How to block websites on Chrome: every method that works

By Sameed Ahmad, who builds Focus AI (so read the Focus AI parts with that in mind).
Updated October 2026

1. Block websites with a Chrome extension (2 minutes)

This is how most people do it, and it works the same on Windows, Mac and a personal Chromebook.

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for a website blocker (BlockSite, LeechBlock NG and StayFocusd are common list-based ones).
2. Click Add to Chrome, then pin the extension so its icon stays in the toolbar.
3. Open the extension and add the sites you want blocked, for example youtube.com or reddit.com.
4. Optional: set a schedule (only during work hours) or a password.
5. Open chrome://extensions, click Details on the blocker and turn on Allow in Incognito. Without this, incognito skips the block.

The catch: the off switch is in the same browser. Disabling the extension takes two clicks, and the moment you want to is the moment the block exists for. Password and "locked" modes help, but most of them can still be removed from the extensions page.

2. Block websites on Chrome without an extension: the hosts file

Your computer checks a small text file, the hosts file, before it looks up any website. Point a site at 127.0.0.1 (your own machine) and it stops loading in every browser, Chrome included.

On Windows

1. Search for Notepad, right-click it and choose Run as administrator.
2. Open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (set the file type to All files to see it).
3. Add one line per address: 127.0.0.1 reddit.com and 127.0.0.1 www.reddit.com.
4. Save, then restart Chrome.

On a Mac

1. Open Terminal and run sudo nano /etc/hosts, then enter your password.
2. Add the same lines: 127.0.0.1 reddit.com and 127.0.0.1 www.reddit.com.
3. Press Control-O to save and Control-X to exit, then restart Chrome.

The catch: you need the exact addresses, so sites with many domains (TikTok uses several) leak through. It blocks the whole site, so you can't keep YouTube lectures and lose Shorts. And undoing it is the same one-minute edit.

3. Block websites in Chrome only, with Chrome policy (advanced)

Chrome reads administrator policies, and one of them, URLBlocklist, blocks the sites you list in Chrome for every profile on the computer. Work and school IT departments use it.

1. On Windows, open the Registry Editor as administrator.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome and create a key named URLBlocklist (create the Google and Chrome keys if they don't exist).
3. Inside it, add string values named 1, 2 and so on, each holding one site, such as reddit.com.
4. Restart Chrome and open chrome://policy to confirm it loaded.

On a Mac the supported route is a configuration profile, which is meant for managed computers. Policy is the strongest free option on a shared or family PC, but anyone with admin rights can delete the key.

4. Block websites on a Chromebook

On a personal Chromebook, Chrome extensions install exactly as on a laptop, so method 1 works unchanged. On a school-managed Chromebook, extensions and blocked sites are controlled by the school's administrator, so you usually can't add your own. For a child's Chromebook, use Family Link (below).

5. Block websites in Chrome on Android

Chrome on Android has no extensions, so method 1 doesn't apply. For a child, Family Link blocks specific sites. For yourself, the common route is Android's Private DNS setting pointed at a filtering DNS service (NextDNS is a popular one with a free tier), where you keep a deny list. It covers every app on the phone, not only Chrome.

6. Block websites on Chrome for a child: Family Link

Google Family Link lets a parent manage a supervised child account. In the parent's Family Link app you can block or allow specific sites in Chrome on the child's Android phone or Chromebook, and the child can't change it. This is the right tool for kids. The rest of this page is for blocking yourself.

7. Block websites by task instead of by list

Every method above blocks a domain. That breaks the first time a blocked site has something you need: the lecture on YouTube, the answer on Reddit. You unblock it "for a minute" and the evening is gone.

This is the problem I built Focus AI for, so weigh this section accordingly. You type what you're working on and pick a session length. Every page is judged against that task: the calculus lecture on YouTube loads, Shorts and the recommended video essay don't. There is no list to maintain. Strict mode is on by default, so ending a session early means typing a sentence instead of clicking a button, and the extensions page is blocked while you're locked in.

Trade-offs: it costs money after 3 free sessions, it works in the browser only (not your phone), and it occasionally misjudges a page, which a short Quick Check covers. Get it from the Chrome Web Store.

Which method should you use?

• One or two sites you never need: the hosts file. Free and permanent until you edit it.
• Several sites, on a schedule: a list-based extension, with incognito turned on.
• A child's device: Family Link.
• You study or work on the sites you're trying to avoid, or you keep switching blockers off: a task-based blocker like Focus AI.