How to block YouTube during work hours (and still use it for work)

Updated 13 October 2026

The short answer

Chrome can’t block a site on a schedule by itself, so you need a browser extension. Add youtube.com to a blocker with a work-hours schedule, for example Stillwood’s “Weekdays, 9:00–18:00”, and YouTube opens a short pause instead of the feed while you work. Outside those hours it works as usual.

Why a full block often doesn’t last

Most people block YouTube completely, then need a tutorial for work a day later. They switch the blocker off, watch the tutorial, and the blocker stays off. A setup that survives real work needs two things: a pause before the feed, and an honest way in when you actually need a video.

Method 1: a scheduled pause with Stillwood

Install Stillwood for Chrome.
On the first screen, pick YouTube. Add any other sites that pull you away.
Choose Weekdays, 9:00–18:00, or set your own days and hours later in settings.
Now, when you open YouTube during those hours, Stillwood pauses for a few seconds and asks what’s pulling you there.
If you need it for work, choose Need it for work. YouTube opens for 10 minutes with search only: no home feed, no recommendations, no Shorts. When the time is up, Stillwood brings you back.

Every 20 minutes you stay on your own work grows a ring, so at the end of the day you can see how much time stayed yours, and which sites tried to take it.

Method 2: keep YouTube, lose the home feed

If you only want to stop the endless home page, turn off your YouTube watch history. With history off, YouTube shows an empty home page instead of recommendations.

On youtube.com, click your profile picture, then Your data in YouTube.
Open YouTube Watch History and choose Turn off.

This changes YouTube on every device you’re signed in to, and it only clears the home page. Search, Shorts and the videos suggested around the one you’re watching can still pull you in, at any time of day.

Method 3: block YouTube completely with the hosts file

The hosts file tells your computer where websites live. Point YouTube at your own computer and it won’t load in any browser.

Windows: open Notepad as administrator, open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts and add two lines: 127.0.0.1 youtube.com and 127.0.0.1 www.youtube.com.
Mac: in Terminal, run sudo nano /etc/hosts and add the same two lines.

Restart the browser afterwards. There’s no schedule and no exceptions: to watch a work video you have to edit the file again, which is exactly the moment most people give up on a block.

Which one to choose

If you never need YouTube during the day, a hard block is simple. If you sometimes need it for work, a scheduled pause with a search-only mode keeps you honest without getting in your way, and that’s the setup most likely to still be running next month.

Questions

Can I block YouTube only on weekdays?

Yes. In Stillwood, choose the “Weekdays, 9:00–18:00” schedule or pick your own days and hours in settings. Evenings and weekends stay free.

Will blocking YouTube in Chrome also block it on my phone?

No. A browser extension works only in that browser. On a phone, use Screen Time on iPhone or Digital Wellbeing on Android.

Can I still watch a video I need for work?

Yes. On the pause screen choose “Need it for work”. YouTube opens for 10 minutes with search only, without the home feed, recommendations or Shorts.