How to block websites in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android and iOS

There may be times when you want to block websites to prevent your children from accessing them, to control their addiction to social networking websites, or to eliminate other types of distractions. read How to block websites in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android and iOS

Most browsers don’t have a built-in way to block websites. Let’s look at some other methods to block websites in your favorite browser. Find out how to block websites in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android and iOS

How to block websites in Chrome on desktop

The best way to block websites is to use a Chrome extension. One of the popular extensions is Block Site.

clicking “Add to Chrome” on the download page followed by “Add extension”. Wait for the extension to install.

Once installed, open the site and click on the BlockSite icon in the extensions bar. Click the “Block this site” button or click the Settings icon.

Type the URL into the “Enter a web address” box and click “Add Item”. Add other addresses following the same method.

Some cool features of the extension include password protection, a built-in adult site blocker, and scheduling. The free version allows you to block six websites. To block unlimited websites, you need to upgrade to the premium version.

Other website blocker extensions you may like:

How to block websites in firefox on desktop

You can also block websites in Mozilla Firefox by installing the Block Site addon, a Firefox recommended extension. This extension allows you to set a password and program the lock. Follow these steps to set it up:

. Click “Add to Firefox” followed by “Add” in the pop-up window.

Once the extension is installed, open the website you want to block and click on the extension icon.

A confirmation popup will open. Click “OK”.

This is how the web page will look like after it is blocked.

To add or remove websites or set a password:

Right-click on the extension icon and select “Manage Extension” to open the Block Site extension page.
Click on the three dots icon next to the extension name and select “Options”.

If you’re interested in protecting your privacy online, check out the best Firefox addons.

How to block websites in Edge on desktop

Just like Chrome and Firefox, you can use a plugin like Block Site to block websites on Microsoft Edge.

Open the and click “Get”.

Once installed, its icon will appear in the Extensions bar. Open the website you want to block and click the Block site icon.

The Ask window will appear asking you to confirm that you want to block the website. Click OK.”

Suggestion : The is another Edge plugin that can help block websites, and they can be used to block sites for child accounts.

How to block websites in Safari on desktop

Mac offers a native feature to block websites using Screen Time functionality. Please note that it will also block websites in third-party browsers installed on your Mac, such as Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Follow these steps to set it up:

Click the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen and select “System Preferences” from the menu.

Then click “Screen Time” in the System Preferences window that opens.

Now click on “Content & Privacy” on the left sidebar of the Screen Time window. If the screen shows that content and privacy restrictions are disabled, click “Activate”.

Choose “Limit adult websites” next to web content. If you want to restrict only adult content, this setting is enough. But since we are interested in blocking websites, click on the “Customize” button.

Click on the “+” icon in the Restricted section and type in the URL of the website to block it.

Use for added security and to ensure that no one can remove blocked websites from the restricted list. If you want to block websites only in the Safari browser, use Safari.

How to block websites in all browsers

The methods described above are browser specific and only work in a single browser. If you are looking for a cross-browser blocking solution, Cold Turkey is an amazing tool for Windows and Mac. Other tools include and .

Install it on your Mac or Windows device.
Once installed, the tool will ask you to install the Cold Turkey extension on browsers installed on your computer. Click “Install” next to supported browsers.

Open the Cold Turkey tool again on your computer and click on “Blocks” in the left sidebar. Click on “Add a new block” and add the websites you want to block.

After creating a block, make sure to enable it with the switch next to it.

The free version allows you to block an unlimited number of websites. You can even specify how long you want to block websites.

How to block websites on Android

Third party apps like and can help you block websites on your Android phone. The apps will work in all browsers installed on your phone.

Follow the steps below to blow up websites with the StayFree web app:

Install the app on your Android phone.
Grant the necessary permissions like Accessibility and Screen Overlay for the proper functioning of the app.
On the app home screen, tap the floating add icon (+) and enter the website URL. You can keep the “Block after” time as 0 or set it according to your preference and tap “Block website”.

Suggestion : If you use , you can use it to block websites for your child’s account.

How to block websites on iOS

Just like on Mac, Screen Time on iOS will help block websites. Follow the instructions below:

Open iPhone settings and go to “Screen Time”.

Tap “Content & Privacy Restrictions” and enable it on the next screen.

Tap “Content Restrictions” followed by “Web Content.”

Select “Limit Adult Websites” and tap “Add Website” under “Never Allow”. Type in the URL you want to block and hit “Done.”

If you open the blocked website on your iPhone, you will get restricted content error. Make sure to add the Screen Time passcode to your iPhone so that no one can allow the websites without your permission.

Advice – Use the on iOS if you don’t like the idea of using Screen Time to block websites.

How to block web-wide websites on your home Wi-Fi network

You can block websites on all devices on the same Wi-Fi network by changing your router settings. Follow the instructions below:

Open the admin page of the router and enter the username and password. You will find all this information written under the router.
You should look for the parental controls or blocked sites option within your router’s settings under the Advanced or Security tab, depending on your router. Add the websites you want to block. You can even block websites using keywords.

How to block websites using the Hosts file

Whether you’re on Windows, Mac, or Linux, you can use the Hosts file to block specific websites. It may sound technical, but it’s actually not that bad and may appeal to those who like the idea of blocking websites without having to mess with third-party software. It will block the sites in all browsers.

Follow these instructions to block sites with the hosts file on each desktop platform.

Edit hosts file on Windows

Go to “C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc” and open the “hosts” file using Notepad.
Scroll to the bottom, then under all the hash symbols (you can delete everything marked with the hash symbol if you want so you have a clean sheet), type “127.0.0.1” followed by “localhost”.
On the next line, type “127.0.0.1” followed by the address of the site you want to block, then repeat this step for all other sites you want to block.

Edit hosts file on Linux and Mac

The process is the same as for Windows, except you need to navigate to the “/etc” directory to open the hosts file (with root permission).

Block explicit content from Google

If you simply want to restrict the appearance of explicit content such as pornography, images of violence, etc. in Google search results, the easiest way is to enable SafeSearch filters.

Open Settings” option at the bottom.
Select “Search Settings” from the menu.

Check the box next to “Turn on safe search.”

The downside of this method is that it doesn’t allow you to choose which websites to block manually.

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