How to block websites on a Mac (2026)

How can you block websites on a Mac?

You can block websites on a Mac with Screen Time, the hosts file, a strict website timer such as SelfControl, or a focus app such as Nudge. The right method depends on whether you need a one-off block or a repeatable work-session system.

Start with the lightest method that can actually hold your focus block. A strict method is not always better if it is too annoying to use every day.

How do you block websites on a Mac with Nudge?

Nudge is the easiest option when website blocking is part of a broader work session. Instead of only blocking a list of domains, you create a preset for the work you want to do. Distracting apps and websites are blocked, and the session starts from the menu bar.

This is the best fit for people who do not just want to block one website. They want the Mac environment to match the task.

1. Open Nudge and create a preset, such as Writing, Deep Work, Study or Admin.

2. Add the Mac apps that pull you away during the session.

3. Add distracting websites that should be blocked in the browser.

4. Start the preset from the menu bar when the work block begins.

5. Reuse the preset next time instead of rebuilding the blocklist.

How do you use Screen Time to limit apps and websites?

Screen Time is the built-in baseline for app and website limits on Mac. It can set limits without installing another tool, which is useful for a simple daily cap on broad usage.

The limit model is good for reducing usage. It is less good for task-specific work sessions. If you need different rules for writing, coding and admin, presets are usually easier than daily allowance limits.

1. Open System Settings on your Mac.

2. Click Screen Time in the sidebar.

3. Turn Screen Time on if it is not already enabled.

4. Open App Limits and add a limit for the app or website category you want to restrict.

5. Choose the time allowance and save the limit.

How do you block a website in Safari with Screen Time content restrictions?

Screen Time also includes content and privacy controls. Apple documents a Safari setting there, Limit Adult Websites, with a Restricted list where you can add a site. Apple describes this setting for Safari only, so do not assume it covers Chrome or other browsers. Chrome has no built-in per-site block of its own.

To remove a site, select it in the Restricted list and click the minus button. Open the site in each browser you use to confirm it is blocked. This is usually too blunt if the goal is to protect a 90-minute focus block while leaving normal browsing alone afterward.

1. Turn Screen Time and Content & Privacy on first.

2. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Screen Time. You may need to scroll the sidebar.

3. Click Content & Privacy, then App Store, Media, Web, & Games.

4. Under Safari, choose Limit Adult Websites, then click Customize.

5. Click + under the Restricted list, enter the website URL, and click Done.

How do you block a website with the Mac hosts file?

This is an advanced manual method. Use it only if you are comfortable editing system files. The hosts file adds a line so a site's address points nowhere. It applies to browsers on this Mac that use the system resolver or Chrome's own resolver, and it needs an admin password. It works per hostname only, with no wildcards, so it is manual and easy to manage badly.

A proxy or VPN that resolves names remotely does not read this Mac's hosts file. Open tabs, connections and DNS caches can keep a site loading until the cache is flushed and the browser is restarted.

With iCloud Private Relay on, Safari sends its web requests through Apple's relays, so a hosts entry may not apply there. Turn Private Relay off for Safari, then open the site to confirm it is blocked.

This method is not a friendly daily workflow. It does not know what task you are doing, it does not give you presets, and to undo it you delete the lines and flush again.

1. Open the hosts file in Terminal with an admin password.

   sudo nano /etc/hosts

2. Add the root domain and every subdomain you use, such as www. Using 127.0.0.1 instead of 0.0.0.0 also works.

   0.0.0.0 example.com
   0.0.0.0 www.example.com

3. Save the file, then flush DNS (macOS 15 and 26).

   sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
   sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

4. Quit and reopen the browser, then open the site to confirm it is blocked.

Can Safari settings block websites?

Not on their own. Safari has per-website settings, pop-up controls and content blocker support. These help reduce unwanted interruptions, but they should not be confused with a durable focus-session website blocker. Use them to reduce noise, then use Screen Time, Nudge, SelfControl or hosts file rules for actual website blocking.

1. Open Safari.

2. Choose Safari, then Settings.

3. Open the Websites tab.

4. Review settings such as Pop-up Windows, Content Blockers, Auto-Play and Reader.

Is SelfControl a good free way to block websites?

SelfControl is free and open-source. You add sites or mail servers, set a timer, and start. The block continues until the timer expires, even if you restart the Mac or delete the app.

That strictness is useful for one-off blocks. It is less useful when you need app blocking, reusable work presets, menu bar starts or session history. Compare the two here: Nudge vs SelfControl.

How do you block one specific site on a Mac?

Add that site to a Nudge preset and it stays blocked in Safari and Chrome for the length of a session. These articles cover the sites people block most:

• How to block YouTube on a Mac
• How to block Reddit on a Mac
• How to block X / Twitter on a Mac
• How to block Instagram on a Mac
• How to block Netflix on a Mac
• Browser-specific steps: Chrome and Safari

How do you block websites without blocking your work?

Block the sites that pull you away, not the browser you need. A setup that survives a real workday takes four steps.

1. Make two lists: sites the work needs, such as docs, GitHub, Notion, Figma, dashboards, banking and search, and sites that pull you into loops, such as feeds, video, shopping, forums and news.

2. Turn them into task presets. A coding preset keeps GitHub, docs and package registries. A writing preset keeps notes, sources and a dictionary. An admin preset keeps mail, calendar, invoices and banking.

3. Test every browser you use, including private windows and other profiles, before a deadline depends on the setup.

4. Decide exceptions before the session starts. A site you need often belongs in the preset. If every session needs an emergency exception, the preset is too strict.

How do you block websites on an iPhone too?

The Mac methods above do not cover your phone. Nudge is a Mac app, and the hosts file and SelfControl only apply to the Mac they are set up on. Screen Time can limit websites on iPhone and iPad as well, and a cross-device blocker such as Freedom keeps the same blocklists on Mac and phone. If your phone is where the distraction actually happens, plan for a separate block there.

What should you use to block websites during work sessions?

Use Screen Time if you want a built-in usage cap. Use Content & Privacy restrictions if you want Safari website restrictions. Use the hosts file if you are technical and want a manual per-hostname block. Use SelfControl if you want a free strict timer.

Use Nudge if the real job is repeatable focus: distracting apps and websites stay blocked, and the preset is easy to start again tomorrow. It runs on macOS 13 or later, includes a 7-day free trial with no card to start, and costs $9.99 once for Lifetime Access. If you also want a timer, there is a free web Pomodoro timer.