How to Block Websites on Chrome (2026)

Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the world — and that makes it the place where most distractions happen. Whether you need to block social media during work hours, keep kids away from inappropriate content, or lock down Chrome on a company laptop, this guide covers every method available in 2026.

We’ll start with the simplest approaches and work our way up to methods that are nearly impossible to bypass.

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Quick Comparison: Which Method Should You Choose?

Method	Difficulty	Bypass Risk	Works System-Wide	Best For
Chrome Extension	Easy	High	No	Quick personal blocks
Chrome Policies	Moderate	Very Low	No	IT admins, businesses
Hosts File	Moderate	Low	Yes	Tech-savvy users
DNS Filtering	Moderate	Very Low	Yes	Families, businesses
Router Settings	Moderate	Low	Yes (all devices)	Households
Dedicated Browser	Easy	Very Low	Browser-level	Focus & productivity

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Method 1: Use a Chrome Extension

The fastest way to block websites in Chrome is with a browser extension. You can be up and running in under a minute.

BlockSite

BlockSite is the most popular blocking extension with over 3 million users. It lets you add sites to a blocklist, set schedules, and enable a “work mode” that blocks your chosen distracting sites during set hours.

How to set it up:

Step 1: Install the extension. Open Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store. Search for “BlockSite” and click Add to Chrome, then Add extension.

Step 2: Add sites to block. Click the BlockSite icon in your toolbar (puzzle piece icon if it’s hidden). Click the gear icon to open settings. Under the Block Sites tab, type a URL (e.g., facebook.com) and click the + button.

Step 3: Set a schedule (optional). Go to the Schedule tab to define when blocks should be active — for example, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

Step 4: Set a password (optional). Under Settings, enable password protection so you can’t impulsively remove sites from the blocklist.

Other Extensions Worth Considering

• StayFocusd — Instead of blocking sites outright, it gives you a daily time allowance (e.g., 10 minutes on Reddit). Once your time is up, the site is blocked for the rest of the day.

• LeechBlock NG — A highly configurable open-source option. Supports time limits, lockdown periods, and complex scheduling rules. No account required.

• uBlacklist — Blocks specific sites from appearing in Google search results. Useful if your problem isn’t visiting the site directly but clicking through from Google.

Why Extensions Have Limits

Chrome extensions are convenient, but they come with a fundamental problem: you can disable or remove them at any time. When you’re in a moment of low willpower — which is exactly when you need blocking the most — it takes about five seconds to turn the extension off.

Password protection helps, but it’s not bulletproof. You can uninstall the extension entirely, open an Incognito window (where most extensions don’t run), or just switch to another browser. Extensions also don’t affect other applications on your computer — if Twitter is blocked in Chrome, you can still open it in Safari or Firefox.

For stronger blocking, read on.

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Method 2: Use Chrome Policies (Enterprise-Grade Blocking)

Chrome has a built-in policy system originally designed for businesses and schools to manage browser settings centrally. But anyone can use it on their own machine. Policies are enforced at the browser level — users can’t override them from Chrome’s settings, and extensions can’t interfere.

This is one of the most effective Chrome-specific methods because the block persists even if you clear cookies, reset settings, or reinstall extensions.

On Windows

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to the Chrome policies key. Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome

If the Google\Chrome folders don’t exist, right-click to create them (New > Key).

Step 3: Create the URLBlocklist key. Inside the Chrome key, create a new key called URLBlocklist. Inside it, create a new String Value for each site you want to block. Name them 1, 2, 3, etc., and set the value to the URL pattern:

• 1 → facebook.com
• 2 → twitter.com
• 3 → reddit.com

Step 4: Restart Chrome. Close and reopen Chrome. The sites will now show a “blocked by administrator” message.

To verify it’s working: Open Chrome and type chrome://policy in the address bar. You should see your URLBlocklist entries listed there.

On macOS

Step 1: Open Terminal. Press Command + Space, type Terminal, and hit Enter.

Step 2: Create the policy file. Copy and paste this command, replacing the URLs with the sites you want to block:

sudo defaults write com.google.Chrome URLBlocklist -array \
  "facebook.com" \
  "twitter.com" \
  "reddit.com"

Enter your password when prompted.

Step 3: Restart Chrome. Close Chrome completely (Command + Q) and reopen it.

Step 4: Verify. Go to chrome://policy in Chrome. Your blocked URLs should appear.

To undo: Run sudo defaults delete com.google.Chrome URLBlocklist in Terminal and restart Chrome.

On Linux

Step 1: Create the policy directory and file.

sudo mkdir -p /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed

Step 2: Create a JSON policy file.

sudo nano /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/blocklist.json

Add the following content:

{
  "URLBlocklist": [
    "facebook.com",
    "twitter.com",
    "reddit.com"
  ]
}

Save with Ctrl + O, then exit with Ctrl + X.

Step 3: Restart Chrome for the policy to take effect.

Why Chrome Policies Are Powerful

Unlike extensions, Chrome policies can’t be toggled off from the browser. There’s no “disable” button in Chrome for policy-level blocks. A user would need admin access to the operating system to remove the registry entries or policy files. This makes it a solid option for parental controls or self-discipline.

The downside: it only affects Chrome. Other browsers on the same machine remain unrestricted.

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Method 3: Edit the Hosts File (System-Wide Block)

The hosts file is a system-level configuration that overrides DNS for your entire computer. When you add an entry that points a domain to 127.0.0.1 (your own machine), the site can’t load — in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any other application.

On Windows

Step 1: Open Notepad as Administrator. Click the Start menu, search for Notepad, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: Open the hosts file. In Notepad, go to File > Open. Navigate to:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

(Change the file type dropdown from “Text Documents” to “All Files” to see it.)

Step 3: Add entries for each site you want to block. At the bottom of the file, add:

127.0.0.1    facebook.com
127.0.0.1    www.facebook.com
127.0.0.1    twitter.com
127.0.0.1    www.twitter.com

Step 4: Save the file and close Notepad.

Step 5: Flush DNS cache. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

On macOS

Step 1: Open Terminal (Command + Space > “Terminal”).

Step 2: Back up the hosts file:

sudo /bin/cp /etc/hosts /etc/hosts-original

Step 3: Edit the hosts file:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Step 4: Add blocking entries at the bottom:

127.0.0.1    facebook.com
127.0.0.1    www.facebook.com

Step 5: Save (Control + O, Enter) and exit (Control + X).

Step 6: Flush the DNS cache:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

On Linux

The process is nearly identical to macOS. Edit /etc/hosts with sudo nano /etc/hosts, add your entries, and save.

On ChromeOS

ChromeOS doesn’t give you access to the hosts file. If you’re on a Chromebook, use DNS filtering (Method 4) or Chrome policies (Method 2) instead.

Pros and Cons

The hosts file is effective and hard to bypass without admin access. But it requires manual entry for each domain, doesn’t support wildcard patterns or category-based blocking, and needs terminal access to modify. It’s best used alongside DNS filtering for a layered approach.

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Method 4: Set Up DNS Filtering

DNS filtering works by changing which DNS server your device or network uses. Instead of translating every domain into an IP address, a filtering DNS server refuses to resolve domains in blocked categories — so the website simply doesn’t load.

This works in every browser and every app, and many services let you block entire categories (social media, gambling, adult content) from a web dashboard.

Popular DNS Filtering Services

• NextDNS — Free for up to 300,000 queries/month. Offers the most granular control: block individual domains, entire categories, or specific apps. Real-time analytics dashboard. Supports encrypted DNS (DoH, DoT).

• OpenDNS — Free tier (Family Shield) automatically blocks adult content. The paid version adds custom blocking and reporting. Owned by Cisco.

• CleanBrowsing — Three free profiles (Security, Adult, Family) that you can activate by changing DNS settings. Simple and effective.

How to Configure DNS on Your Device

On Windows:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).
2. Click Hardware properties, then Edit next to DNS server assignment.
3. Switch to Manual and enter the DNS addresses from your provider.

On macOS:

1. Open System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi > Details > DNS.
2. Remove existing entries with - and add your provider’s addresses with +.

On ChromeOS:

1. Open Settings > Network > Wi-Fi, click your network.
2. Under Name servers, select Custom and enter the DNS addresses.

On Android:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS.
2. Select Private DNS provider hostname and enter your provider’s hostname (e.g., dns.nextdns.io/your-id).

On iOS:

1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the i next to your network.
2. Scroll to DNS, tap Configure DNS, select Manual, and add your provider’s addresses.

Why DNS Filtering Is Hard to Bypass

Changing DNS settings back requires admin access to the device (or router). Many filtering services also offer encrypted DNS, which prevents the block from being circumvented by using a different DNS resolver. For network-wide protection, configure DNS filtering on your router (see Method 5).

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Method 5: Block Websites at the Router Level

Router-level blocking affects every device on your network — phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs — without installing anything on individual devices.

How to Do It

Step 1: Find your router’s IP address.

• Windows: Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig. Look for “Default Gateway.”
• macOS: System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi > Details > TCP/IP. Look for “Router.”

Step 2: Log in to your router. Type the IP address into your browser (e.g., http://192.168.1.1). Enter the admin credentials — check the sticker on your router if you haven’t changed them.

Step 3: Find website blocking settings. Look for Parental Controls, Access Control, URL Filter, or Website Blocking — the name varies by router brand.

Step 4: Add domains to block. Enter the domains (e.g., facebook.com) and save.

Alternative: Change Your Router’s DNS

If your router doesn’t have a built-in URL filter, you can still achieve network-wide blocking by changing its DNS settings to a filtering service like NextDNS or OpenDNS. This is usually under WAN or Internet settings, in a field labeled “DNS Server.”

This approach blocks sites on every device that connects to your Wi-Fi, including guest devices.

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Method 6: Use a Dedicated Blocking Browser

All the methods above share a common limitation: they’re workarounds on top of a browser that wasn’t designed to block anything. Extensions can be removed, policies require system-level configuration, and DNS settings can be changed back.

A different approach is to use a browser that was built from the ground up with blocking in mind.

Browwwser is a Chromium-based browser for macOS that bakes website and app blocking directly into the browser engine. There are no extensions to disable — blocked sites simply don’t resolve at the engine level. Features include:

• Blocklist with lock mode — Once enabled, you can’t edit your blocklist until the lock period expires. No impulsive unblocking.
• Schedule-based blocking — Automatically block distracting sites during work hours and unblock them in the evening.
• App blocking — Goes beyond the browser and can close distracting desktop apps (Slack, Discord, games) during focus sessions.
• Chromium-based — All your Chrome extensions, bookmarks, and workflows carry over. It’s Chrome without the escape hatches.

This approach is particularly useful if you’ve tried extensions and found yourself disabling them when willpower runs low. When the blocking is part of the browser itself, the friction to bypass it is dramatically higher.

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Method 7: Use Chrome’s Built-In SafeSearch and Supervised Profiles

Chrome itself doesn’t have a “block this website” button, but it does have a couple of built-in features that help in specific scenarios.

Force SafeSearch

If your main concern is explicit content in search results, you can force SafeSearch:

1. Go to google.com/preferences.
2. Check Turn on SafeSearch.
3. Click Save.

To make this permanent and harder to undo, use a Chrome policy:

Windows (Registry): Create a string value ForceGoogleSafeSearch set to 1 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome.

macOS (Terminal):

sudo defaults write com.google.Chrome ForceGoogleSafeSearch -bool true

Google Family Link (for Children)

If you’re managing a child’s Google account, Google Family Link lets you:

• Block specific websites in Chrome
• Allow only approved websites
• Filter explicit search results
• Set screen time limits
• Monitor browsing activity

Family Link works on Android, ChromeOS, and Chrome on any platform where the child is signed in. It’s the official Google solution for parental controls in Chrome.

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What About Incognito Mode?

A common concern: will these methods work if someone opens an Incognito window?

Method	Works in Incognito?
Chrome Extension	Usually no (unless manually enabled for Incognito)
Chrome Policies	Yes
Hosts File	Yes
DNS Filtering	Yes
Router Blocking	Yes
Dedicated Browser	Yes

This is one of the biggest weaknesses of extension-based blocking. System-level and network-level methods don’t care what mode Chrome is in.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block websites on Chrome without an extension?

Yes. Chrome policies (Method 2) let you block websites at the browser level without any extension. The hosts file (Method 3) and DNS filtering (Method 4) work system-wide without touching Chrome at all.

What’s the easiest way to block a website on Chrome?

Installing a Chrome extension like BlockSite is the fastest approach — it takes under a minute. But it’s also the easiest to bypass. For something more robust with minimal effort, DNS filtering with NextDNS or CleanBrowsing is nearly as simple to set up and much harder to circumvent.

How do I block websites on Chrome on my phone?

On Android, use Google Family Link for parental controls, or change your DNS settings (Settings > Network > Private DNS) to a filtering provider. On iPhone, Chrome respects the system-wide Screen Time restrictions you set in Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy.

Can my child bypass Chrome website blocks?

It depends on the method. Extensions are easy to bypass (uninstall or switch browsers). Chrome policies and the hosts file require admin access to undo. DNS filtering at the router level is the hardest for a child to circumvent, especially if you also set a strong router password.

Do website blocks affect Chrome on all my devices?

No — each method applies to the device or network where it’s configured. The hosts file and Chrome policies affect only the specific computer. DNS filtering on your router affects all devices on that network. For multi-device management, use a cloud-based DNS service like NextDNS with device-level profiles.

How do I unblock a website I previously blocked?

Reverse the steps for whichever method you used. For extensions, open the extension settings and remove the site. For Chrome policies, delete the registry key (Windows), run sudo defaults delete com.google.Chrome URLBlocklist (macOS), or delete the JSON file (Linux). For the hosts file, edit it and remove the relevant lines.

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Final Thoughts

Chrome doesn’t ship with a built-in website blocker, but there’s no shortage of ways to add one. Here’s a practical decision framework:

• For a quick personal block during a work session → use a Chrome extension.
• For managing a child’s browsing → use Google Family Link or DNS filtering.
• For a business or school → use Chrome policies deployed via your IT admin.
• For maximum system-wide protection → combine the hosts file with DNS filtering at the router level.
• For productivity and focus → use a dedicated blocking browser like Browwwser that removes the temptation to disable your own blocks.

The strongest setups layer multiple methods together. A DNS filter handles broad categories, Chrome policies catch specific URLs, and the hosts file adds system-wide redundancy. Whatever combination you choose, the key is to make blocking harder to undo than the five seconds of impulse it takes to visit a distracting site.