Block domain hosts file

I will also go over the limitations of using the hosts file to restrict access to the web when compared to dedicated web filtering software so you can choose the best internet management method for your needs.

Editing the Hosts file to block a website on multiple devices is a time-consuming, inflexible, and labor-intensive process. More than 10, new domains are added each day, making it simple to restrict internet access even as new sites emerge.

Want to learn more? Check out our article on the benefits of web filters. The hosts file in Windows is a text file that is used by the operating system to map hostnames to IP addresses. Editing the hosts file in Windows lets you change the IP address that a given website resolves to on your computer.

Since these changes only apply to your local machine this method of web filtering is useful for blocking websites on a personal device. However, anyone managing multiple devices should use a dedicated web content filter instead of blocking websites using hosts file to make policy updates more efficiently. Normally when you enter a URL such as Facebook.

DNS changes the names of these human-readable domains into an IP address such as You can think of DNS as the internet phone book and the hosts file of your local machine as your own personal address book. Your computer works the same way.

Before any request for a domain takes place from your web browser, your machine will actually reference the local hosts file first. If any entries are found there they will be used instead.

This is precisely how you are able to block websites using hosts file. It has lines of text that consist of an IP address followed by a host name. These lines of text can be modified to tell your web browser that a given host name should route to a given IP address. So, if you want to stop your users from accessing Facebook you can enter Facebook. This will allow you to block websites using hosts file.

DNS changes names of domains into IP addresses. For example, You can use a hosts file to change that and redirect the site you want to block to another address.

It will allow you to link a certain domain name with any IP address you want. Note: When you block websites using hosts file the websites will only be blocked on the local PC. Quick access.

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Sign in to vote. Hello I need to block a few websites on my home computer. Any help would be appreciated. Saturday, October 23, PM. So, your entry should look like: For example, the IP address Try typing that in your web browser. It will likely bring up a blank page.

Also understand that www. For both of them to take us to the same website both must resolve to the same IP address.

Enter the localhost IP of Press the tab key and enter facebook. Press Enter to go to the next line. Create a second line like the one above, but use www. Open the command prompt and run ping facebook. Now open your web browser and go to facebook. Fill your hosts file with domains pointing to nothingness, and those requests will quickly and surely fail. People are sharing their hosts file for years. Go to main content directly One hosts file to block them all Sept.

I lacked inspiration to find a nicer illustration…. But a simple hosts file does. Hosts… what? One project to gather them all There is nothing new in what I am describing here. You can manage Update Sources in hostsman Some tips from my daily life Sometimes, I need to temporaly disable this hosts file.