Open the following file using notepad:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Then under the last entry type the IP of where you want the domain to point to, Then tab and enter the domain to use.
This is how hosts file might look:
########################################################### # 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 64.233.187.99 GoToGoogle ##########################################################
Now when you type “GoToGoogle” in the web browser it will go to Google’s homepage
This is a nice trick to use for testing websites or domains that have not propagated yet.