How to block a website
There are many reasons why people search for how to block a website. One of the most common is to prevent children from accessing sites with inappropriate content. For employers, blocking websites is the easiest way to increase productivity. Let us show you how to block access to a website, for example, block YouTube easily and reliably.
The hosts file method and blocking website in Internet Explorer are free but can be easily bypassed. The best way is to use special software such as HT Employee Monitor for business or HT Parental Controls for home that let you block websites more effectively and have many other features.
How to block a website using software
HT Employee Monitor and HT Parental Controls are blocking software that lets you block any website reliably and easily in all popular browsers.
- Download and install the software on your computer(s).
Download HT Parental Controls
Download HT Employee Monitor - Click Website Blocking.
- Click the Add button.
- In the box that appears, type the website address or keyword you want to block, for example, youtube.com
HT Employee Monitor and HT Parental Controls are easy to use and effective software that allows you to restrict user activity and internet usage. With the software, you can:
Block websites in all popular browsers
Block websites on Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera with a single setting.
Block certain websites by URLs and keywords
A flexible system will allow you to block sites with different approaches.
Block categories of websites
Block Porn, Gambling, Drugs, Shopping, Chats, etc.
Disable any application
Block games, instant messengers, browsers, programs, and so on.
Limit time on websites
Restrict the time that users can spend on certain websites
Track computer activities
Receive logs of visited web sites, launched applications and more.
The software is compatible with Windows OS from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Instead of blocking websites, you can limit time on them
- Click Website Limiting.
- Add websites you want to limit.
- Specify the time user can spend on these sites.
How to block a website using the Hosts file
The location of the hosts file depends on your operating system. For Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 and XP, it is C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
For Windows 2000, it is C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
- Open the hosts file using Notepad or another plain text editor.
- Find the line 127.0.0.1 localhost.
- To block a website, add its URL under 127.0.0.1 localhost.
For example, to block youtube, add 127.0.0.1 youtube.com under the line. - Save and close the Hosts file.
- Reboot your computer to apply the changes.
How to block a website on Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools.
- Click Internet Options.
- Click the Content tab and then click the Enable button.
- Click on the Approved Sites tab.
- Type the website address you want to block in the box, for example, www.youtube.com.
- Click Never and then OK.
- In the window that appears, type and confirm your new password.
- Click on the General tab and make sure to select Users can see websites that have no ratings.
How to block a website in spite of proxy servers
Unfortunately, the hosts file method and blocking a website in Internet Explorer are far from ideal. They can be easily bypassed. For example, web-based proxy servers allow getting access to the blocked website. These methods are also not universal and may not be appropriate to your computer configuration or your browser. How to block a website in spite of proxy servers. The best way to block a website is to use professional blocking software.
HT Employee Monitor and HT Parental Controls help you reliably block or limit any website in a few clicks saving you time and effort.