An extension for Google Chrome that allows users to block websites quickly and easily. The extension can be configured to either simply hide an element on the page, or completely remove it from the DOM removing any trace of it in the process. These options allow the extension to be used with standard shortcuts like Ctrl + F5 as well as made more easily accessible through other means such as a toolbar button.

Chrome Extension For Blocking Websites

The internet is full of information that can help you work more effectively. Unfortunately, instant access to such an overwhelming amount of content can also backfire. What starts as a quick jaunt to your social media feed or favorite website ends with dozens of open tabs – and hours of wasted productivity.

We’ve all been there. Even with extraordinary discipline, it’s easy to fall prey to these distractions. It’s far too easy to open your laptop, pull up a project you need to work on, and then completely lose track of your responsibilities after seeing a notification from a friend. There’s so much content out there begging for your attention, and it’s tough not to give in.

The good news?

There are plenty of website blocker tools that can help you overcome the temptation of distracting and addictive tech. Instead of forcing you to rely on willpower alone, these tools cut off access to your biggest distraction sources.

A host of features and price ranges are available. Let’s break down some of the most popular website blockers so you can make an informed decision.

Freedom for Mac and Windows

1. Freedom for Mac or Windows
   Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps, but it does so much more than that. It’s an all-in-one distraction blocker that allows you to block distracting websites, mobile apps, desktop apps, or the entire internet. No matter what is distracting you and stealing away your time and attention, Freedom gives you back control. Freedom is the only website, app, and internet blocker that syncs blocks across all of your devices. With Freedom Premium you can add unlimited devices and custom blocklists and stay focused on what’s important by committing to blocking distractions in advance or by scheduling recurring block sessions to make productivity a habit.

In addition to blocking distractions, Freedom now also offers a variety of other tools such as Focus Sounds that can help you get in the zone and maintain your focus throughout the day.

For more fine-tuned distraction blocking and control, Freedom offers features like Locked Mode, Block All, and Block All Except.

Locked Mode helps you commit to your block sessions by making it impossible to quit an active block session.
Block All allows you to block all websites when you really need to turn off the internet with a flip of a switch.
Block All Except lets you block the entire web, except for the sites you need access to do the work that matters.
Pros: One of Freedom’s biggest advantages is the ability to block distractions across all of your devices. Users can sync their block sessions across their Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices, which means no more blocking your computer and then sneaking off to your phone for a Facebook fix! Freedom is also excited to now offer support for Chromebook and Linux via our browser extension.

In addition to blocking sites and mobile apps, Freedom also blocks desktop apps. So if you find that Outlook, Mail, Steam, Fortnite, or even Chrome or Safari are killing your productivity, you can temporarily block them during your Freedom sessions.

Cons: The Freedom team is currently working on adding several new features to the app, including calendar scheduling and stats reports to see where you’re spending most of your time online.

Price: Freedom offers users three different payment plans for Premium:

Monthly: $6.99/mo
Yearly: $29/year ($2.42 per month)
Forever: $129 (one-time purchase to have Freedom forever)
Not sure if Freedom is right for you? Good news—you can sign up for a seven-use free trial and see the benefits first-hand.

Get Freedom and block websites and apps on every device!
StayFocusd chrome extension

2. StayFocusd
   StayFocusd is an extension available on the Google Chrome web browser. This makes installation extremely straightforward – even if you aren’t tech-savvy.

Pros: Many website blockers have users enter a list of specific websites (often called a “blacklist”) to block for certain time periods. The StayFocusd approach is a bit different. Users enter the maximum amount of time they would like to spend on specific websites before being blocked. So you can allow yourself some time for idle browsing.

One of the biggest advantages of StayFocusd is its versatility. You can set time limits for as many websites as you like; all you have to do is type them into the extension. As long as you’re using Google Chrome, the extension will work on various platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.)

Cons: The downside, of course, is that StayFocusd is limited to the Chrome browser. And, unlike other website blockers, you can’t set multiple blocks of blocked time. Finally, you still might find yourself wasting too much time during peak work hours if you’re too generous with your time limits.

Price: Stayfocusd is free on Google Chrome

Limit chrome extension

3. Limit
   Limit is a Chrome browser extension that allows you to limit your time spent on distracting websites.

To use Limit, simply select the website you find most distracting and choose a daily time limit. For example, you could limit yourself to ten minutes a day on Facebook, or half an hour a day on Duolingo.

Pros: Limit is a great way to maintain a simple limit on your browsing habits. You’ll be surprised how free you feel when you hit your limit – and know that you’ve turned off distractions for the day. It’s a simple behavioral nudge that goes a long way towards helping you be more productive.

Cons: Like all browser extensions, Limit can be uninstalled. So if you find yourself needing something a little more strict, Freedom is a great choice for blocking distractions on all your devices.

Price: Limitis a free Chrome browser extension.

Pause chrome extension

4. Pause
   Pause is a simple extension that challenges you to momentarily pause and reflect before visiting a distracting website. In doing so, Pause breaks the cycle of distraction and helps you be more focused, productive, and intentional with your technology use.

When you load a distracting website, Pause creates a gentle interruption by displaying a calming green screen. After pausing for five seconds, you can then choose to continue to the site. The interruption created by Pause gently nudges you to make informed, intentional decisions about how you are spending your time.

Pros: We think that Pause is an incredible tool for being more intentional with your web use. Pause comes pre-seeded with a list of 50 top distracting websites, and you can add or remove sites from your Pause list. You can also configure the amount of time you’d like to be Paused.

Cons: We are very partial to Pause – it is a simple extension, with a huge impact. Maybe the only con is that it is free!

Price: Pauseis a free Chrome browser extension.

Focus chrome extension for focusing on your work

5. Focus
   Focus is a Chrome browser extension designed to help you stay focused on your studying, learning, and the work that matters. Focus is great for students as it blocks all non-educational websites to keep you productive and away from all the distractions the internet has to offer.

To use Focus, simply set a pin, decide which websites you want access to, and let Focus block the rest. If you want to visit a site you have blocked, just enter your pin, and decide how long you want to be on the blocked site.

If you’re a parent, you can set the pin for child. Or, if you’d like to use it for yourself, have a friend or partner set it for you to help you commit.

And voila! You now have a set of internet guardrails that help to help you stay productive and on task whether you’re studying, remote learning, or need an extra boost self-control to finish a project.

Pros: Instead of having to decide all the websites you want to block, Focus simply lets you decide which sites you want access to and then blocks the rest. It’s quick and simple set up makes it easy to get back on track and committed to your goals.

Cons:Like all browser extensions, Focus can be uninstalled. So if you find yourself needing something a little more strict, Freedom is a great choice for blocking distractions on all your devices.

Price: Focus is a free Chrome browser extension.

Forest mobile app

6. Forest
   Forest is an ingenious little app that encourages you to plant virtual trees instead of visiting distracting websites on your mobile devices. One of the oldest apps in the space, we’ve always like Forest’s behavioral approach to making you use your phone less.

Pros: Forest doesn’t actually block anything – it simply encourages you to put your phone down. You might think of this as a con, but for many people, that simple nudge will work! And once you put your phone down, you’ll start growing virtual trees, which give you positive feedback on your time spent away from distractions.

Cons: Well, Forest doesn’t actually block anything – so its not for everyone. If you need a stricter blocker, you might want to choose something else on this list. But you might be surprised just how well a little virtual tree could work keeping you away from websites!

Price: Various prices for iOS, Android, and Chrome.

Leechblock Mozilla add-on

7. LeechBlock
   LeechBlock is Mozilla Firefox’s answer to StayFocusd. This browser add-on has been blocking distracting websites for over a decade.

Pros: One of the first things you’ll notice is the extensive versatility and customization options. Users create groups of websites LeechBlock will restrict. These websites can then be assigned across up to six different time blocks. For each time block, users decide which sites to block, when to block them, and how to block them. An interesting feature is the password option. Users can choose to enter complex passwords before visiting distracting websites. This is less restrictive than a complete block, but it slows users down enough to really think whether they want to visit the website.

Cons: LeechBlock’s advantages can also become its downsides if you aren’t tech-savvy. With so many options and configuration settings, the interface can be overwhelming. It’s also a browser add-on, which makes it easy to remove if you’re determined to visit distracting websites.

There’s also a Mozilla Firefox issue to think about. Starting with Firefox version 57 (released in November 2017), only extensions built with the WebExtensions framework are compatible. This led the LeechBlock developer to rewrite the extension from scratch, releasing a new version called LeechBlock NG. The software is still under development, so there could be bugs, and not all the features of the old extension are included.

Price: Free on Mozilla

Freedom for iOS and Android
8.Freedom for iOS and Android
Blocking websites on a Mac and Windows computers can boost your productivity, however that productivity will be short-lived if it means you can just turn to your phone or tablet when your brain starts to crave your blocked distractions.

We offer Freedom on iOS and Android devices so that you can sync your block sessions across all of your devices because distractions aren’t always device-specific. The Freedom iOS app will block apps and websites based on your custom blocklist, and can be used simultaneously in sessions with your Mac or Windows computer or any number of other devices.

The Freedom Android app will block apps of your choice, and like any of the other Freedom apps, initiate or sync with your Freedom sessions if you choose.

Pros: Freedom is the only complete multi-platform website and app blocker solution. So even if you have every popular device on the market (iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, Mac and Windows computers) – Freedom has you covered on all of them, at the same time if you’d like!

Price: Included in Freedom Premium (see Freedom for Mac and Windows above)

Do Your Best Work with a Website Blocker
You need to be focused and productive to do your best work. Willpower can get you started, but with all the distracting websites and apps out there, why not equip yourself with the best tools to help?

A website blocker will free up time and energy for you to focus on the truly important stuff. And there’s always time for those silly cat videos after work!

how to block websites on chrome without extension

Blocking distracting websites on Chrome can help reduce distractions. Blocking inappropriate websites on Chrome can help keep children safer online. Is using a website blocker extension a good way to do the blocking? Not really. Anyone can easily remove the extension so the blocking is easy to bypass. That’s why many people want to know how to block websites on Chrome without extension.

This article will show you how to ban websites on Google Chrome on desktop and mobile without using an extension.

• Mac
• Windows
• Android
• iOS

Method 1. How to block a website on Chrome on Mac with AppCrypt

Cisdem AppCrypt, a website blocker and app locker rolled into one, is the best tool to block access to websites on browsers on Mac. With this efficient and straightforward tool, you can effortlessly make unwanted websites inaccessible.

AppCrypt main features:

• Block websites with password on Chrome, Safari, Opera and more
• Let you block specific websites or categories of websites
• Also let you block all sites except the ones you allow
• Lock apps with password
• Offer a schedule feature to block sites and lock apps during certain hours
• Easy to use
• Hard to bypass
• Can be used for parental control, productivity, privacy protection, etc.

Steps: How to block websites on Chrome without extension

1. Download and install AppCrypt.

2. When you open this Chrome website blocker for the first time, it’ll ask you to set a password.

3. Click the AppCrypt icon in the menu bar and choose Open Main Window.

4. Enter the password, and you are in the main window. Click Web Block.

5. Under the Web Block tab, add specific URLs or import categories of websites to block.

Now the added or imported websites are blocked on Google Chrome and other browsers, including the incognito browsing mode. When you or someone else such as your child tries to open a blocked site on Chrome, the site won’t open, and a message will show up saying that it’s blocked.

To access a blocked website, one needs to quit AppCrypt, or disable WebBlocker, or remove the website from the Block list. Each and every of the three actions requires the password. The blocking is hard to bypass, unlike with using an extension.

Tips

How to block websites on Chrome permanently or during certain times

As long as AppCrypt is running, the websites will be blocked all the time. It’s recommended to select the Launch at system startup checkbox in Preferences.

If you want to block a specific website for certain hours of the day, the Schedule feature can help. Select the website, click the clock icon next to it, enable Custom Schedule and click Add Schedule to schedule the blocking of the website.

To block all websites for certain hours, you can set a General Schedule by clicking Schedule  in the toolbar. Note that the General Schedule will also apply to app locking.

How to only allow access to certain websites on Chrome

This website blocker for Chrome also lets you block all websites except a few. In the Web Block window, switch from the default Block list mode to the Allow list mode. Add one or more websites to allow.

Get AppCrypt for Mac to easily block access certain websites to limit the time spent on them!

Method 2. How to block a website on Chrome on Windows 10 with URL Blocker

Here’s a scenario. Your son needs to use Chrome for schoolwork, and you allow it. However, he spends hours on YouTube when not supervised. The good news is that you can use a tool called URL Blocker to effortlessly block YouTube and other unwanted websites.

1. Download URL Blocker. Open it.

2. Enter the website that you want to block.

3. Click Add. Continue adding other websites to block if needed.

4. Click Apply.

5. When the Log Off dialog box pops up, click OK.

The blocking will take place immediately on Google Chrome and other browsers you may have. Trying to open a blocked website will bring the “can’t reach this page” message or a similar message.

If your child is a bit tech savvy, he or she may be able to figure out how the websites are blocked and unblock them. Here’s a tip to prevent this from happening. Run URL Blocker from a USB flash drive and eject the drive after you finish setting up the blocking. This way, the websites will be blocked secretly.

Method 3. How to block sites on Chrome mobile without extension on Android

You may have heard about Google Family Link, a parental controls service by Google. It’s available as an Android app and can help parents control what websites and content their children can access on Android devices. Below are the steps to use this app to restrict children’s access to websites.

1. Open the Play Store app and install Google Family Link. Open it.

2. Create a Google Account for your child. When creating, you will be asked for credit card info to verify that you are a parent.

3. On your child’s device, sign in with the child’s account.

4. In the Parent permission screen, choose your own Google account and enter your password.

5. Finish the other settings.

6. On your device, go to Family Link Settings.

7. Tap Filters on Google Chrome.

8. Enable Try to block mature sites and then tap Manage Sites.

9. Tap Blocked and manually add the sites that you don’t want your child to access.

Now the websites are blocked on your child’s Google account.

This service can also be used to block or allow certain sites for kids on Chrome browser on Chromebook.

Method 4. How to prevent access to certain websites on Chrome on iPhone

Sometimes you may want to block yourself or your kid from certain websites on iPhone. Luckily, iOS provides a solution. It’s called Screen Time and can be found in Settings. However, the fact is it doesn’t support Google Chrome. Screen Time can only block sites on Safari. Don’t worry. There is a third party solution.

It’s called BlockSite. You may know BlockSite as a browser extension. Since Chrome mobile doesn’t support extensions, the developer also provides BlockSite as an iOS app, which is available in the App Store.

1. Install BlockSite app on iPhone. Open it.

2. Tap the plus icon in the lower right part of the screen.

3. Under the Website tab, enter the URL of the website you want to block.

4. Tap the checkmark in the top right corner.

Now the sites are added to the Block List and blocked on various browsers including Chrome. You can edit the Block List anytime you wish.

One of the great things is that there is a password protection to prevent your kid from accessing BlockSite settings and undoing the blocking.

Method 5. How to prohibit websites on Chrome Enterprise

Google Chrome Enterprise by Google is a solution to manage Chrome browsers and devices. It’s designed for business use. Unlike the standard version of Chrome, Chrome Enterprise comes with a built-in way to block URLs. But only an admin can set up the blocking.

1. Sign in to Google Admin console.

2. Go to Devices > Chrome > Settings > Users & browsers.

3. Choose to apply the website blocking to all users and browsers or specific ones of them.

4. Go to URL Blocking.

5. Add individual website addresses.

6. Click Save.

7. Ask the affected users to restart their Chrome browser for the blocking to take effect.

It’s a great way to minimize distracting websites and improve workplace productivity.

Can you block websites on Chrome by configuring a router?

Website blocking extensions can be easily bypassed. Also they can’t be used on Chrome mobile. Therefore, many people don’t take them into consideration when looking for a way to restrict access to websites on Chrome.

In addition to the five methods talked about above, there are a few other ways, which, however, require you to change Internet or computer settings. If you are not tech savvy or not confident with such methods, you can ignore them. One method is to change the settings on a router that has parental controls.

1. Access the settings of the Wi-Fi router in your home or office.

2. In settings, find a feature named Block Sites or Parental Controls or alike. If you can’t find it in basic settings, try the advanced settings.

3. There should be an option for you to add websites to block. Some routers also let users block websites by category.

4. Add website URLs and save your settings.

This should block the added websites on all browsers including Google Chrome on all or selected devices connected to this particular network.

Can you prohibit access to websites by editing the hosts file?

The hosts file on your computer is an operating system file. It’s possible to limit access to websites by modifying this file. With this method, the blocking takes place at the device level. In other words, all web browsers (e.g. Google Chrome) installed on your computer will prevent the prohibited websites from loading.

In the hosts file, you need to type the specific website name and then type 127.0.0.1 before the name.

Before making the editing, you need to know where the hosts file is and how to edit it.

On a Windows PC, the hosts file is normally located in c:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts. You can use the Notepad app to open and edit it.

On a Mac, the file is located in /private/etc/hosts. The file can be opened and modified through Terminal.

Conclusion

Despite being easily accessible and usable, site blocker extensions are not effective enough. This article shows seven methods to block websites on Chrome without extension. The first five methods are easy for everyone to use. I hope the article can help parents find a way to keep children away from addictive or inappropriate websites. It can also help block oneself from certain websites.

Conclusion

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