You don’t own the file “hosts” and don’t have permission to write to it. This is the default location of hosts file in Mac OS X: /private/etc/hosts. And, here is the way to edit the file. Open terminal and type this command: sudo nano /private/etc/hosts. How to Edit the Mac Hosts File. There are actually two ways to edit the Mac Hosts file. You can use Terminal or a standard text editor. The method you use is up to you. Using the Terminal. The simplest way to edit the Hosts file is by using the built-in UNIX terminal in OS X or macOS.

Ever heard of host files? Most of us often confuse host files with DNS files but they’re actually pretty different. So, before we jump on understanding how to edit hosts file on Mac first let’s understand the basic difference between hosts file and DNS.

Hosts File Vs DNS

Most of us are under a common impression of associating DNS with host files but the fact is they’re a lot different. DNS (Domain Name System) is basically a database or a huge directory which includes a list of which web address name belongs to which IP address.

On the other hand, hosts file are localized to a specific device. So, when we’re talking about Mac hosts file it is a pretty important document which maps hostnames to specified IP addresses. This concept is actually similar to how we store contact names on our smartphone. For instance, the contact name acts as a web address and the phone number is the IP address.

Editing Hosts Files on Mac

When it comes to editing hosts file on Mac, the concept is pretty simple. It’s like simply rerouting the IP address of a specific web address. We’ve often seen a message on browser saying “Cannot find the webpage which you’re looking for” right? This basically happens when a particular web address is linked to an incorrect IP address. It’s just like hitting a wrong number from your cell phone, when we try to reach a contact, the phone rings and still we ‘re unable to connect with the respective person due to incorrect entering of contact details.

Here are a few important benefits of editing hosts file on Mac that’ll help you in understanding this concept in a better manner.

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Benefits of Editing Hosts File on Mac

Once we reroute a web address to a specific IP address here are a few perks that you might experience:

Enhanced Productivity: If you’re running a small business, then blocking a few social media websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter can help your employees to stay focused on their work.

Network Testing: While developing a new network or developing a new website project, you can reroute the web address to a different IP address so that the real website doesn’t get affected while web development is in progress.

Block Malicious Websites: If you happen to know about any malicious web sites, then rerouting these web pages to a secure landing page can prevent your system from any potential threat.

Increased Speed: As the hosts file are localized to your Mac or a specific device, finding a web page can tremendously speed up your browsing experience as compared to DNS.

How to Edit Hosts File on Mac with Terminal

Hosts File Editor

Before you proceed further on editing hosts file on Mac, make sure you have the administrator privileges of your device beforehand.

Launch the Terminal on Mac either by via Spotlight search or Finder window.
In the Terminal window, type: sudo nano /etc/hosts and hit enter. This command will allow you to access Nano text editor which is where we edit hosts file.
Now here you need to enter the alternative IP address which you want the website to reroute. Then hit tab and then type the web page address or domain name. Suppose, if you want to block access to a website say YouTube, then enter an invalid IP address first like 001.0.0.100 hit tab and then type www.youtube.com.
Save changes by tapping Control + O keys and then hit control + X to exit Nano text editor.
Before you entire move out of terminal window type: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder and hit enter to clear all DNS caches.

How to Edit Hosts File on Mac with TextEdit

Another way for editing hosts file on Mac is via apart from using Mac terminal text editor is TextEdit.

Navigate to Finder > Go > Go to Folder…
Now type /private/etc/hosts and tap on Go.
Copy the hosts file on your Mac’s desktop and then double click the file to make changes.
Now just like we did on the terminal window, first type in the alternative IP address, hit tab, followed by a web page address.
Once you’ve made the desired changes in the hosts file, save it and copy it back to the same location from where we fetched it, right back in the etc folder.
Mac will prompt whether you want to replace this file with the previously existing one. Confirm and proceed further.

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So folks, here was a quick guide on how to edit Mac hosts file! We hope the above mentioned steps will help you in getting through!

For any other queries or feedback feel free to hit the comment box!

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Hosts File Editor For Mac

By editing Mac hosts file, it’s possible to emulate DNS change and set the desired IP for a domain name. With the hosts file you can overwrite any DNS values set by your Internet service provider. This is helpful if your domain name is not yet registered or not pointed to a hosting account, but you want to preview your website.

In this tutorial you will learn how to edit the hosts file on Mac. For a tutorial on how to do the same on Windows click here.

IMPORTANT: Note that changes made for the hosts file will affect your computer only.

What you’ll need

Before you begin this guide, you’ll need the following:

root user privileges

Step 1 – Opening Hosts File

Follow these steps to open your hosts file on Mac: Fleetwood mac blues.

Access launcher (F4 key) and type in terminal in the search field. Click on the Terminal icon.
We will use Nano text editor to open the hosts file. You can open it with Nano by executing the following command:
sudo nano /private/etc/hosts
As we use sudo to edit the hosts file, you will be asked to enter the password of your Mac user account. Note that due to security reasons the cursor won’t move. This is normal – simply enter your password and hit the ENTER key.

Step 2 – Editing Hosts File on Mac

In order to emulate DNS change and point domain name to an IP address, use the following syntax:

For example, to emulate DNS change for hostinger.com and www.hostinger.com we would have to include the following lines at the bottom of hosts file.

This will emulate change IP address of the hostinger.com and www.hostinger.com to 93.188.160.58.

Once you are done with editing hosts file, press CMD + X on your keyboard, enter Y to save changes and hit ENTER button.

Step 3 – Flushing DNS Cache (Optional)

Sometimes changes do not apply instantly and you may need to flush the DNS cache. On Mac, DNS cache can be easily flushed by executing the following command:

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

OS X Mavericks, Mountain Lion, and Lion

Conclusion

That’s it, by finishing this short tutorial, you have learned how to edit a hosts file on Mac. This is useful if your domain name is not registered or not pointed to the server, but you want to preview your website. In addition, you have also learned how to flush the DNS cache on Mac.

Hosts Editor For Mac