How to Block a Website on Chrome: Desktop, Android and Chromebook

What's the fastest way to block a website in Chrome?

Chrome doesn't have a single built-in switch labeled block this site. Your best option depends on why you're blocking it: a site blocker extension is quickest for self-control and comes with schedules and password locks; editing your hosts file blocks a site for every browser on that device, for free; and Family Link blocks sites on a supervised Google Account you manage for someone else.

Chrome briefly offered a separate Supervised Users profile for restricting a child's browsing before that feature folded into Family Link. Outside a supervised account, everyday Chrome intentionally leaves site blocking to extensions, your operating system, or your network — not a setting inside Chrome's own menus.

Can you block a website in Chrome without an extension?

Yes. Chrome itself has no menu item for blocking a site, but two free methods work without installing anything: editing your computer's hosts file, or turning on Family Link supervision for a Google Account. Both work outside Chrome too, since they operate below the browser.

Block a site by editing the hosts file

The hosts file tells your computer to treat a domain name as a different address. Pointing a site at 127.0.0.1 (your own machine) makes it fail to load in any browser on that device.

1. Open a text editor with administrator rights (Notepad on Windows run as administrator, or sudo nano in Terminal on Mac).
2. Open the hosts file: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts on Windows, or /etc/hosts on Mac.
3. Add a new line: 127.0.0.1 www.example.com — swap in the domain you want blocked.
4. Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Chrome so it picks up the change.

Some networks also route traffic over IPv6, so add a second line, ::1 www.example.com, in the same file if the site still loads unexpectedly. To confirm the entry took effect, run ping www.example.com from a terminal — it should resolve to 127.0.0.1 instead of the site's real address.

If the site still loads after saving, clear your cache and the DNS cache — Chrome and your operating system both cache old lookups for a domain.

How do you block a website with a Chrome extension?

A blocker extension gives you a simple list to manage, plus features a hosts file can't offer: schedules, password locks, and a one-click toggle. Here's the process most site-blocking extensions follow.

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for a site-blocking extension.
2. Check its permissions before installing — a blocker needs to read the URLs you visit, so a broad site-access request is expected, not a red flag.
3. Select Add to Chrome, then confirm in the pop-up.
4. Open the extension's icon in the toolbar and add the domain you want blocked to its list.
5. Reload any open tab on that site to confirm the block takes effect.

Extensions must formally declare their permissions before Chrome will install them, which is why the request looks broad even for a simple blocker. See the full BlockSite profile for its pricing tiers and exact permissions, or check our redirect blocker picks if a redirecting site is the real problem. If you'd rather compare two options first, see BlockSite vs StayFocusd, and read up on whether Chrome extensions are safe before installing any of them.

Before you commit to one extension, glance at its Chrome Web Store listing for how recently it was updated and how it describes its own pricing tiers. A blocker that hasn't been updated in a long time can stop working after a Chrome update changes how extensions read page URLs.

How do you schedule blocks or lock them with a password?

Most blocker extensions go beyond an always-on block: they let you set hours when a site is off-limits, and add a password so a moment of temptation isn't enough to undo it.

Focus Mode

A timed session, often 25–90 minutes, during which every site on your blocklist is unreachable.

Schedule

Recurring hours or days when specific sites are blocked automatically, for example weekday mornings.

Password lock

A separate password required to edit the blocklist or turn the extension off.

Allowlist

A short list of sites that stay reachable even while a broader block or focus session is active.

Schedules and focus sessions are usually stored in the extension itself, not your Google Account, so they don't carry over automatically if you sign into Chrome on a second computer. Set the same schedule again on any device where you actually want it enforced.

How do you block a website on a Chromebook?

A personal Chromebook runs full Chrome, so the steps match Windows or Mac exactly: install a blocker extension from the Chrome Web Store and add sites to its list.

Because Chromebooks use the same Chrome Web Store as desktop, every extension mentioned in this guide installs and works the same way there, including schedules and password locks.

Can you block a website on a work computer using Chrome?

Possibly not by yourself. Many company laptops run Chrome under Chrome Enterprise management, which lets an IT administrator block or allow sites for every employee centrally, separate from anything you install.

The same works in reverse: a site wrongly blocked at work is a policy change for your IT team to make, not something a personal extension can override.

How do you block a website using your router or DNS?

Blocking a domain at the router or DNS level stops it for every device on that Wi-Fi network — phones, tablets, and smart TVs included — without touching a single browser.

1. Open your router's admin page, usually by typing its IP address (often 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) into a browser's address bar.
2. Sign in with the router's admin credentials and look for a section named parental controls, website filtering, or access restrictions.
3. Add the domain you want blocked to that list and apply the change so the router reloads its rules.
4. Alternatively, switch the network's DNS servers to a filtering DNS provider's addresses in the router's WAN or DNS settings, then save.

The trade-off is scope: everyone on the network is blocked at once, and anyone who switches to mobile data or a different Wi-Fi network bypasses the restriction entirely.

How do you block a website on Chrome on Android?

Chrome for Android doesn't support extensions at all, so none of the blocker extensions above will install there. You need a different method: Family Link supervision, a standalone Android app, or blocking the site at your router or DNS level.

Whichever method you use on Android, remember it may only apply on a specific network or account. Switching to mobile data, connecting to a different Wi-Fi network, or signing into another Google profile on the same phone can bypass a restriction that isn't enforced device-wide.

For more on why mobile Chrome behaves differently, see how Chrome extensions work on Android and iPhone.

Want to block ads or trackers instead of the whole site?

Blocking a whole site and blocking the ads on it are different jobs. If a site is fine but its ads or trackers are the problem, an ad blocker is the better fit — it lets the page load while stripping out ads, pop-ups, or tracking scripts.

You can test how well an ad blocker is working once it's installed. If you already run uBlock Origin, see its alternatives, or compare Adblock Plus with uBlock Origin Lite before switching.

How do you unblock a site or fix a block that isn't working?

Reverse whichever method you used to set the block — there's no separate unblock tool to install.

1. Extension: open its icon and remove the domain from the blocklist, entering the password lock first if you set one.
2. Hosts file: delete the line you added for that domain, save, and restart Chrome.
3. Family Link: open the Family Link app, select the site or category, and turn the restriction off.
4. Router or DNS: remove the domain from your router's block list or DNS filter rules.

Windows: ipconfig /flushdns
Mac: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

If you're removing a blocker extension entirely rather than editing its list, here's how to remove a Chrome extension cleanly.