In this article, I will be showing you How to edit Windows Hosts File via PowerToy Editor Utility. The host file is a configuration file that tells a machine the appropriate host IP it should route a request to, it maps a particular hostname to an IP address, this mapping has a significant effect on the bypassing of DNS Servers outside the machine and navigating a request directly to the mapped IP address. Read articles on migration: How to Migrate Your WordPress Site with WordPress Duplicator, How to Migrate Azure Web Apps, How to migrate WDS and MDT to a new Windows Server.
The Windows Hosts file can provide you with instant results anytime you are migrating your site to a new server, It will help confirm that your site is working properly on the new server IP address before making changes to the DNS servers. Please take a look at the YouTube video below for more information.
Please note that making direct changes to the Hosts file using Notepad with Administrator rights can be very delicate and dangerous. This is because, you can easily make errors by deleting or adding stuff to the file without knowing.
But with Microsoft’s PowerToys editor utility tool. You can easily and safely edit the Hosts file without using Notepad and causing errors on the file.
Here are some exciting article: How to Locate and Edit the host file on Windows, How to Locate and Edit the Host File on macOS, How to Create a DNS Record and Why You Should not Use Public DNS in Production: Change DNS Server in Windows.
How to Install and Edit Windows Hosts File using PowerToy Editor Tool
1. Download and Install Windows PowerToys.
This can be done from these locations. Download PowerToys from the Microsoft Store.
Click Install and be patient as it starts downloading and installing from the Microsoft Store.
Download the .exe file from this GitHub page under Assets.
If your download and installation are successful you will automatically get the below Welcome page.
2. Open the Hosts File Editor in Windows PowerToys.
Scroll down and click Hosts File Editor.
Not all PowerToys modules are enabled by default, click on Open Settings and enable the Enable Hosts File Editor by toggling the button to ON. This will automatically enable other settings.
Click on the Launch Hosts File Editor button.
You will receive a warning message. Click Accept to continue.
Please see How to Diagnose a Windows Hardware Issue. Also, see How to determine GPO from GUID or Name.
3. Using the Hosts Editor to edit your file.
In the dialog box that opens. You will see a list of entries that already exist in the Hosts file. You can decide to enable or disable them. If you want to enter new details then click the New Entry button.
Adding a new entry to the Hosts File Editor.
After entering these new details click the Add button, ensure your new Hosts entry is enabled, and you are done! With this tool, you do not need to open the whole file with Notepad any longer. As this may introduce errors into the file.
I hope you found this blog post on how to how to Edit Windows Hosts File via PowerToy Editor Utility Interesting and helpful. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask in the comment section.
