> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.mochahost.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Preview a website through your local hosts file

For different reasons you might need to preview your website before updating your DNS servers using your local PC hosts file.

## Hosts file

Adding entries to your **hosts file** lets you view the files you uploaded to your hosting account before changing your domain's nameservers.

To do this, add your **hosting account's IP address** as an entry on your computer's host (your computer). 

### Where that files is depends on your operating system (OS):

* Windows (8, 7, XP, etc.) the file is **c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts**

* Macintosh OS X the file is **/etc/hosts**

* Linux - the file is **/etc/hosts**

Now, add an entry for your domain/hosting account using the following format:

**\[your account's IP address]\[your fully qualified domain name]**

For example:

**12.0.0.1 cool-example.com**

You can also **add the www version of your domain**. You can add that version to the same line, like so:

**12.0.0.1 cool-example.com[www.cool-example.com](http://www.cool-example.com)**