How To Block Websites On Your Mac

[@rheavictor7]

Exactly what I needed (the hosts part). Thanks!

[@Luffy-vr5vu]

ty bro, i dont want to ruin my life with some websites😁you saved my life

[@Smoothhh_One]

Very helpful. Found exactly what I needed in terminal. I appreciate you taking the time to make this video!

[@loisskiathitis8926]

A very useful and informative video tutorial today! Thank you, Gary! 👏❤️

[@ronaldmondriaan897]

Again I learned something new Gary, thank you😃👍

[@KelvinKMS]

You save my life !! I couldn't find hosts file from Mac until you taught us !!

[@RohanKayani]

Softwares like "Cold Turkey Blocker" and "Pluckeye Blocker" also do a phenomenal job. Plus, "Self Control for Mac".

[@pineappleroad]

One thing to bear in mind with blocking websites at the router level is it often won’t work for HTTPS sites (the router i have has a warning saying that the blocking function doesn’t work with HTTPS), in fact when i was still in school, a LOT of students discovered that the website blocker the school used could be bypassed using HTTPS (and even some of the teachers knew about the HTTPS bypass method, even though youtube was technically blocked, the teachers sometimes ALLOWED us to go on youtube using this bypass method)

[@meeluanistyn1644]

Apple don’t make it easy. Good job you know an effective solution.

[@mojoblues66]

There is no operating system out there that does make this easy because it is an advanced feature.

[@carolinebarlow4795]

Thanks very much, Gary, for this excellent tutorial! Very useful.

[@memoriesmuseum2824]

Thank you!!!!

[@charleendarlington1236]

Gary, I'm looking for a video on how to sync Notes on my Iphone to my Mac. Can you help? Thanks

[@saravananraju528]

Good information thanks so much.

[@ArshadH524]

This method perfectly works for me with all the other browsers like - chrome, brave, firefox etc. but just not with safari, i even tried clearing the in app cache from safari settings i am able to access the websites only in safari. Why is this? What could have i done wrong?

[@macmost]

You don't mention which technique out of the ones I talk about in the video. The Screen Time ones should work with Safari, but not the other browsers.

[@AlexN0me11]

Can you restrict websites for all users at one time? Or do you have to restrict the same websites for each user profile one at a time?

[@macmost]

It is per user if you do it in Screen Time. But the hosts file should do it for all. But if you want that, you probably want the site blocked on other devices too, so maybe look for a Wi-Fi network solution instead on a single-Mac one.

[@marcinwinny9639]

Thank you! Easy solution :D

[@Rodrigo_rjs10]

Thank you !! :D

[@rogeliorodriguez8075]

Thanks mate

[@aaravvarma]

Thank you

[@Hexxed-x7f]

hey Gary, i'm stuck on something and that something is finding the password. i tried my actual password to get in my mac but doesn't seem to work or is there some other password you're talking about? if so please reply and help me out.

[@macmost]

Do you mean the root password in the Terminal? Which version of macOS do you have? Is your user account a "standard" account rather than an "admin" account by any chance?

[@petergee47]

Cannot get this to work via Terminal no matter what I try. Very frustrating. It worked prior to the last software update but now it doesn't.

[@reikoleci4303]

best tutorial

[@lightningwave403]

thanks

[@imfinesleepwell]

thanks!!!

[@Ali70290]

Hey! I have question. I have the old Macbook Air, and i opened terminal app and wrote this first line ( sudo nano /ect/hosts ). THEN it just stopped trew out this PASSWORD and thats it… what should i do?

[@macmost]

Not sure what you mean. Threw out the password?

[@Ali70290]

Beacause as i said i wrote this (sudo nano….) and then i click space it shows me PASSWORD and this key simbol and thats it

[@Ali70290]

But i need to block the site, so what should i do? Thank you for your time.

[@macmost]

@@Ali70290 I don't understand what you are asking. It sounds like you are doing it right. See from 3:20 in this video.

[@ataberkgulermusic]

Thanks Super Mario !

[@darshilll_s]

terminal method not working from me did everything you told clearing cache etc running macos14.4

[@macmost]

Not sure why it isn't working for you, sorry. Check everything carefully.

[@jhoniergraciano1487]

You've made me free! Thanks!

[@CoG3in1]

I accidentally deleted the code "Host Database etc...". Is it best to type it in exactly the same way again?

[@macmost]

Anything on a line that starts with a # is a comment and is just there to help you understand what the file does.

[@gogodiego]

Sudo nano /etc/hosts

[@rhettshipley4593]

Do you know if blue lines around windows, search bars etc is a virus?

[@macmost]

You have simply turned on System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, Full Keyboard Access.

[@rhettshipley4593]

@@macmost thx. Turned it off but still getting them. Have rebooted and everything.

[@rhettshipley4593]

Do you normally get the blue line around the search bar?

[@macmost]

@@rhettshipley4593 Fields like that will "highlight" to show they are active, yes. I can't see what you are seeing, but I'm not hearing anything that you should be concerned about.

[@adamtaylor.]

how can i block a site for a specific profile on my mac? for example I as admin am happy to see youtube, but i dont want my kids profiles to be able to access youtube

[@macmost]

I think you mean Mac accounts, right? (Profiles are something else). Yes, the Screen Time settings are for each account. Just set restrictions in the account you want.

[@oswaldoamaldonado6778]

It only lets me get to the password step. Am I supposed to enter my account password? I can't do that either. I am the administrator. Help.

[@macmost]

Which step do you mean specifically? The Screen Time one? That would be a separate password you created when first setting up Screen Time.

[@TheOatmealEater]

Terminal option didn't work for me. Tried twice.

[@stephanemignot100]

Safari seems to bypass my Host file, works with FF, "hide IP address" is OFF, thanks anyway!

[@leoved1073]

I followed each and every step but still its not working for me

[@youssefsayed4795]

for me it works for some websites but not all of them

[@youssefsayed4795]

did you find a solution ? thank you in advance

[@zacandjack]

same bro only some websites are blocked. Let us know if you find out why@@youssefsayed4795

[@benno8699]

Have tried the terminal method a hundred times in different ways. Cleared my cache. Quit my browsers. Restarted my mac. Tried using it in incognito. Doesn't work. You should retest it and update the video accordingly.

[@macmost]

Perhaps you have something else going on, like a browser extensions, VPN app, etc? Something that is bypassing the hosts file. Or maybe you are missing a step in setting up the hosts file?

[@benno8699]

@@macmost nope. Double checked all of that.

[@rezanezhadmusavi2465]

Hey I use VPN always, is there anyway to block websites via host file and don't show up even with VPN?@@macmost

[@macmost]

@@rezanezhadmusavi2465 No. You'd have to check your VPN software and see what they offer there. Or use Screen Time to do it.

[@silaslizzie43]

I had to switch browsers to make this work on my Mac monterey OS. It worked in Firefox and Duckduckgo but not chrome.

[@tarsisaraujo2224]

How do my find my local address?

[@macmost]

System Settings, Network, then select your connection (Wi-Fi, for instance). That tells you the IP address on your local (home) network. If you want to know your Internet IP address you have to go into the settings for your network equipment (DSL, cable, etc) Or just ask Google "What's My IP address" in a search.

[@manomay1]

First! Great video BTW!

[@saint18ruben]

Can't you block all adult content with the server method? Porn addicted here I need help

[@macmost]

No. You need to use some third-party solution, probably on your network equipment. You can't keep track of all of the domain names and IP addresses yourself.

[@osovitor28]

doesn't work on Mac Osx Monterrey

[@macmost]

Which method?

[@osovitor28]

@@macmost with the terminal

[@macmost]

​@@osovitor28 Should definitely work then. Make sure you are adding the exact domain to the hosts file and completing all of the steps.

[@osovitor28]

@@macmost Thanks @macmost , I review it again and doesn’t work again, the weird is that avoid me to open Google drive and I never write that address in the terminal neither the screen time.

[@macmost]

​@@osovitor28 Not sure where you could be going wrong, sorry. Sounds like you are editing the hosts file incorrectly.

[@Graham.Hanson]

What an absurdly complicated way to simply block a URL from your computer. I have both windows and apple computers and apple is absolutely crap at doing simple tasks like this.

[@macmost]

According to what I find when I search, it is just as complicated, or maybe more so, on Windows.

[@asher546]

Totally agree, Graham, and it's a pretty basic function.

[@X9xredgkoa]

I can still open the website, what am I doing wrong I followed all steps in the video

[@macmost]

Which technique? Which browser? Are you sure you got the domain exactly right?

[@NataliaLeon-tv7iw]

thank you!!!