How to Block a Website in Google Chrome

Whether you are trying to stop your children from visiting adult websites, or you are trying to stop yourself from wasting three hours a day scrolling through Reddit when you should be working, sometimes you need to forcefully block a website from loading on your computer.

Surprisingly, the desktop version of Google Chrome does not actually have a built-in “Block Website” button in its standard settings menu. Because Google is an advertising company, they want you to visit as many websites as possible. To block a specific URL, you must either install a third-party extension or use the operating system’s built-in parental controls.

Method 1: Use a Chrome Extension (The Easiest Way)

If you are simply trying to block distracting websites for productivity reasons, downloading a free Chrome Extension is the fastest and most reliable method.

1. Open Google Chrome and navigate to the Chrome Web Store (chrome.google.com/webstore).
2. In the search bar on the left, type BlockSite. (This is one of the most popular and trusted blocking extensions, though others like StayFocusd also work perfectly).
3. Click on the BlockSite extension and click the blue Add to Chrome button.
4. Once installed, click the new BlockSite icon (a red shield) in the top right corner of your browser.
5. Click the gear icon to open the extension’s settings menu.
6. Look for the text box labeled Block a new site. Type the URL you want to block (e.g., facebook.com) and press Enter.

If you try to navigate to Facebook, the extension will intercept the request and throw up a large red screen telling you to get back to work. You can even set a password on the extension so you cannot easily turn it off during a moment of weakness.

Method 2: Windows Family Safety (For Parental Control)

If you are trying to block inappropriate websites to protect a child, a Chrome extension is useless. The child can simply right-click the extension and click “Remove from Chrome” in two seconds. You must block the website at the operating system level.

1. You must create a dedicated Windows account for your child. (Go to Settings > Accounts > Family > Add someone).
2. Once the child account is created, navigate to family.microsoft.com and log in with your primary parent account.
3. Click on your child’s profile.
4. Click on the Content Filters tab.
5. Under the “Web and Search” section, look for the Blocked sites list.
6. Type the exact URL of the inappropriate website and click the plus (+) button to add it to the blocklist.

This method is incredibly powerful. The website is now blocked in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox. The child cannot undo this setting without knowing the parent’s Microsoft password.

Method 3: The Hosts File (The Hardcore IT Way)

If you want to block a website across the entire computer without installing extensions or setting up family accounts, you can manually edit the hidden Windows network routing file. This requires administrator privileges.

1. Click the Start Menu and type Notepad.
2. Right-click the Notepad app and select Run as administrator.
3. Click File > Open.
4. Navigate to this exact hidden folder path: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
5. The folder will appear empty. Change the file type drop-down in the bottom right corner from “Text Documents (*.txt)” to All Files (*.*).
6. Double-click the file named hosts.
7. Scroll to the very bottom of the text document. On a new line, type 127.0.0.1, press the spacebar, and type the URL you want to block (e.g., 127.0.0.1 www.reddit.com).
8. Click File > Save.

This tricks the computer into redirecting Reddit back into itself. If you open Chrome and type Reddit, it will instantly fail to load and display an error screen.