How to Block Websites on Mac Easily: 5 Proven Ways

There can be many reasons to block certain websites on the Internet. For example, By preventing access to certain websites, you can reduce distractions and protect your children from inappropriate content.

This article shows you how to block websites on Mac in five ways, covering all web browsers and macOS versions. It begins with a brief comparison of these methods.

 

A brief comparison

Here’s a brief comparison of different methods to block websites on Mac, helping you quickly identify the methods that suit your needs. You can then read on to choose the most suitable one.

 

Method 1. Block websites in Safari on Mac with Screen Time

Screen Time is a set of settings built into macOS Catalina 10.15 and later, offering two ways to block websites on Safari:

✋1. Permanent restrictions: Always block specific sites or adult sites.

✋2. Time-based restrictions: Limit access to specific sites based on usage time.

To block websites on non-Safari browsers on Mac like Chrome, Opera, consider other methods.

Note: Screen Time password protection is only available for standard user on Mac but not for administrators. If the person to be restricted is an administrator, this method may not be very effective. What if you want to set a passcode for an administrator? See this method.

Below is how to use Screen Time to block websites on Mac.

Permanent restrictions

✅ Ideal for permanently blocking inappropriate sites in Safari on child’s Mac.

1. Open System Preferences or System Settings, depending on the macOS version used.

2. Choose Screen Time and turn it on.

3. Optionally, turn on Use Screen Time Passcode and set a passcode.

4. Choose Content & Privacy and enable it.

5. Choose Content Restrictions > Access to Web Content > Limit Adult Websites.

6. Click Customize. In the dialog that appears, click the Add icon in the Restricted section, type the website that you want to block, and click Done. Continue adding other unwanted sites.

7. Click Done.

This will permanently block both the websites you have added and those that Apple deems aren’t appropriate for children and teens.

Tip: In step 5, there’s also an Allowed Websites Only option. Choosing this will block all websites except those you have added, which works as a whitelist.

 

Time-based restrictions

✅ Ideal for limiting access to addictive sites like gaming sites in Safari on child’s Mac.

1. In Screen Time, choose App Limits and turn it on.

2. Click Add Limit.

3. In the Create a new app limit dialog, scroll to find and click Websites.

4. Click the Add Website icon to add an unwanted site.

5. In the Time section, do one of the following:

• Select Every Day and set a time limit, such as 1 hour and 30 minutes. This way, each day when this website has been assessed for 1 hour and 30 minutes, it will be restricted.
• Select Custom, click Edit, and set limits for different days of the week based on your specific needs.

6. Turn on Block at End of Limit if this option is available.

If a Screen Time passcode is set, the Block at End of Limit option will be available, and blocking will be protected by the passcode. If there isn’t a passcode, the restriction can be bypassed easily.

 

Method 2. How to block websites on Mac using Cisdem AppCrypt

✅ With its strong password protection, ease of use, and advanced blocking features, AppCrypt is one of the best tools to block websites on Mac.

Cisdem AppCrypt is an easy-to-use app that helps you control access to websites in Chrome, Safari, Opera, and some other browsers on Mac, even in incognito mode.

Unlike Screen Time, its password protection feature works for both administrator and standard users. For a Mac with multiple users, if needed, you can set up AppCrypt for each user so each can have personalized settings.

The app provides both basic and advanced blocking options, such as blocking user-added websites, restricting all URLs that contain any user-specified keyword, allowing access only to certain sites, and scheduling.

1. Download and install AppCrypt.

Free Download macOS 10.12 or later

2. When you launch the app for the first time, set a password.

☺: Ask a friend or family member to set the password if you're blocking sites for yourself.

3. Click the lock icon in the menu bar and choose Open Main Window.

4. Enter the password to access the app’s main window.

5. Click the Web Block tab, then choose how to block:

✨Block by URL

- Type the domain name of the site (e.g. youtube.com) in the URL field. Click Add.

✨Block by keyword

- Type the keyword (e.g. porn) in the URL field. Click Add.

✨Block by category

- Click the Import drop down menu. Select a category (e.g. Social Sites). Then it will add all popular social media sites to the block list.

✨Whitelist mode

- Enable Block all websites in the bottom-left corner. Click Exceptions. Then add the site to the Always Allow list.

All blocked sites will be inaccessible in all supported browsers. There are several ways to unblock a website, such as quitting AppCrypt or removing it from the block list. However, all of them require the password, making the blocking effective.

⏲ Schedule websites blocking

Blocking is permanent by default. You can also use the Schedule feature to block sites at certain times.

- General Schedule: Applies to all blocked sites

- Custom Schedule: Applies to a specific site.

For example, you can limit access to youtube.com only during 10:00 AM to 15:30 PM on weekdays.

 

Method 3. How to use Mac’s Terminal to restrict a website

✅ Ideal for those who are comfortable using Terminal and want to permanently block specific websites on Mac.

The Terminal app comes with every Mac. This method involves using it to edit the hosts file, a system file that helps your Mac locate and access websites.

It can be simple for those who are tech-savvy. But if you are not very comfortable with technology, I suggest skipping this method. It has some limitations:

- No password protection.

- Only offer basic websites blocking.

- Can be bypassed by using a VPN.

- Requires administrator privileges to modify

The good news is that it’s device-based and applies to all browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

1. Open the Terminal app.

2. Enter sudo nano /etc/hosts and press the Return key.

3. Enter your administrator password when prompted and press the Return key. The hosts file will open.

4. Create a new line by moving the cursor to the end of the last line and pressing the Return key. Enter 127.0.0.1 facebook.com. Replace facebook.com with the site you want to restrict.

5. Press the Return key to create another new line. Enter 127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com.

6. Press Control-O and then the Return key to save your changes.

7. Press Control-X to exit editing.

8. Optionally, enter sudo dscacheutil – flushcache and press the Return key to clear your Mac’s memory of website addresses.

 

Method 4. Configure your router to block websites on all browsers on Mac

✅ Suitable for families who would like to block sites across all devices connected to the same Wi-Fi.

If you have access to your router’s settings (know the username and password) and it offers features like parental controls or web filtering, you can consider this method. Since this method is network-based, it applies to all desktop and mobile devices, including Macs, and supports all browsers.

This method is powerful, but also has some limitations:

- Only works when the device is connected to the Wi-Fi.

- Can be bypassed using VPN.

- Not all routers offer this feature, depending on the brand and model.

Below are general steps to use this method. To learn more, you can see this article.

1. Access your router’s settings. Enter your router’s IP address into a web browser and log in to the configuration page with the default or changed username and password.

If your children don’t know the login information, they can’t bypass blocking by changing the settings.

2. Find the blocking feature. Such a feature is typically called Parental Controls, Website Filter, or Content Filter.

3. Optionally, if there’s an option to create a profile first, you can create one if needed. This way, blocking will only apply to the Mac specified in that profile, while other devices on the same network are not restricted.

4. Block unwanted websites by specifying the URLs, keywords, or categories.

 

Method 5. Use BlockSite to block sites on Chrome or Firefox on Mac

✅ Ideal for users who mainly use Chrome or Firefox browsers on Mac and want an easy solution.

This method uses a popular website-blocking extension called BlockSite. It can be installed on Chrome and Firefox browsers on Mac. It allows you to block specific URLs, keywords, and even categories of sites with ease. There’s also a schedule feature to offer flexibility.

2 limitations:

- It does not support Safari on Mac.

- Can be bypassed by disabling/uninstalling the extension.

BlockSite provides a Password Protection feature to help prevent bypassing. However, your child or you can still remove restrictions by disabling or uninstalling the extension. Luckily, there’s an option that, when enabled, will send an email to the parent to inform the uninstallation.

1. Add BlockSite to your browser.

2. In the Block Sites tab, click Add to Block List.

3. In the Add to Block List dialog, do any of the following:

• Click the Websites tab, type an unwanted website, and click the Add icon.
• Click the Keywords tab, type a specific keyword that you’d like to limit, and click the Add icon.
• Click the Categories tab, click the Add icon next to an undesirable category, such as Adult, Social, or Gambling.

4. Optionally, click Schedule to activate blocking only during certain times.

5. In the Password Protection tab, set a password. This way, it will require a password to access blocked sites.

To use this extension on multiple browsers, install and set up it for each browser.

 

FAQs

Can I block certain webpages on Mac?

Yes. The same as blocking websites, you can also block access to certain webpages on Mac by adding their full URLs into the block list. This way, only you selected webpages will be blocked, while the rest of the pages on this site remain accessible. For example, when you want to block certain inappropriate content on YouTube on your children’s Mac but still allow them to access learning videos, select this solution.

Is it possible to block categories of websites on all browsers on Mac?

Yes, you can use Cisdem AppCrypt to block categories of websites on all browsers on Mac. This tool supports 10 predefined categories: dating sites, email sites, gambling sites, games sites, news sites, proxy sites, search sites, shopping sites, social sites, and video sites. Additionally, you can import a text file with a custom list of websites to restrict. All popular browsers on Mac are supported. For unsupported browsers, its App Lock feature allows you to lock the entire browser to prevent access.

Is there a way to block some sites while studying?

Yes. Some website blockers for Mac, such as Cisdem AppCrypt and BlockSite, offer a schedule feature. If you want to block some distracting websites during study time, simply set a schedule with your preferred hours. The selected websites will be automatically blocked during the time, helping you stay focused while studying.

 

Conclusion

This article discusses five ways to block websites on Mac, providing step-by-step instructions for each. If you prefer a built-in free solution, consider methods 1 and 3. For a user-friendly method, methods 1, 2, and 5 can be good options. If you want to make blocking hard to bypass for administrators or standard users or both on a Mac, method 2 is the best choice.