How to block websites on Chrome: 5 ways compared
Updated 13 October 2026
The short answer
Chrome has no built-in website blocker for regular accounts. Your options are a blocker extension, the hosts file on your computer, Google Family Link for a child’s account, a policy set by IT on a managed computer, or DNS filtering on your router.
1. A website blocker extension
The most flexible option for blocking distractions on your own computer. You choose the sites, the schedule and how strict it is. Stillwood, for example, pauses a site and asks why you want to open it, lets you in for 10 minutes when you have a reason, and can keep a site fully closed during focus time.
Extensions don’t run in Incognito windows unless you allow it. In chrome://extensions, open the extension’s details and turn on Allow in Incognito.
2. The hosts file
Works without installing anything and blocks the site in every browser. Add a line like 127.0.0.1 example.com to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts on Windows or /etc/hosts on Mac, then restart the browser. There’s no schedule and no way in when you need the site, and you need admin rights to change it.
3. Google Family Link
For parents. On a child’s supervised Google account, Family Link lets you block or allow specific sites in Chrome. It doesn’t apply to your own, regular account.
4. A policy on a managed computer
Companies and schools can block sites on the computers they manage with Chrome’s URL blocklist policy. If your work computer is managed, this is up to your IT team.
5. DNS filtering on your router
Filtering at the router or with a DNS service blocks sites for every device on your network. It’s good for a household-wide rule, but it’s heavy for a personal focus habit and usually has no per-person schedule.
How they compare
| Method | Schedule | Let yourself in for a minute | Easy to set up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extension | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hosts file | No | No | Needs admin rights |
| Family Link | Partly | Parent decides | For children only |
| Managed policy | No | No | IT only |
| Router or DNS | Sometimes | No | Moderate |
For your own focus, an extension with a schedule is usually the right fit: strict enough to stop the habit, flexible enough that you won’t switch it off the first time you need the site for work.
Questions
Can I block a website in Chrome without an extension?
Yes, with the hosts file on your computer. It blocks the site in every browser, but without a schedule or exceptions.
Does Chrome have a built-in website blocker?
Not for regular accounts. Blocking is built in only for supervised children’s accounts through Family Link and for computers managed by a company or school.
Does Incognito mode get around a blocker?
Extensions are off in Incognito by default. Turn on “Allow in Incognito” for your blocker in chrome://extensions to cover private windows too.