Windows 10, can't edit hosts file

I have recently gotten a new computer and have upgraded to Windows 10 (though I suspect this is a problem in other versions as well.)

My user is an administrator. I have set UAC to the lowest level. I have changed owner to my user on the whole c:\ disk (including the hosts file.)

Still, when I run notepad c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts, edit the file, and try to save, it won't let me. If I run notepad as administrator first, then open the file, I can save without problems.

But, why, after the measurements I have taken, isn't my user regarded as an administrator user? What am I missing here, in order to make my user an actual administrator (and not just a regular user with some fancy label in user accounts)?

Updated question: When you have a user that is an Administrator, why is this user's permissions not affected by the security group Administrators, but rather the security group Users?

The many people above me laid it out pretty clearly:

• Copy to Desktop, Edit with Notepad and Save, Copy Back Which Would Overwrite the Previous Host File
• Disable UAC
• Launch cmd as an Administrator and than Type In "notepad..."
• Use the Local Users and Group Manager (Ill Advised)

Option one on my list is how people have been doing it for years. There's only one UAC prompt for the return copy. It has been done like this since the Vista-era.

As what was explained to you earlier, you are an Administrator user. You can go through the effort to change this but it comes with a lot of risks. To make a comparison: you do not applications on Linux with "root" regularly but instead elevate with the "su" command or by logging in as "root."

The problem is actually very simple: in Windows 10 the hosts file is read-only by default. This means that even if you can access it with administrative privileges, you still cannot write to it. Furthermore (at least on my machine) this means that editing a copy as others suggested won't work, because it will be read-only too!

To be able to edit it you must first disable the read-only bit:

1. Open the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ folder in your file-manager;
2. right-click the hosts file;
3. select Properties;
4. un-tick Read-Only;
5. click Apply;
6. click Continue (to perform the action with administrator privileges).

Then you can freely edit the hosts file with your favourite text editor (running it as an administrator). Remember to re-set the read-only bit after you're done to prevent other applications from modifying it without your knowledge.

Also if you have install tinyfirewall, there is a default option there that prevent the editing of the host file.

This applies to any firewall or antivirus you may have installed that has an option to lock editing of the hosts file

e.g. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall -> Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Lock hosts file

Open notepad.exe or any other text editor(sublime,notepad++) with administrator privilege (Right-click on the exe and select "Run as administrator"), edit the file and save.

Or,

Open Run prompt - Press Windows Key+R and type/paste folllowing command

powershell -c start -verb runas notepad.exe C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts