How To Block On Macbook

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Whether you are looking to stay focused on your work or want to ensure your child doesn’t venture into the wrong corner of the internet, knowing how to block websites on your MacBook can come in pretty handy. There are several ways to block a website on MacOS, but we will focus on the most straightforward solution – using the built-in parental controls.

Step 1: Open Parental Controls

First, click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen and navigate to System Preferences > Parental Controls

Step 2: Create a Managed Account

You’ll need to create a managed account for whoever you want to restrict. Click on the lock icon in the bottom left corner of the window, enter your password, and then click Unlock. After that, click on the ‘+’ button to create a new user account and set it to managed with parental controls.

Step 3: Configure Website Restrictions

Once the account is created, click on it and navigate to the ‘Web’ tab. Here, you’ll see three options:

  • Allow unrestricted access to websites
  • Try to limit access to adult websites
  • Allow access to only these websites

To block certain websites, select the second option and then click the Customize button. Here, you can add the URLs of the websites you want to block under ‘Never allow these websites’.

Alternative: Using Terminal

Although this method is less intuitive, it can be a quicker way for advanced users to block websites. To do this, you’ll need to edit your hosts file using Terminal.

Note: You should be careful when using Terminal, as improper use can cause serious problems with your Mac.

Here are the steps:

        1. Open Terminal
        2. Type in 'sudo nano /etc/hosts' and press Enter.
        3. Enter your administrator password when prompted.
        4. At the bottom of the file, add '127.0.0.1' followed by the website’s URL. 
        5. Press Control + O to save the file, and then Control + X to exit the editor.
        6. Flush the DNS cache by typing 'sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder' in Terminal and pressing Enter.

Conclusion

Now you know how to block a website on your MacBook. Remember, these changes only apply to the account you’ve managed. Anyone with an unrestricted account (like the administrator account) will still be able to access any blocked websites.

Stay responsible and safe on the internet!