Resetting the Hosts File to Microsoft Defaults in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP

To reset the Hosts file back to the default in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP, follow these steps, as appropriate for the operating system that you are running.

Navigate to c:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc or press Windows key + R and type in

%WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc

into the "RUN" box where you can type commands to either pull up a program or go online.

Rename the Hosts file "hosts" to "Hosts.old".
Create a new default hosts file:

1. Right-click an open space in the Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc folder, point to New, click Text Document.
2. Enter "hosts" for the filename, press Enter.
3. Click Yes to confirm that the file name extension will not be .txt.
4. Open the new Hosts file in a text editor, such as Notepad.
5. Copy the following text to the file:

Windows XP

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
127.0.0.1 localhost

Windows Vista

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost

Windows 7 and Windows 8

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
# localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost

This article also applies to:

• Windows 7 Enterprise
• Windows 7 Home Basic
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Starter
• Windows 7 Ultimate
• Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
• Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
• Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
• Windows Vista Business
• Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
• Windows Vista Enterprise
• Windows Vista Home Basic
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Windows Vista Starter
• Windows Vista Ultimate
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
• Windows Server 2008 Standard
• Windows 8
• Windows 8 Pro
• Windows 8 Enterprise