Do you ever find yourself going down the rabbit hole of time-wasting websites, only to emerge hours later wondering where your valuable time has gone? For iOS users struggling with this issue, I have great news: you can easily block distracting websites on the Safari browser! In this blog post, I’ll explain step by step how to block a website on Safari. You’ll be surprised at how much more productive you can be without having certain sites luring you out of focus.
So, if you’re an iOS user who’s ready for less distraction and increased productivity, let me show you how easy it is to block a website on Safari!
Why Is It Beneficial to Block Certain Websites?
First, let’s discuss why it can be beneficial to block certain websites on Safari. While you may think that blocking a distracting website will leave you feeling deprived, this isn’t the case! Instead, blocking specific sites offers several benefits:
Increased Focus And Productivity
When there are particular websites you know won’t be available for use, it makes it easier to stay focused and productive because your attention won’t wander toward them.
Prevention of Procrastination
If a website is linked with procrastination or distraction in some way, then having it blocked from your browser will help reduce the chances of procrastinating while online.
Increased Security
Blocking certain websites can also help reduce the chances of being exposed to viruses or malware that can damage your device.
Effective Parental Control
The Internet holds all sorts of stuff. Most of the content on the internet is not good nor safe for your children at a certain age. That’s why parents should consider blocking certain websites for their kids.
Prevention From Adult Content
In addition to kids, blocking websites can help protect adults from any unwanted adult content or explicit material they may be exposed to while browsing the internet.
How To Block a Website On Safari?
Blocking websites in Safari is a great way to restrict access and cut down on time-wasting activities. Having the power to take control of your online presence gives you the opportunity to become more focused and keep yourself productive. Plus, it ensures optimal parental control.
But, how can you block websites on Safari? Here are 3 effective ways to block websites on Safari.
- Blocking Websites Through Parental Control
- Blocking Websites With Screen Time
- Blocking Websites Using Mac Terminal
Blocking Websites on Safari Through Parental Control
Parental control on iOS works like a filter that prevents anyone from accessing inappropriate content. It is set up with the help of a password and is easy to configure.
Please Note!
First, this solution only applies to macOS 10.14 or any of the earlier versions.
Secondly, this technique of blocking websites on Safari does not support an administrator account.
Steps For Blocking Websites on Safari Through Parental Control
Follow these steps to block websites on Safari using Parental Control.
- To adjust your Mac’s settings for blocking websites, click the Apple logo on the upper left corner of your screen and select System Preferences.
- Choose the Parental Control option.
- To access the administrator’s password, locate and click on the lock icon in the bottom left corner. Input your credentials and press Unlock to proceed.
- To enable parental controls, please choose a user account.
- To restrict access to adult websites, navigate to the Web tab and select ‘Try to limit access’. Once you are there, click on the Customize option.
To prohibit a website from appearing in Safari on macOS,
- Head to the “Never allow these websites” section.
- Then Select the plus icon (+)
- Input the URL you’d like to block.
- Click Done
How To Whitelist Websites On Safari Using Parental Control?
You can also whitelist websites on Safari using Parental Control.
- Locate and select the “Allow these websites” section.
- Then press the plus icon (+).
- Input the URLs you’d like to be accessible in Safari.
- Click Done when finished!
Blocking Websites on Safari with Screen Time
Screen Time on iOS is another very useful tool to block websites on Safari. This feature works with the latest macOS, and you can find it in the System Preferences application.
Please Note!
This technique of blocking websites on Safari with Screen Time applies only to macOS Catalina 10.15 or any version released later. Furthermore, this technique takes advantage of the “Limit Adult Websites” feature in Screen Time.
Not only does it block any websites you add manually, but it will also automatically prohibit many adult sites on Safari as well – which is incredibly useful! Unfortunately, some of the security measures can be so extreme that they block off access to legitimate websites, thus creating an unnecessary hassle.
Steps For Blocking Websites on Safari with Screen Time
Follow these steps to block websites on Safari using Screen Time.
- From System Preferences, choose Screen Time.
- For further settings, select the Options link located at the lower left corner of your Screen Time window.
- To activate Screen Time on your computer, simply click the “Turn On” button.
- To activate these restrictions, navigate through the sidebar and select “Content & Privacy”. Then click the “Turn On” button.
- To restrict access to adult websites, select the “Limit Adult Websites” option in the Content tab.
- To tailor the settings of Safari, press the Customize button.
- To block specific websites from being accessed on Safari for Mac, go to the Restricted section and click the (+) icon.
- Add any undesirable web pages you’d like here; when finished, hit OK.
- To ensure your data’s protection, click Options and select Enable Use Screen Time Passcode. Then set a secure passcode for added security measures.
How To Whitelist Websites on Safari Using Screen Time?
You can also whitelist websites on Safari with Screen Time. To do this,
- select the “Always Allow” option in the Content tab.
- Again, press the Customize button to make your changes.
- Once there, you can add the URLs of any websites you’d like to allow access to Safari!
Blocking Websites on Safari Using Mac Terminal
The Mac Terminal provides you with an additional way to block websites on Safari. What Is Mac Terminal? Mac Terminal is a command-line interface for macOS that comes pre-installed on Macs. It offers users the ability to control their system using text commands.
Please Note!
Although this technique is quite efficient, there are methods one can go pass through this and access blocked websites on Safari. For example, a VPN can easily bypass this blocking. If you don’t have extensive knowledge or confidence in using the command line, then this method may be too advanced for your needs.
Steps For Website Blocking On Safari Using Terminal
Here, you can manually create a host file with the URLs of any undesired web pages with Terminal Commands. Just follow the steps below.
- To open Terminal, you can either use Launchpad or search for it through Finder.
- To start, type in the command “sudo nano /etc/hosts” and hit Enter.
- In order to proceed, kindly enter your admin password and then hit the Return key.
- Press the Down Arrow key to quickly scroll down and make room for your new content.
- To restrict access to a particular website, such as Facebook, enter “127.0.0.1” followed by “Facebook.com” onto one line and then re-enter the same on a separate line with “www.Facebook.com”.
- You can keep blocking more websites in this manner until you are satisfied with your selection of blocked sites!
- To save the changes to your host file, use the keyboard shortcut Control-O followed by hitting Return.
How To Unblock Websites on Safari With Mac Terminal?
Want to unblock websites you have previously blocked on Safari? You can easily do so by editing the host file- simply remove the lines that were added or type a # sign in front of each line. It’s as simple as that!
Done And Dusted!
You are now equipped with three effective methods to block websites on Safari. How easy was that? It doesn’t make any difference if you choose Screen Time, Mac Terminal, or both- your data will remain safe and sound! How awesome is that?
I hope this article has helped you understand How To Block A Website On Safari. Whether you want to restrict access to adult content or simply prevent yourself from getting distracted, these methods can come in handy. For more Safari tips, read How to turn off Dark Mode on Safari Mac.
