosts file in Notepad ++.
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Here’s how you can edit or change your hosts file on Windows 11 using Notepad. There can be many visual differences between Windows 11 and Windows 10. The folder structure of the Windows system remains essentially unchanged, especially files and folders. You are now familiar with the Windows hosts file and its role. Please be sure to send this article to those who need it.
Also read:
- How to change your PC or laptop name in Windows 11
- How to hide recommended files in Windows 11 Start menu
- How to quickly enable and disable WiFi or Ethernet in Windows 11