Sets a hosts entry in a hosts file.
Set-HostsEntry [-IPAddress] <IPAddress> [-HostName] <String> [[-Description] <String>] [[-Path] <String>] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm] [<CommonParameters>]Sets the IP address for a given hostname. If the hostname doesn't exist in the hosts file, appends a new entry to the end. If the hostname does exist, its IP address gets updated. If you supply a description, it is appended to the line as a comment.
If any duplicate hosts entries are found, they are commented out; Windows uses the first duplicate entry.
This function scans the entire hosts file. If you have a large hosts file, and are updating multiple entries, this function will be slow.
You can operate on a custom hosts file, too. Pass its path with the Path parameter.
Sometimes the system's hosts file is in use and locked when you try to update it. The Set-HostsEntry function tries 10 times to set a hosts entry before giving up and writing an error. It waits a random amount of time (from 0 to 1000 milliseconds) between each attempt.
| Name | Type | Description | Required? | Pipeline Input | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPAddress | IPAddress | The IP address for the hosts entry. |
true | false | |
| HostName | String | The hostname for the hosts entry. |
true | false | |
| Description | String | An optional description of the hosts entry. |
false | false | |
| Path | String | The path to the hosts file where the entry should be set. Defaults to the local computer's hosts file. |
false | false | (Get-PathToHostsFile) |
| WhatIf | SwitchParameter | false | false | ||
| Confirm | SwitchParameter | false | false | ||
| CommonParameters | This cmdlet supports common parameters. For more information type Get-Help about_CommonParameters. |
Set-HostsEntry -IPAddress 10.2.3.4 -HostName 'myserver' -Description "myserver's IP address"If your hosts file contains the following:
127.0.0.1 localhost
After running this command, it will contain the following:
127.0.0.1 localhost
10.2.3.4 myserver # myserver's IP address
Set-HostsEntry -IPAddress 10.5.6.7 -HostName 'myserver'If your hosts file contains the following:
127.0.0.1 localhost
10.2.3.4 myserver # myserver's IP address
After running this command, it will contain the following:
127.0.0.1 localhost
10.5.6.7 myserver