The hosts file acts as a local phonebook for your computer, mapping domain names (like license1.sketchup.com ) to specific IP addresses. By redirecting SketchUp's servers to an invalid address (like 0.0.0.0 ), you can:
Stop the software from checking for new versions without your consent. block sketchup host file free
Sometimes, blocking specific licensing URLs helps in environments where a proxy or firewall is causing "online" detection issues. The hosts file acts as a local phonebook