Blockwell / Block websites on Chrome

GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026

How to block websites on Chrome

Chrome on a computer has no built-in setting to block a website. You have three practical options. Here’s each one, step by step, and when to use it.

Option 1: a website blocker extension (fastest, free)

Best for blocking your own distractions on a laptop or desktop.

1. Install a website blocker from the Chrome Web Store. Blockwell is free with no site limit; others include BlockSite and StayFocusd (see our honest comparisons of each, linked below).
2. Click the extension’s icon on the site you want gone and choose Block this site, or right-click the page and choose Block this site.
3. To block a whole category at once, use a preset such as social media or video.
4. Optional: add a schedule (for example weekdays 9:00–17:30) so sites are only blocked while you work.
5. Open chrome://extensions, click Details under the blocker and turn on Allow in Incognito. Otherwise an Incognito window gets around the block.

Limits: anyone using the computer can remove an extension. That’s fine for self-control, not for parental control.

Option 2: Google Family Link (for a child’s account)

If you’re blocking sites for a child, Google’s Family Link lets a parent manage which sites a supervised Google Account can open in Chrome. The child can’t remove the restriction themselves. Set it up from the Family Link app on the parent’s phone, under the child’s Chrome and web controls. It only applies to supervised child accounts.

Option 3: the hosts file (every browser, no extension)

Your operating system can send a domain nowhere. This blocks it in every browser, but needs admin rights and has no schedule.

1. Open the hosts file as administrator: on Windows, C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts in Notepad run as administrator; on macOS, run sudo nano /etc/hosts in Terminal.
2. Add a line per site, for example 0.0.0.0 www.reddit.com and 0.0.0.0 reddit.com.
3. Save, then restart Chrome. If the site still loads, turn off Chrome’s Secure DNS (Settings → Privacy and security → Security → Use secure DNS) or flush your DNS cache.

Limits: you can’t block one part of a site (like YouTube Shorts), and there’s no on/off schedule.

Which should you use?

Can you block a website on Chrome for Android or iPhone?

Chrome on phones doesn’t support extensions. Use your phone’s own screen-time controls (Digital Wellbeing on Android, Screen Time on iPhone) or Family Link for a child.

Questions