Missing hosts entry issue

Support
1

This is my first time installing and using LocalWP, and I’m still confused about how to fix this issue. When I try to start my local site (testing.local), I get the error “Missing hosts entry”, and LocalWP can’t add the domain to the hosts file,

Screenshot (236)
Screenshot (236)1920×1080 232 KB

Screenshot (237)
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i’m using windows 11.

I’ve already tried the following:

  • Running LocalWP as Administrator

  • Manually editing the file C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

  • Making sure the line 127.0.0.1 testing.local is added

  • Changing the file permissions to allow modification

  • I have antivirus (but i don’t think that’s the problem, i tried to turn it off and retry but nothing changed)

But I still get the same error (can’t open admin/site, forbidden 403), need help and support, thanks

2

You can try restarting LocalWP after manually adding the hosts entry — sometimes it doesn’t detect changes until a restart. Also, make sure LocalWP’s helper service is running (you can reinstall it from Preferences → Advanced → “Restart Local’s Helper Tool”). If that still doesn’t fix it, try running LocalWP as admin and temporarily disable Windows Controlled Folder Access — that often blocks hosts file edits.

3

If you’re still having issues @fay - could you provide some more details to help us take a further look?

  • What is your OS/OS Version?

  • What version of Local are you on?

  • Please attach a copy of your Local Logs

Keep us posted and we’d be happy to help further!