Delete hosts file windows

Take a look at this hacked hosts file that shows all the fake entries in the hosts file. Well in this case even though we unchecked read-only and hit apply, Windows would not let us save the changes.

So we tried to simply delete the file and recreate a new one and still Windows would not let us delete or change the file in any way. This was very odd. We have seen many locked files before left by a virus but typically we are at least able to delete them.

This IP address could serve a site that looks just like Google's, but is actually trying to steal your sensitive information. While this was a problem in the past, most security software like the Windows Security Suite can recognize and fix problems with the hosts file automatically.

That said, if you open up your hosts file and see a lot of strange entries, then you may want to revert to the default Windows hosts file. Just copy and paste the default hosts file from earlier in the article into your hosts file and save. Note that some third-party security software uses the hosts file to block dangerous websites.

If that's the case, no worries — your security software should add all those entries back to your hosts file. We'll go over how this works in the next section. Don't want friends or family to visit certain websites on your computer? Or are you like me and get distracted by all the cat photos on the internet? Also, close the browser windows that are open and reopen them. The one downside is that this only works on one device — you could just reach for your phone and browse Reddit on that instead.

Still, it's a neat way to create some friction on your work computer. This leads nicely into the last trick, which is to use the hosts file to make your life a little bit easier.

If you spend a lot of time adjusting your router's settings, or you have a cool project running on a Raspberry Pi , you'll know that typing in a long IP address is a drag.

Instead, you can use the hosts file to make connecting to other devices on your local network much faster. For example, if your router is at Otherwise your browser might not recognize. Fortunately there are a whole lot of valid TLDs nowadays. Again, the one downside to this method is that it only works on once device.

You'd have to update the hosts files on your other devices to enable the same shortcuts. And that should be just about everything you need to know about the hosts file on Windows And a lot of this knowledge should carry over to Linux and macOS.

In the File name field, paste the following path on it and click on the Open button. Step 4. Now, you can edit the hosts file in the Notepad.

To map a specific domain, you can add a line based on the following examples in the hosts file. Start with the target IP address, and then type a space and the domain name. Redirect it to Step 5. After that, restart your computer to make the new hosts file take effect. How to move game to other monitor? Select the Hosts file, and rename it "Hosts. Need more help? Expand your skills. Get new features first. Was this information helpful?

Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help. Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow. No jargon.