What Is Windows Hosts File Location?

The host file is used to set domain and subdomain names and related IP addresses in different operations systems like Windows, Linux, MacOSX, etc. The hosts file is sometimes also called a host file. The structure is the same for most of the operating systems where first the related IP address or addresses are provided and then domain or subdomain are provided.

Windows Hosts/Host File Location

Windows operating system stores the operating system files, DLL files, applications, and configuration under the Windows folder which is located under the first disk of the operating system by default. Generally, this Windows path is located under the C:\Windows where the Windows hosts file is also located. The exact and complete path of the Windows hosts file is like below.

C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts

In some cases, the location of the hosts files can be different from the default partition. So the following path can be used to get the exact path of the hosts file.

%windows%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Open Windows Hosts/Host File In File Explorer

The hosts file can be navigated and opened by using the Windows File Explorer. Just put the previously provided path of the hosts file to the File Explorer address bar and press enter. Below we can see that the hosts file is listed alongside lmhosts.sam, networks, protocol, and services file.

Open Windows Hosts/Host File In File Explorer

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