Reading Time: < 1 minuteEditing your \etc\hosts file is a common task for troubleshooting issues or for developing a site that you aren’t quite ready to launch.  By editing this file, you’ll be able to bypass DNS to view a site at a declared IP address.

In Windows 10, your hosts’ file is located at: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. You will need to edit the file with administrative privileges.

1. Click the Windows button and type Notepad in the search bar.
2. Right click on Notepad and then Run as Administrator.
3. You’ll be asked, “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”.
   Choose Yes.
4. In Notepad, choose File then Open
5. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts or click the address bar at the top and paste in the path and choose Enter.  If you don’t readily see the host file in the /etc directory then select All files from the File name: drop-down list, then click on the hosts file.
6. Add the appropriate IP and hostname at the end of your hosts’ file, select save and close the file.
7. Finally, you will want to flush your DNS cache for your computer to recognize changes to the file. Click the Windows button and search command prompt.
8. Right-click on Notepad and then Run as Administrator.
9. You’ll be asked, “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”.
   Choose Yes.
10. Type the following command in the terminal and press Enter

ipconfig /flushdns