![hosts file location hosts file location](https://i.imgur.com/b7YPcTc.png)
Note: It may be hidden so will need to enable view hidden files to see it.
#Hosts file location windows
On windows XP,windows 7 the hosts file is located in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\,
![hosts file location hosts file location](https://i1.wp.com/arstech.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/edit-host-file-in-windows-10-notepad.jpg)
![hosts file location hosts file location](https://cdn.setapp.com/blog/images/hosts-file-mac-locate.png)
You could also use the ipconfig (windows) and ifconfig (Linux) commands. To find the host name of a machine type the command hostname and a command prompt.(Windows and Linux) The host name can be used instead of the computer IP address by using the hosts file to map the name to an IP address. On a Linux or Unix network the host name is purely optional but useful and so it is normal to give each computer/device a name. The netbios name arises from the fact that early Microsoft networks used the netbios networking protocols which required all devices to a have a unique name. You may also find the computer name referred to as the Netbios name as well the host name. Note: All computer names on a windows network must be unique. To make using it easier make it something meaningful and short. The computer name is assigned at install, but can be changed later (click on start menu and right click my computer>computer name>change). On a windows network the computer name is also called the host name. On a windows network all machines have a name (computer or host name), and an address (IP Address) Host Namesīefore we look at the host file itself it is important to understand host names. However it is important to note the hosts file doesn’t have a file extension like. The hosts file is a simple text file that can be edited with a text editor like notepad. android) etc and can be very useful for testing purposes. The hosts file is still present on computer systems (windows,Linux, MAC), tablets (e.g. The hosts file performs a name to IP address mapping and was used on early computer networks for name resolution before DNS was developed. What is the hosts file? and What is it used for?–