Easily edit and manage the hosts file
Publisher’s description
What is Hosts File Editor?
Hosts File Editor is an open-source text editor program for Windows from Scott Lerch. It ranks 44th by popularity among text editors in this catalogue. It is written in C#.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit and ARM64 as Portable. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 1.5.2, released on July 11, 2026. 3 versions are listed since March 17, 2017, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 0.3 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 7,648 times. The source code on GitHub (scottlerch/HostsFileEditor) has 1,263 stars. Similar programs include Notepad++, Atom and Neovim.
Project description on GitHub: “Easily edit and manage the hosts file for Windows”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Native ARM64 build for Windows on Arm
- Portable: runs without installation
In short: Hosts File Editor is an open-source text editor tool for 64-bit and ARM64 PCs.
Is Hosts File Editor safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
B06A0A11DBC6FEFDE08589B535E5DC3527480A6633AA3F09E759CEFC1FD050EB· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 3 versions ›3 versions over 9 years · about 0.3 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5.2Latest | July 11, 2026 | — | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 1.4.1 | July 11, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
| 1.2.0 | March 17, 2017 | — | 32-bit MSI |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id scottlerch.hosts-file-editor -echoco install hosts.editor -yRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- Scott Lerch
- Category
- Text editors
- Licence
- GNU General Public License v3.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/scottlerch/HostsFileEditor
- Written in
- C#
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, ARM64
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 1.5.2
- Released
- July 11, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 3
- Updates / year
- 0.3
- Chocolatey downloads
- 7,648
- Downloads on ExeAtlas
- 1
- GitHub stars
- 1,263
- GitHub forks
- 152
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- scottlerch.hosts-file-editor
- Chocolatey package
- hosts.editor
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hosts File Editor free?
Yes. Hosts File Editor is open-source software under the GNU General Public License v3.0 licence.
Is Hosts File Editor safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Hosts File Editor with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does Hosts File Editor run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
Yes, there is a native ARM64 installer.
Where can I download an older version of Hosts File Editor?
The versions page lists all 3 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 17, 2017.
Can I use Hosts File Editor without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to Hosts File Editor?
Notepad++, Atom, Neovim, Geany and WordPress.com. The alternatives page compares them.
