How to edit hosts files in Windows, Mac, Linux

A hosts entry overrides DNS for one domain on that machine only, so you can test a site on the new server before changing its DNS.

IP domain.com www.domain.com

Example

77.235.XX.XX domain.com www.domain.com

Windows OS

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

• Go to Start > run Notepad. 
• Right click on the Notepad icon and select "Run as administrator."

• Select Open from the File menu option. 
• In the File name field, enter the following path: c:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

• Add the hostname/domain name and IP address to the bottom of the host file.

For example:

77.235.XX.XX  example.com www.example.com

Save the file.

Linux Operating Systems

Hosts file location : /etc/hosts

• Open a Terminal window. 

vi /etc/hosts

• Add the destination server's IP address and domain name under the latest entry in the file.

For example:

77.235.XX.XX  example.com www.example.com

• Save the host file. 
• Reload your browser for the changes to take effect.

MacOS X

Hosts file location : /private/etc/hosts

• Open Terminal and run: 
• Type sudo nano /etc/hosts

sudo nano /etc/hosts

• Enter your administrator password 
• Add hosts entry with your server IP and domain name.

For example:

77.235.XX.XX  example.com www.example.com

• Once you're done, hold down the control and O keys to save the file, then control and X to exit.

Note: You need to run a ping test to ensure that it shows the correct IP. Once testing is finished these entries should be removed.