When the system hosts file is modified without permission, it can prevent software from functioning properly and block access to essential services. This guide shows you how to reset your hosts file on Windows and macOS.

Issue Overview

If your system hosts file has been tampered with, you might see these warning messages:

The host file has been tampered with and the software cannot be opened.
Warning! Your software may be an illegal copy

These messages often appear when unauthorized software modifications have occurred, possibly through malicious programs that steal personal information by altering your system hosts file.

Windows Reset Instructions

Open File Explorer
Navigate to the system drive path C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
Find the "hosts" file and open it with Notepad
Delete any lines containing references to eagle.cool and aliyuncs.com, then save the file
You may see a permission error since this is a system file
Save the edited hosts file to another location, then drag it into the system etc directory
Click "Continue" to provide administrator permissions
The Windows hosts file is now successfully reset!

macOS Reset Instructions

Open Finder
Click on the top menu "Go" > "Go to Folder"
Enter the path /etc/ and click Go
Find the "hosts" file and copy it to your desktop
Open the hosts file on your desktop with TextEdit or another text editor
Delete any lines containing references to eagle.cool and aliyuncs.com, then save the file
Copy the fixed hosts file back to the /etc/ folder, select "Replace" when prompted, and enter your system password to complete
Restart the Eagle software, which should now function normally.

How to Reset Your System Hosts File