How to block a website on a Windows or macOS computer

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-13 00:26

Eliminate distractions temporarily or keep your kids safe from inappropriate content online.

All of the methods listed below block access to the sites of your choice through any browsers. A savvy computer user will be able to bypass such a lock. But these measures should be enough to combat procrastination and control children.

How to block a site at the router level

In the settings of many routers, you can manage the black list of sites. Access to the URLs added to it is blocked for all devices connected to the router via a Wi-Fi network. To unblock any site, just remove its address from the list.

Check if your router provides blocking capability. To do this, go to its settings: type in the browser 192.168.0.1 or another address indicated on the bottom of the router, and enter your login and password to enter. Then look for the section "Filter", or "Access Control", or another similar name.

If you find a menu with blacklist settings, open it and add the addresses of unwanted sites. There should be clues around to help you figure it out.

This is the fastest way to restrict access to Internet resources for all indoor Wi-Fi equipment at once. But if you only want to block a site for selected devices or even specific users, take a look at the following options.

How to block a website on Windows

1. Using the hosts file

Every Windows computer has a text file named hosts. If you add any URLs to it, browsers will not be able to open the corresponding sites.

To edit the mentioned file, first open the "Notepad" program: right-click on its shortcut and select "Run as administrator". In the Notepad window, click File → Open, switch the display mode from Text Documents to All Files, and select the hosts file located at C: WindowsSystem32driversetc.

After adding addresses, save the file and restart your computer to apply the changes.

If you want to unblock sites, open the hosts file again and delete the entries you made.

2. Through special software

If you want to block distracting sites so as not to procrastinate, take a look at the free utility Cold Turkey. You can add several URLs to it and set the time at which they will be unavailable on your computer. Until this period expires, you will not be able to cancel the block.

Cold Turkey also has a paid version that allows you to block not only websites, but also distracting apps.

Cold Turkey →

3. Using parental control features

This method is best for parents who want to protect their children from pornography and other adult content. With Windows Parental Controls, you can create a list of sites to be blocked and enable automatic blocking of all adult sites. All restrictions will apply only to the child's profile and will not affect your account.

Let's take a look at blocking websites for a child's profile using Windows 10 as an example. In previous versions of the OS, the procedure may be different, but the general procedure will be similar.

Go to "Start" → "Settings" → "Accounts" → "Your details" and make sure that you are logged in with your Microsoft account: your email should be displayed on the screen. If not, register your account.

Next, select "Family and other people" in the sidebar and click "Add family member." In the next window, add the child's account using the system prompts. In the process, you will need to connect any mailbox to it, open it and confirm the registration of the new profile.

Then go back to the Family & Others menu and click Manage Family Settings Online.

Unlike older versions of the OS, where all profile settings are in one section, further configuration of Windows 10 takes place on the Microsoft website. When the site opens, log in through your account and open the "Family" section. When you see the child's profile, click next to the child's Content Restriction.

Scroll down to the Web Browsing section. Here you can turn on automatic blocking of sites using the "Block inappropriate websites" radio button and manually add your favorite sites to the "Always block" list.

These restrictions will only apply to the Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browsers. The rest of the browsers in the child's profile will be completely blocked.

How to block a website on macOS

1. Using the hosts file

macOS, like Windows, blocks site addresses entered by the user into the system hosts file. You just need to open this file and add unwanted URLs. Browsers will not open them until you remove these addresses from the hosts file.

First, open the mentioned file. To do this, run the Terminal utility (Finder → Programs → Utilities → Terminal), enter the command sudo / bin / cp / etc / hosts / etc / hosts-original and press Enter. When prompted for your account password, enter it and press Enter again. Then enter the command sudo nano / etc / hosts and press Enter again. Enter your password again if prompted.

After adding all the required addresses, press Control + X to exit the hosts file. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If you want to unblock sites, open the hosts file again and delete the entries you made.

2. Through special software

Free and very simple utility SelfControl allows you to block any sites for the time you specify. Until it expires, you won't be able to open them in your browser, even if you uninstall the program or restart your Mac. A great way to combat distracting Web resources.

In addition, the aforementioned Cold Turkey, which works in a similar way, is also in the macOS version.

SelfControl →

3. Using parental control features

The macOS parental control mechanism allows you to restrict access to selected sites to only one computer user. For example, your child. Other users will be able to access all sites without restrictions.

To set up blocking, open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences → Parental Controls. Add a new account for your child.

Then click on the added profile and go to the "Web" tab. Here you can choose which sites will be available to the child under his account, and which will not.