How to block websites on Safari for Mac

Screen Time lets you add websites to a restricted list without installing a browser extension. It is part of macOS content filtering, and its Limit Adult Websites option also filters content beyond the addresses you enter. It can suit a small list of sites that should stay unavailable.

BlockTheNews is a Safari extension for interrupting habitual visits. It comes with 670 news domains, accepts custom blocked sites, and lets you allow sites you need. Its pause creates a decision point before reading, with temporary access when you choose to continue.

Choose based on the behavior you want to change. A fixed restriction and a moment to reconsider serve different purposes. Neither automatically decides which news you need for work or daily life.

The labels below follow current macOS settings. Older versions may use System Preferences and place web restrictions under Content Restrictions or a Content tab.

1. 1.1 Open System Settings → Screen Time. Complete setup if prompted. If you manage a child through Family Sharing, select the relevant family member.
2. 1.2 Open Content & Privacy. Turn it on, then open App Store, Media, Web, & Games to find web content access.
3. 1.3 Choose Limit Adult Websites. Click Customize and add the website’s URL to the Restricted list. Save with Done.
4. 1.4 Test the address in Safari. Open a fresh tab and confirm the page is restricted. If the website redirects, check whether the destination address also needs an entry.

Use a Screen Time passcode if you want to protect changes to the settings. A restriction you can edit yourself still depends on your decision to keep it in place. If a filter blocks something you need, review its allowed and restricted lists.

BlockTheNews supports Safari on macOS 12.3 or later. Install the app, open it, and follow its setup guidance. The app provides monthly and yearly Pro subscription options. Installing it does not, by itself, turn on the Safari extension.

1. 2.1 Open Safari → Settings → Extensions. Older Safari versions call Settings Preferences. Select BlockTheNews and turn on its checkbox.
2. 2.2 Grant website access. Use the app’s setup guidance and Safari’s extension controls to allow access to the sites you want checked. The wording and available controls vary by Safari version.
3. 2.3 Review your lists. Open BlockTheNews from Safari’s toolbar. Keep the news starter list, add other distracting domains, and allow any sites you want to keep accessible.
4. 2.4 Open a blocked news site. Confirm you see the pause screen. Seeing the extension in Safari’s settings is not enough to confirm it has working website access.

When a blocked site opens, the extension waits six seconds before letting you continue. Enter a reason of at least six characters to get ten minutes of access. The reason is not saved, and website blocking decisions happen locally on your Mac. See the news website blocker overview for more about the pause and personal lists.

Safari profiles can have different extensions enabled. If your Mac uses profiles, open Safari → Settings → Profiles, select the profile, and review its Extensions tab. Enable BlockTheNews in each profile where you want it to work, then verify a block in a window using that profile.

Private Browsing has separate extension permissions on supported Safari versions. Apple’s instructions are to open Safari → Settings → Extensions, select the extension, and turn on Allow in Private Browsing. If you use private windows, check this setting and test a blocked site there too. A successful test in a regular window does not confirm coverage in a private one.

Confirm the browser and permission

Make sure the link opened in Safari. Then check that the extension is enabled, that Safari allows it access to the website, and that it is active in the current profile. Refresh the page after changing these settings.

Check the domain and temporary access

Look at the actual domain in the address bar. Add it to your custom blocked list if it is missing, and check that it is not on your allowed list. If you already continued through the pause, wait for the ten-minute access period to finish before checking again.

Test each method on its own terms

Screen Time shows a system restriction; BlockTheNews shows its own pause screen. If Screen Time stops a page first, that does not verify the extension. Use the app’s setup flow to confirm its status, and change one setting at a time while troubleshooting.

A Safari website blocker affects Safari browsing. BlockTheNews does not block native Mac apps, every browser, or news inside unrelated apps. If you switch straight to an app when a website is blocked, consider its notifications and Screen Time app limits as part of your setup.

Give intentional news reading a clear place in your day. Choose a source, a time to read, and a stopping point. The guide to stopping doomscrolling covers the habit around the browser setting, so closing a tab has somewhere useful to lead.