5 Ways to Block Dangerous Website in Chrome

Posted by George W on in Hosting Tips

As we know, there are lots of websites with various types of content. Some of them are sometimes inappropriate, or even dangerous. Examples include websites that contain explicit content, fraud, or malware that can damage your device’s system.

Luckily, you can restrict access in most modern browsers like Google Chrome to block web pages you want to avoid. It’s also easy!

In this article, we’ll cover 5 ways to block sites in Chrome to help you avoid cyber dangers.

We also explain how to unblock websites in Google Chrome just in case you change your mind. Without further ado, let’s check it out!

1. How to Block Sites on Chrome PC with Extensions

Using extensions is arguably the easiest way to block sites in Chrome. Because, all tasks will be managed by this extension. This tool can also be used by Windows, Linux, and macOS users.

Our recommendation is BlockSite, one of the most popular website blocking extensions with over three million downloads. To use this freemium extension, just visit the Chrome Web Store and download the extension from there.

Open the Chrome Web Store, then type BlockSite in the search field. Click the result as shown below.

After that, click Add to Chrome (Add to Chrome) at the top right then wait for the extension to finish downloading.

Once the download is complete, BlockSite will go straight to your list of Chrome extensions.

How to block websites on Google Chrome PC with BlockSite is as follows:

  • Visit the website that you want to block. In this example, we are using the Apple website.
  • After the website opens, click on the BlockSite icon in the upper right corner of the browser or under the puzzle piece icon.
  • A pop-up will appear where you can click Block this site, which will restrict access to that website.
  • After the website is added to the blocklist, BlockSite will display a notification page like the one below.

You can also add website URLs to the block list via the BlockSite dashboard. Just select More options on this extension, then click Options. On the Block Sites tab, block the site by entering the URL in the provided field.

To prevent access to websites that have been blocked via Chrome’s incognito mode, simply click the gear icon to open the Settings on the extension, then click Enable in Incognito Mode

BlockSite also provides the following features for Google Chrome:

  • Focus mode – temporarily block websites using a timer. You can also set the time between focus modes if you want to take a break while browsing websites without restrictions.
  • Block by word – block websites that have domain names or URLs containing certain words or phrases.
  • Category – block several websites with the same category, such as adult sites, social, news, sports and online gambling.
  • Redirect – redirect all blocked websites to another address according to your settings.
  • Scheduling – only blocking website access according to a certain schedule that you can set yourself.

With the free version of BlockSite, you can block three different websites. If you need more than that and access more advanced features such as password protection and custom blocking pages, upgrade to the premium plan starting at $3.99/month.

2. How to Block Sites in Chrome with the SafeSearch Feature

You can also block certain websites in Chrome with the SafeSearch feature. Enable this feature through your Google account on your computer by accessing preferences. Check the box Enable SafeSearch then scroll down the page to click Save.

Once enabled, this feature will filter explicit content from your Google search results.

3. How to Block Websites on a PC by Editing the Hosts File

Furthermore, the way to block websites on a computer is to edit the hosts file, which is a local text file on your OS that contains the domain name and IP address. Let’s continue below to learn how to do this on Windows and macOS.

How to Edit Hosts File in Windows

First, you need an administrator account to edit the hosts file in Windows. The process of editing the hosts file is easy, just by adding a specific website URL to the file.

Once you have a backup of this file, proceed with the following steps:

1. Find the hosts file by accessing C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. Open it with a text editor software like Notepad or Nano.

2. At the bottom of the file, after the last hashtag symbol (#), add a new line and type your localhost IP address 127.0.0.1 as well as the website domain you want to block.

3. Go to File → Save or press CTRL+S to save it. Don’t save it as a .txt file as it won’t work

4. Open Chrome, then type in the name of the domain you are blocking to check if this method worked.

5. Repeat the process adding a new line each time you want to block another website.

Editing the Hosts File on macOS

For macOS users, the actual process for blocking websites on Chrome via the hosts file is similar to Windows.

The steps are as follows:

  1. Go to Utilities → Terminal.
  2. In the Terminal command, type sudo nano /etc/hosts. Your hosts file will open in a nano box .
  3. Enter the administrator password to open the hosts file. There should be a few lines similar to Windows.
  4. At the bottom of the last line, type in the IP address localhost 127.0.0.1, and after pressing Tab for a space, type in the domain name of the website you want to block.
  5. Repeat the process if you want to add more websites.
  6. To save, press CTRL + O.
  7. Press CTRL + X to exit the hosts file.
  8. To prevent problems, clear the cache by typing sudo dscacheutil -flushcache and then pressing Enter when finished.
  9. Open a browser to check the results.

4. How to Block Websites in Chrome with BlockList URLs

If you’re an administrator managing Google Accounts, you can block websites using Chrome’s BlockList URL feature with a Google Admin Account.

This method is suitable for those of you who want to manage multiple devices without having to manually block websites on each device. Follow the steps below to use the URL BlockList feature:

  • Sign in to the Google Admin Console by visiting admin.google.com in a browser.
  • On the Home page, go to Devices → Chrome → Settings → Users & Browsers (Devices → Chrome → Settings → Users & Browsers).
  • Select the top organizational unit to block websites for all Chrome users who use the organization’s Google services.
  • Select a child organizational unit if you want to block sites for individual users.
  • After selecting the correct organizational unit, scroll down to find the URL Blocking section.
  • Enter the URL under URL blacklist to start blocking websites in your organization’s Chrome. You can also block URLs to specific services such as browser settings, like the example below.
  • Check on either device to make sure you’ve successfully blocked the site with this method.

5. How to Block Sites on Chrome Android and iPhone

The BlockSite app is also available if you are looking for ways to block sites on your Android or iPhone. This method is in our opinion the easiest because the interface is similar to the extension in Chrome.

To block sites on Android with BlockSite, follow the guide below:

  • Open the Google Play Store on your Android phone then look for the BlockSite application. Click Install.
  • Allow the BlockSite app in your device settings and open the app.
  • Look for the green plus sign to block websites or apps.
  • Enter the keyword or domain that you want to block. You can also choose to block specific apps by tapping the icon under the App Suggestions section.
  • Tap Done when done.
  • Open a browser or app to see the results. BlockSite will display a block page when you try to access the website or application.

How to block websites or applications on iOS using BlockSite is the same as on Android, it’s just that you need to access the Apple App Store to download it. After that, install it and follow the steps above.

Why Do You Need to Block Websites?

There are three important reasons why you need to block websites:

  • Content restrictions – access to some websites may need to be restricted to prevent users from opening certain web content. For example, parents can restrict access to websites with adult content on family devices.
  • Dangerous sites – protect your device from harmful viruses. In fact, sometimes there are also viruses that secretly infiltrate your antivirus program. If you know a website that may contain malware, don’t hesitate to block it immediately.
  • Work mode – blocking websites can also help increase productivity. You can focus more on work because there is less distraction on your cellphone or computer.

Conclusion

Finished! In this article, you have learned how to block sites in Chrome using various methods and how to open them.

By blocking certain websites in your browser, you can protect underage users from inappropriate sites that contain adult content, prevent malicious files from suspicious websites, and increase productivity.

All these methods also allow you to unblock easily. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to submit them in the comments below this article. Good luck!