How to Block a Website in Any Browser on a Mac
Are you looking to block a particular website in your Mac? No matter what browser you're using, you will be able to follow these steps do it.
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| Image credit by Muhammad Asif |
The internet lets us access the vast human wisdom with just a click. However it also allows children to browse potentially harmful material. It is possible to use blockers on websites to block harmful or time-consuming websites, including adult websites or social media sites.
But, there are simpler ways to block websites from your Mac particularly with Screen Time. We'll explain the steps to do this later and we'll keep you reading.
What Is Screen Time?
Screen time is the Apple's way of helping users to control the use of their Mac or iPhone use. It could also used to manage and restrict certain websites, such as online games that are addictive, adult sites as well as YouTube channels.
You can also utilize Screen Time controls to limit the use of social media throughout your working day to allow you to concentrate on your task instead.
How to Use Screen Time to Block a Website
Whatever your purpose is, blocking a site is easy to do to do in Screen Time. This is true for any browser you can utilize in the Mac: Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, and others.
To block a site on your Mac you must do these things:
- Open System Preferences and go to Screen Time.
- Choose the App Limits from the left-hand side. Switch them on if disabled.
- Click on the + ( +) symbol. There are a variety of categories available here that you can select to restrict access to.
- Scroll down to view all the websites that you can block. You may also include your own website on the list. For this, click on the plus sign. do this, simply click the plus ( +) symbol in the middle of Add Website and type in the URL of the website.
- When you've selected the app or site you would like to block, define the precise daily time limit by using this box. It is also possible to click the Custom >> edit to create an adjustable limit based on the day of the week. After you have all of the websites you want to restrict access to Make sure to create the Screen Time password to ensure nobody can alter the settings you set up without your consent. For how to do this, visit Options and then choose Use Screen Time Passcode .
- Start terminal on the Mac. It is possible to do that by using the search feature for Terminal in Spotlight or by going to the Finder >> Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
- We'll back up the host's files first. This will enable us to recover the host's original data in the event that there's a problem. For you to do this, type the following code into Terminal and hit return using your keyboard.
- Input your administrator password and then press on the return key. The cursor won't change its place as you type your password.
- After that, type the following command and then hit return using your keyboard. This will open the host's data.
- Utilize the Arrow keys to get to the bottom of the page. Enter 127.0.0.1 and the URL you wish to block. For example, if I wanted to block YouTube I would type the following into Terminal
- Write each website's URL on an individual line. When you're done you can press Control + O followed by Return on your keyboard to save the file and finally, press control + X to close the file.
- Enter below command for flushing the cache that will make these changes effective across all browsers. Enter return to type the command:
- If you try to access an unblocking website on your browser of choice, you'll receive an error message saying that you're not able to connect.
Make sure you enable the Share feature across multiple different devices for sharing these configurations across all devices connected with the account. iCloud account.
You can decide to stop all websites that are adult-oriented by using Screen Time. In order to do this, go to Content and Privacy > Turn Off. Choose either restrict adult-oriented websites and Allowed websites only depending on what you want to do. Switch to the tab for Apps tab and remove any browsers or internet applications you'd like to deactivate.
How to Use Terminal to Block a Website
If you're not an advocate or Screen Time, a Screen Time method to control access to the internet on your Mac Another option to block websites is to edit your hostnames file using Terminal. It may appear more complex in comparison to Screen Time since it involves the command line. But, it's simple and easy when you master the art of it.
One benefit of editing the Hosts.dll file to block websites instead of using specific browser extensions or plugins is that this method is in effect across all browsers and doesn't depend on third-party plugins. However extensions might cease functioning or become obsolete in time.
The benefit of using Terminal in comparison to Screen Time is that it is more difficult for a child to reverse these changes if they had gained the access code to your Screen Time passcode.
To build a block list by using a Hosts files Follow the steps below:
Blocking Websites in a Specific Browser
There could be specific situations where you need to restrict access to specific websites in a particular browser. For instance, you might only utilize Google Chrome for your work-related activities, which is the reason you may prefer be able to restrict access to social media sites using Chrome only. In these situations you can use you can use the Screen Time or Terminal method isn't a good idea, since it blocks access to websites for all browsers. A different option is to block specific websites directly from the browser.
Since each browser is different and has its own unique features, the way to block websites with the browser may differ. Safari block websites with Screen Time, whereas you can utilize blocks extensions that block websites, like Block Site and StayFocusd, to block websites in Google Chrome.
The amount of screen time vs. Blocking via the browser
While you are able to block websites with specificity within any browser however, it is more sensible to block websites using Screen Time. Screen Time is applied to all of your browsers (even the case that you install a brand new browser in order to bypass your security measures) as well as be transferred across devices. Terminal is a good method to ensure that certain websites are not restricted on your browsers.
Using browser-specific plug-ins to block websites could make you susceptible to hacks or outdated software. We recommend making use of Screen Time or Terminal for blocking websites on your Mac.