Edit my hosts file to preview a domain name

🪟 Windows Instructions

📍 Hosts File Location:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Steps:

1. Open Notepad as Administrator:

   • Start → All Programs → Accessories

   • Right-click Notepad → Run as Administrator

2. In Notepad:

   • Go to File → Open...

   • Paste this into the "File name" field:

     C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
     

   • Choose "All Files" in the file type dropdown (not ".txt")

3. Scroll to the bottom of the file and start a new line

4. Enter the IP address and domain(s):
   (Use at least one space or TAB between entries)

   Example:

   192.168.0.10 example.com test.example.com www.example.com
   

5. Save the file and close Notepad

6. Restart all browsers and try loading the domain

🍎 macOS Instructions

📍 Hosts File Location:

/etc/hosts

Steps:

1. Open the Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal)

2. Run the following command to open the file in nano editor:

   sudo nano /etc/hosts
   

3. Enter your admin password if prompted

4. Scroll to the bottom and add a new line like this:

   192.168.0.10 example.com test.example.com www.example.com
   

5. Save and exit:

   • Press Control + O to save

   • Press Enter to confirm

   • Press Control + X to exit

6. Flush your DNS cache:

   sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
   

7. Close and reopen your browser

🐧 Linux Instructions

📍 Hosts File Location:

/etc/hosts

Steps:

1. Open a terminal

2. Edit the hosts file using your preferred text editor (example using nano):

   sudo nano /etc/hosts
   

3. Add the entry at the bottom:

   192.168.0.10 example.com test.example.com www.example.com
   

4. Save and exit:

   • Press Control + O, then Enter to save

   • Press Control + X to exit

5. Flush the DNS cache (varies by distro):

   • Ubuntu (systemd):

     sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches
     

   • Or restart your network manager:

     sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
     

6. Close and reopen your browser

🧼 Cleanup Reminder

This is a temporary fix. Once your DNS changes have propagated:

• Edit the hosts file again

• Remove the lines you added

• Save the file and flush DNS again (for macOS/Linux)