How to Block a Website on Google Chrome

Whether you are trying to stop yourself from endlessly scrolling social media during work hours, or you want to prevent your children from accessing inappropriate content, you need a way to completely sever your browser’s connection to specific URLs. Surprisingly, Google Chrome does not have a built-in, native “block list” for entire websites (only for pop-ups and notifications).

To effectively block a website in Chrome, you must either rely on a third-party extension (which is easy but bypassable) or alter your computer’s core operating system files (which is bulletproof).

Method 1: The “BlockSite” Extension (The Easy Way)

If you just need a simple productivity blocker to keep you off Reddit or Twitter, a browser extension is the fastest solution. We recommend the “BlockSite” extension, as it is highly rated and actively maintained.

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Navigate to the Chrome Web Store (search for it in Google).
3. In the Web Store search bar, type BlockSite.
4. Click on the extension (it usually has a red shield icon) and click the blue Add to Chrome button.
5. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click Add extension.
6. Once installed, navigate to the specific website you want to block (e.g., www.facebook.com).
7. Look at the top right corner of your browser, next to the address bar. Click the Puzzle Piece icon to reveal your extensions, and click on BlockSite.
8. A small menu will appear. Click the red button that says Block this site.

Instantly, the webpage will be replaced by a massive graphic of a stop sign. The Catch: Anyone with basic computer knowledge can simply right-click the extension icon and click “Remove from Chrome” to bypass your block.

Method 2: Edit the Windows Hosts File (The Bulletproof Way)

If you need an unbreakable block (e.g., for parental controls), you must bypass Chrome entirely and edit your computer’s DNS routing table. By editing the “Hosts” file, you can command your computer to route all traffic intended for a specific website into a black hole (IP address 127.0.0.1). This will block the website not just in Chrome, but in Edge, Firefox, and every other application on the machine.

Note: You must have Administrator privileges to do this.

1. Click the Windows Start Button.
2. Type Notepad.
3. Do NOT click Enter. You must Right-click the Notepad app icon and select Run as administrator. (If you skip this step, you will not be allowed to save the file).
4. In Notepad, click File > Open.
5. Navigate to this exact hidden directory on your C: drive:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc

6. The folder will appear completely empty. Look at the bottom right corner of the window and change the drop-down menu from “Text Documents (*.txt)” to All Files (*.*).
7. You will now see a file simply named hosts. Double-click it to open it.
8. Scroll to the absolute bottom of the text document. Place your cursor on a new, blank line.
9. Type 127.0.0.1, press the Spacebar once, and then type the URL of the website you want to block (e.g., www.tiktok.com).
10. It should look exactly like this:

127.0.0.1 www.tiktok.com
127.0.0.1 tiktok.com

(It is best practice to include one line with the “www” and one line without it).

11. Click File > Save.
12. Close Notepad and restart your computer.

When you open Chrome and attempt to load TikTok, the browser will instantly return an “ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED” screen. The website is fundamentally unreachable on that machine.

Method 3: Edit the Mac Hosts File

The concept is identical on an Apple Mac, but you must use the Terminal instead of Notepad.

1. Open Terminal (search for it using Spotlight).
2. Type this exact command and press Enter: sudo nano /etc/hosts
3. Type your Mac administrator password (it will be invisible) and press Enter.
4. The terminal will transform into a text editor. Use your keyboard’s Down Arrow key to scroll to the very bottom.
5. Type 127.0.0.1 www.website.com on a new line.
6. Press Control + O to save, press Enter to confirm, and then press Control + X to exit.