How to Block Websites in Safari with Screen Time on Mac

Getting rid of unproductive browsing habits can be quite difficult. If you find yourself procrastinating throughout the day, consider blocking unwanted websites. This can help you refocus.

If you’re using a Mac with macOS Catalina, you can use the built-in Screen Time controls to take a break from any website you deem unnecessary. To a lesser degree, you can also impose time limits on any site to gradually reduce a dependency.

So, without further ado, here’s how to block websites that use Screen Time or enforce time limits.

Block Websites Using Screen Time

Screen Time in macOS Catalina works quite similarly to Screen Time on iPhone and iPad. The functionality brings to the table various controls that help you control as well as monitor the various activities you can perform on your Mac.

However, if you’re already familiar with certain aspects of Screen Time but haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, here’s the complete step-by-step process on how to easily unblock sites.

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Stage 1: Open the Apple menu and then click System Preferences.

Step 2: Find and click the option labeled Screen Time.

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Stage 3: Click Options in the lower left corner of the Screen Time panel. Follow by clicking Turn on to enable Screen Time for your Mac.

Step 4: Check the box next to Share Across Devices if you want the configurations you make in Screen Time to apply to all your devices, including iOS or iPadOS devices connected to the same Apple ID.

You can also check the box next to Use Screen Time Passcode if you want to set a password to help prevent someone else from making changes to Screen Time without your permission.

Step 5: Click Content & Privacy in the left navigation pane. Then click Open.

Step 6: Click the radio button next to the Web Content restriction labeled Restrict Adult Websites. Follow along by clicking Customize.

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Step 7: Click the ‘+’ icon under the Restricted section.

Step 8: Enter the URL of the site you want to block and then click OK.

Step 9: Repeat for any other sites you want to block, click OK and then exit the Screen Time panel.

It’s time to test the constraints you just applied. Try loading a blocked website in Safari or another browser. You won’t be able to! Note that you will not be able to access any sites that contain NSFW content in addition to the websites you manually block.

You can whitelist a site by clicking the Add Website button and then adding the Screen Time Password. If you impose these restrictions on yourself, this will require restraint on your part.

Putting Time Limits on Websites

Screen Time in macOS Catalina also lets you set a time limit on any website. Then you can surf the website for the specified time, after which it will be blocked. The whole process is a little inconspicuous, but you’ll find the full process in detail below.

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Stage 1: Visit the Screen Time panel and then click App Limits. Follow by clicking the ‘+’ shaped icon as shown below.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the screen and then expand Websites.

Stage 3: Click the green ‘+’ icon to add the website for which you want to apply a time limit. Enter the URL and then press Enter.

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Step 5: Add a daily time limit for the site and then click Done.

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Step 6: You will see the site listed in the Application Limits section. Add time limits to any other sites you want and then opt out of Screen Time.

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Once the daily time limit has expired, the site will be blocked and you will no longer be able to access the site. If you want, you can remove the limit by clicking Ignore Limit (Screen Time Passcode is required), so once again the restriction is required.

Note that if you have the Share Across Devices option enabled in the Screen Time Options panel, any time you spend on restricted websites on other devices will also count towards the total time limit.

Postpone Less

The internet is a distraction dump. Thanks to Apple for providing native methods to easily block websites on Mac. Remember to use time limits as you see fit on certain websites.

Next: Private browsing windows in Safari are great for privacy, but not if you want to know what others are doing on your Mac. Here’s how to block them.