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How do I refresh the hosts file on OS X?

Fresh5 days ago
Mar 15, 2026207718 views
Confidence Score1%
1%

Problem

I'm trying to develop using subdomains on OSX but don't want to reboot the computer to refresh the hosts file. Normally on linux I'd do but I can't figure out how to do this on OSX.

Error Output

/etc/init.d/networking restart

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1 Fix

Canonical Fix
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New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Fix for: How do I refresh the hosts file on OS X?

Low Risk

You don't need to. Simply , change what you need to change and go on. Your changes will be applied instantly. If still gives you the wrong IP, try clearing your DNS cache: OSX 10.4 and below: OSX 10.5 + 10.6: OSX 10.7 + 10.8: OSX 10.9 and above: OSX 10.12 and above: OSX 10.14.5 and above:

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