It is very easy to block websites on Google Chrome, and very important to do so too. Because, with the abundance of web content available, some of it can be useless or even harmful. Such examples include websites with explicit content, fraudulent activity, or malware that can infect your system.
Most modern web browsers let you restrict access to block web pages you want to avoid.
What does blocking websites on Google Chrome do?
Blocking websites on Chrome prevents users from accessing those sites. When a user types in the URL or attempts to click a link to visit a blocked website, the browser will display an error message.
There are several reasons why you might want to block a website on Google Chrome, such as improving your productivity during working hours or preventing children from accessing explicit content. Parents may want to prevent children from visiting unsafe websites. Businesses may block social media sites like Facebook or YouTube to ensure that employees avoid distractions at work.
Internet security software may also include firewalls that can help block fraudulent websites that might contain malware or infected links.
Different ways to block a website on Google Chrome
There are multiple ways to block a website on Google Chrome, and you can choose one that fits your intent.
For example, using a Chrome extension can be a handy method as it doesn’t require extensive technical knowledge, and using Windows Parental Control is great for limiting your children’s internet access.
How to Block a Website on Chrome Using an Extension
Blocking a website on Chrome using extensions is arguably the easiest method since the tool will manage the task for you. This is also suitable for Windows, Linux, and macOS users.
Here’s how to block websites on Chrome using an extension:
- Visit the site you want to block.
- Click on the extension icon of your chosen site blocker located at the top right corner of your browser.
- Click the Block this Site button to restrict access to the website.
- Once you add the site to your block list, your site blocker will show a notice page.
To add an extension of your site blocker to Chrome, type the name in the search bar and click on the right result, as shown in the example below.
Afterward, click the Add to Chrome button on the top right and wait for the extension to finish downloading.
Once the download is complete, the site blocker will be added to your list of Chrome extensions.
If you want to prevent access to the websites on your block list in Chrome’s incognito mode, click on the gear icon for the extension Settings, then click on the Enable in Incognito Mode button.
How to Block Websites on Chrome With the Built-in Parental Controls
Parental Control is a prominent feature in various modern devices and software. It is a great tool to limit device usage time for children and manage the content they can access.
If you want to block websites on Windows 11, follow these steps:
- In the Windows menu, find Settings → Accounts to set up a child account.
- Click on the Family & other users → Add a family member → Add Account.
- A new window will appear, prompting you to enter the email for the account. Ignore that, and click the Create one for a child option.
- Once you create a new child account, access it through your Microsoft account page.
- Head to Content filters → Blocked sites. Then, enter the URL or the domain name of the site you want to block.
- Once done, click the plus icon to add it to your block list. Repeat the process to add more sites.
- Check the result by switching to your child’s account and see if the site is blocked.
macOS offers a built-in parental control named Screen Time, but it does not block sites on Chrome.
The second way is using the Google Family Link app for mobile phones. To block a site using Google Family Link, follow the instructions below:
- Download the app on Google Play Store and set up an account for your family.
- Access your child’s account.
- Go to Manage Settings → Filters on Google Chrome → Manage sites → Blocked.
- Tap the Add an exception icon.
- Type in the website or domain you want to block.
- Save and check whether the site is blocked.
How to Block Websites on Chrome Using the SafeSearch Feature
It is also possible to block certain websites on your Chrome browser using the SafeSearch feature. Activate this feature on your computer’s Google account by accessing preferences. Tick the Turn on SafeSearch box and scroll down to the bottom of the web page to click Save.
Once activated, this feature will filter explicit content from your Google search results.
How to Block Websites on Chrome Using the BlockList URL Feature
If you are an admin who manages Google Accounts for your organization, it is possible to block websites using Chrome’s BlockList URL feature via your Google Admin Account.
This is a great method if you want to manage multiple devices without having to manually block websites on each of them. To use the BlockList URL feature, follow the steps below:
- Log in to your Google Admin Console by visiting admin.google.com through your browser.
- On the Home page, navigate to Devices → Chrome → Settings → Users & Browsers.
- Choose the top organizational unit to block website access for all Chrome users that use the organization’s Google service.
- Choose a child organizational unit if you want to block websites for individual users.
- Once you choose the right organizational unit, scroll down to find the URL Blocking section.
- You can enter URLs under the URL blacklist to start blocking websites on Chrome browsers of your organization. You may also block URLs to certain services like browser settings, like the example below.
- Check on one device to ensure you have successfully blocked websites with this method.
Block Website By Making Changes In Hosts Files
The user can make the changes in the host file in C Drive and this can block the access of the data packets from the websites.
On Windows
By following the steps mentioned below, the user can block a website on Chrome:
- Click on the Start button and search for “Notepad”. Right-click on “Notepad” and click on “Run as administrator” as shown in the image below.
- Now, click on “File”. Next, click on “Open” as shown in the image below.
- A dialog box will open, now open the ‘’etc’’ folder following the address mentioned in the image and select the “hosts” File. Click on the “Open” button.
- At the end of the file, type “127.0.0.1” and add the link of the website to be blocked as shown in the image below.
Now restart the system and the website will be blocked. User can later remove the link from the host file to unblock the website.
If your computer restricts you from making the change to the hosts file, you might need to change the file permissions to block sites.
On macOS
For macOS users, blocking websites on Chrome through the host’s file has a similar process.
For more information, follow the steps below:
- Open Utilities → Terminal.
- In the Terminal command, type sudo nano/etc/hosts. Your host file will open up in a nano box.
- Enter the administrator password to open your host file. It should consist of several lines similar to the one on Windows.
- At the bottom of the last line, type in the localhost IP address 127.0.0.1, and after pressing Tab for space, type the domain name of the site you want to block.
- Repeat the process if you want to add more sites.
- To save, press CTRL + O.
- Exit the host file by pressing CTRL + X.
- To prevent any clashes, clear your cache by typing sudo dscacheutil -flushcache and press Enter once you’re done.
- Open a browser to test the result.
Block Websites In Incognito Mode
It’s quite obvious that the Incognito mode is a secret mode in the system, so the changes made in the normal mode would not be implemented in the Incognito mode.
Follow the steps mentioned below to block a website on Chrome in Incognito mode:
- Click on extensions, and then on Block Site extension. Now double-click on it to open it.
- Now, click on the settings icon to open Settings.
- Click on “Settings” and click on “Enable in Incognito Mode”.
Blocking Websites Using Router
You can also block websites from the router so that the systems connected to the router won’t be able to access the blocked websites.
Follow the steps mentioned below to block the websites from the router:
- Open router settings on your browser and click on “Security”. Then click on “Block Sites” as shown in the image below.
- Look for block sites and enter the domain name of the website or the particular keyword which you want to block and click on “Apply”.
Now the systems connected to the router cannot access the website with a particular domain name or keywords.
Block Notification On Browser
Chrome offers its users the feature to block notifications from websites and this can be done easily by following the steps mentioned below:
- Click on the menu button in Chrome and then click on “Settings” as shown in the image below.
- Now, click on “Privacy and security”, and then click on “Site Settings”.
- Now, click on “Notifications” under the Permissions section as shown below.
- Disable the button titled “Sites can ask to send notifications” and click on the “Add” option. Type the link of the website whose notifications you want to block.
How To Password Protect a Website
It is not always necessary to block a website. The extensions provide users with the option to password-protect the website so that only trusted users are allowed to access the website from a particular network.
- Open extension settings and click on “Password Protection”. Further, click on “Require password to access blocked sites”.
- Enter the verification email, and password, and click on “save” to save the changes.
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