How to Block Websites on Chrome, iPhone, Safari, Android, and Mac

A website block has to live at the level where you normally escape it. Blocking a site in one browser does little if the native app, another browser, or a second device remains open. Start by drawing the paths, then choose the smallest control that closes them.

Map the distraction before blocking it

Copy this table and fill it in for one site:

Test the exact main domain first. Do not add a giant wildcard list that accidentally breaks sign-in, work documentation, or an embedded service you need.

Block a website on iPhone or iPad

Apple's current iPhone guide gives this path:

1. Open Settings > Screen Time.
2. Open Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
3. Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
4. Tap Web Content, then Limit Adult Websites.
5. Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter the domain.
6. Test it in each installed browser you can use during the block.

The label “Limit Adult Websites” is awkward when your goal is blocking a news or social site, but Apple's Never Allow list sits inside that screen. Use the iPhone app-blocking guide if the same service also has a native app.

If you control the Screen Time passcode, the rule remains reversible. For a stronger boundary, decide who holds the passcode or use a session blocker with a documented recovery path.

Block a site in Chrome on Android

Google documents per-site timers for Chrome on supported Android devices:

1. Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
2. Tap the chart, then open Chrome's site list. You may need to choose Show sites.
3. Find the distracting site and tap its timer.
4. Set the daily allowance.
5. Open the site in Chrome after the allowance is used and confirm the behavior.

This is a daily budget, not an unchangeable ban. It also applies to Chrome's tracked site use, not every browser or native app. Android's Focus mode can pause selected apps on a schedule, which is useful when the website has an app route too.

Block a site on personal desktop Chrome

Ordinary personal Chrome profiles do not expose the administrator URL blocklist used by schools and businesses. Google's URLBlocklist policy is for managed Chrome environments. If you manage an organization, use the official URL blocking policy and test allowed exceptions carefully.

For a personal Mac or Windows computer, use one of these instead:

• a reputable browser extension for a lightweight, browser-specific rule;
• a system-level blocker when switching browsers is the usual bypass;
• a cross-device blocker when the phone becomes the escape route; or
• a separate work browser profile with only necessary sites allowed.

Extensions can read or change page activity depending on their permissions. Review the publisher, data practices, requested access, recent maintenance, and removal path before installing one. A system-level blocker such as Cold Turkey or a cross-device service such as Freedom is covered in the best focus apps comparison.

Block a website on Mac

macOS Screen Time includes web-content restrictions, but labels can vary by macOS release. Open System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy, then find the web-content control and add the site to the restricted list if your current version offers it.

For a work interval rather than an ongoing restriction, a timed desktop blocker is usually clearer. Start the 50-minute timer, apply the website block for the same period, and keep one written exception list for sites the task genuinely requires.

Make a temporary block that survives the first urge

Use this five-minute setup card:

1. Outcome: name what will exist when the block ends.
2. Paths: list the website, app, other browser, and other device.
3. Duration: choose a realistic end time.
4. Exception: write the one work URL that must remain available.
5. Recovery: decide how a mistaken block can be reversed.
6. Test: open the site through each common path once.

If YouTube is the site, its app, browser route, and Shorts controls need separate treatment. Use the YouTube and Shorts walkthrough.

Frequently asked questions

Can I permanently block a website?

You can make a site difficult to reach, but a block is not permanent if you control the device, administrator account, recovery email, and passcode. The strongest practical setup uses a system-level blocker, a locked schedule, and a recovery path held outside the distracted moment. Keep a way to reverse mistakes.

How do I temporarily block a website?

Use a timed block in a dedicated website blocker, or set a short site timer in Android Digital Wellbeing for Chrome. On iPhone, add the URL to Screen Time's Never Allow list and remove it after the work block, or select the related browser or app in a session-based blocker. Test the exact URL, including common subdomains, before starting.

Sources and version notes

• Apple: Block apps, app downloads, websites, and purchases on iPhone, checked August 25, 2026.
• Google: Manage how you spend time on your Android phone with Digital Wellbeing, checked August 25, 2026.
• Google Chrome Enterprise: Allow or block access to websites, checked August 25, 2026. This is an administrator policy, not a standard personal-profile setting.

If a current OS label differs, send the device and version to habib225@gmail.com. Want a fixed app-shielding session on Apple devices? Start an Orbital Focus mission.