How to Test a Moved Site Without Editing DNS

In case you’re moving your site to another server or another IP, you’ll need to test your site for problems. The best option is to copy the site to your new machine and test it before going live. Here’s how to do it:

Windows

STEP 1. Open Notepad as an administrator. Go to Start and search for Notepad. Right-click the app and select Run as administrator.

STEP 2. Navigate to the etc folder:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc

STEP 3. Open the hosts file.

STEP 4. At the end of the file, add your new IP and domain name. Example:

000.000.000.000 yourdomain.com

STEP 5. Save the file and open your browser. Now when you enter your domain, your computer will redirect you to the new IP. Remember to remove the added line from the hosts file afterwards to avoid unwanted redirects.

MacOS/Linux

STEP 1. Open a Terminal app.

STEP 2. Using Nano or another text editor, open the hosts file:

For Mac:

sudo nano /private/etc/hosts

For Linux:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

STEP 3. At the end of the file, add your new IP address and domain name:

000.000.000.000 yourdomain.com

STEP 4. Press Ctrl + X to exit, then Y to save changes. Press Enter.

STEP 5. In your web browser, enter your domain to see the site on your new server. Note that the modification in the hosts file redirects your computer to the new IP. Afterwards, remove the line added in the hosts file to prevent future conflicts.