How to Block Websites on Mac- 4 Impressive Methods Provided!

To be distracted is human. There are always things that prevent us from focusing on work or study. Sometimes we just can’t stop ourselves from reading Facebook feed, checking emails, watching YouTube videos, listening to online radio, etc. Is there any way to get rid of these distractions? If you are asking the same question, this how-to guide can help you out. Here you can find the best ways on how to block websites on Mac. Hopefully they can help you become more focused and productive.

Method 1: How to Block Websites on Mac with Mac Website Blocker

If you don’t want to change the Mac setting, using an app to block websites on Mac will be the most convenient way. Cisdem AppCrypt comes with easy interface and overall function. You can use it to block websites and apps on Mac. Regardless of which browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) you are using, this Mac website blocker can do a good job of blocking any website on your Mac. Also AppCrypt is very easy to remove the app blocked and add some websites to the blacklist and whitelist. Its main features include:

• Work as background process and don’t take CPU load while idle
• Keep tracks of failed attempts to access the blocked websites as well as locked apps)
• Set time schedule to unlock blocked websites and apps at a specified time
• Blocking websites on Mac by creating blacklist and whitelist
• Enable users to block all sites except a few

Download the Free Trial of AppCrypt for Mac >>

How to block a website on mac with AppCrypt? Please follow the step-by-step guide below:

1. After download and install Cisdem AppCrypt, you should run the software. It will show you a window asking you to set new password.

Note: You’d better make a note of the password. Because AppCrypt is unable to retrieve or reset the password once you forget it.

2. Next, you should click the “WebBlock” option at the top-right corner. A new small window will pop up, just add websites that you intend to block on Mac in black list.

3. Now you can enable and disable WebBlock readily by clicking the key icon in Mac status menu bar. If you type a wrong password, the system will take a photo immediately.

Method 2: How to Block Websites on Mac with Parental Controls

You can use Parental Controls in Mac OS X to help prevent user accounts from accessing to some Internet websites regardless of which Internet browser is used. This part describes how to block websites using Parental Controls step by step.

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences. From the View menu, choose Parental Controls.

2. Select the user account on the left side of the window that you would like to enable parental controls. Then click "Enable Parental Controls". Click the Content tab to set restrictions. If there are no user accounts for you to choose, you’d better set a new one to be enabled Parental Controls by clicking “+” button.

3. Choose “Web” and choose one of the three modes under Website Restrictions. See below for a description of each. Then click the lock to prevent further changes.

Note: Parental Controls cannot be enabled for administrator accounts (admin accounts will not appear in the window). Check Accounts preferences in System Preferences to see which account(s) have what level of access (Admin, Managed, and so forth).

If you want to block websites on Safari Mac without Parental Controls, you can choose the other three methods in this guide. By the way, the methods also work with other internet browsers.

Method 3: How to Block Websites on Mac through Hosts File in Terminal

Using Terminal to blocking website on Mac is free for Mac users without buying any application. The process is relatively quick, and requires altering your Mac’s hosts file to redirect a specified domain name. This process will prevent users from seeing content you deem block-worthy across all browsers but that can be reversed should you want to grant access to the sites in the future. Follow below steps to block a website whether you use Google Chrome or other Internet browsers.

1. Open up Terminal in /Applications/Utilities. Type “sudo/bin/cp/etc/hosts/etc/hosts-original”on the Terminal command line to make a backup of the file. Hit Enter and type in your administrative password when prompted.

2. Next, type “sudo nano /etc/hosts” and hit Enter on the Terminal command line to open up your hosts file in a nano box. Enter your administrative password and you’ll see the host database for your computer. Using your down arrow, go to the bottom, right under where it says, "SERVER_IP_ADDRESS localhost", for example “127.0.0.1 localhost”.

3. Edit the hosts file. Type in “SERVER_IP_ADDRESS domain.com”, such as “127.0.0.1 facebook.com”. On a new line, type in “SERVER_IP_ADDRESS www.domain.com”; this is for extra measure. Now, hold down Control + “O”. This will save the changes to the host database. Hit “Return” and then Control + “X” to exit the screen.

4. Remove the existing cache by typing in "sudo dscacheutil -flushcache" in the command line, this refreshes the existing cache on the host database. You should receive an “Unable to connect” error message when you go to the website.

Note: You can also unlock these websites by repeating the steps above but removing the information entered in step 3. This method on how to block a website on Mac can be tedious.

Method 4: How to Block Websites on Mac with Internet Browser Extensions

Some Internet browsers such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox allow you to download extensions for your browser in which you can manage websites. Go to your Internet search engine and enter keyword phrases such as "Chrome add-ons" or "Firefox extensions" to locate websites that feature add-ons for your particular browser. Then download the extensions and add them to your browsers. Here I will set BlockSite extension as example.

1. Add BlockSite extension to your Mac. And right click the icon to choose "Option".

2. Add pages to the list of blocked sites, such as google.com 

3. When you open google, you will find the website is blocked by BlockSite extention.

TinyFilter is another choice if you prefer to block websites on your Mac without using parental controls or installing any software. As the name suggests, it’s designed to be a internet content filter. By default, it blocks adult sites and related keywords which are removable.

1. Download TinyFilter and add it to your browser. And you will find its icon on your browser toolbar.

2. Add the websites you want to block to its Content Filter. Click the icon on the toolbar and then click options. On the option page, you can find the Content Filter section where you input the website URL you want to block and click the add button.

Don’t forget to click the Save button to save your settings.

Tips

1. You can enable the password protection function and set a password.

2. The Advanced Settings allows you to customize the Warning Message and redirect blocked web pages.

Final Word

Although I have introduced four ways to block websites on Mac above, my most desirable method is using a professional Mac website blocker - Cisdem AppCrypt. This software is easy to use and uncluttered, It's completely safe for your Mac and still continuing to develop new functions. Meanwhile, other ways to block websites on Mac can be easily crack, like using BlockSite. You only need remove the extension and then the block funtion will be disabled. So if you would like to prevent others to access to a special website, I believe Cisdem AppCrypt is the best choice. Between times some users may ask how to block websites on Safari Mac without parental control, actually, AppCrypt also applies for it.