How to Edit the Hosts File on a Mac

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Open the Terminal app.

   You can use the Spotlight search functionality to do this.
2. 2

   Step 2: Copy the /etc/hosts file to a local file to be able to edit it.

   Type the command: cp /etc/hosts hosts . , Type the command: open /Applications/TextEdit.app hosts , The format of the line is "1.2.3.4 www.mynewdomain.com"
   
   where
   1.2.3.4 is the IP address and www.mynewdomain.com is the domain you want to point at the IP address. , Do this by typing: sudo cp hosts /etc/hosts.
   
   You will be prompted for your password at this point because you are overwriting the system /etc/hosts file.
   
   Note that on the command line, when you type a character into the password field, nothing at all will appear. , Note: your new domain name will not work until you have a web server responding at the IP address you specify!
3. 3

   Step 3: Edit the copy of the hosts file using TextEdit.

4. 4

   Step 4: Add your new hosts file entry as a single line at the bottom of the file.

5. 5

   Step 5: Copy the file hosts over top of the system /etc/hosts file.

6. 6

   Step 6: Test your new local domain name by typing the domain name into your web browser.

Detailed Guide

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