Whether you’re a parent wishing to shield your children from explicit content, a business owner looking to boost productivity by reducing distractions, or simply trying to avoid personal internet temptations, knowing how to block websites on Google Chrome is a beneficial skill.
While Google Chrome itself doesn’t have any built-in features for website blocking, there are several extensions available that can help achieve this goal. One of the most popular is ‘Block Site’.
Here’s how you can block websites using the ‘Block Site’ extension:
Step 1: Install the Extension
Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for ‘Block Site’. Click on ‘Add to Chrome’ to install it.
Step 2: Add Websites to the Block List
Once installed, click on the ‘Block Site’ icon at the top-right corner of your Chrome browser. Then click on ‘Options’.
Now, you should see an input field under ‘Block Specific Sites’. Here, enter the URL of the website you want to block and click on ‘Add Page’.
Step 3: Confirm The Operation
After you’ve added the website to the block list, try visiting the site. You should see a message indicating that the site has been blocked.
How to Block Websites Using Hosts File
If you aren’t keen on installing an extension, another method is manually blocking websites through your computer’s hosts file. Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1: Locate The Hosts File
On Windows, the hosts file is usually found at: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
For Mac users, the path to the hosts file is: /etc/hosts.
Step 2: Edit The Hosts File
Open the hosts file using a text editor (like Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac).
127.0.0.1 localhost
At the bottom of the document, add a new line in the format 127.0.0.1 website.com, with “website.com” being the site you want to block. Each blocked site should be on a new line.
Step 3: Save Your Changes
Save your changes and close the text editor. Now, when you try to access any of the websites you added to your hosts file, your browser will fail to load them.
Note that these methods only block websites on the Chrome browser on your current computer. If you want to block websites across all devices, you may need to consider other methods such as parental controls or network-level blocks.
Happy safe browsing!
