Hi, so I tried installing the latest version (5.5.2) but the problem is still there. Local can’t edit the hosts file. I know I’m not the only one having this problem… just search this forum for “hosts file” (https://localwp.com/community/search?q=hosts%20file) and you’ll see that this is an ongoing problem that goes back a number of years.
After reading all the posts on here, it seems that the problem is related to my particular setup. A combination of the hardware and software that I have on my machine. Unfortunately, I am unable to isolate what is locking up the hosts file. Or preventing the UAC prompt from showing. What’s interesting is that I have tested a different development tool, which works similar to Local, but that tool is able to bring up the UAC prompt and automatically edit the hosts file with no problems. So if they can access the hosts file, why can’t Local? It’s too bad because Local’s UI is way better.