Google chrome is the most widely used Web browser, in almost all android devices, it’s the default Web browser. Its wide usability and availability are due to its transparency and wide applications, and frequent updates. Statistics show that over 67% of Web browsing is done via Google chrome globally. In Windows, it might not be the default browser since the Windows 10 update, but it continues to be the most used web browser on the platform. However, this article is about how to block websites in chrome for safety and privacy purpose.
There are many reasons to use the Web browser, but personal use is probably the largest of it, we access tens of sites every day, and most of them want us to be exclusive members of the websites for revenue reasons. We are often prompted to allow notifications which can probably be very annoying.
In some sites, we are redirected to some alien site just for the sake of advertisements which very frequently can bring malware to our devices and prevent all this; it’s always a good idea to block those sites.
Below we will brief you on blocking websites on Chrome, on whatever platform you are using. The whole GUI, aka Graphical user interface, changes with the change in OS, which makes the processes different. Blocking websites remains the same to an extent; just the way to do it changes.
What And How Much To Limit
You don’t always need to block all the sites completely. Sometimes all you need to do is limit its activity, and it’s very important to understand that so you don’t end up depriving yourself of the necessary content. Block notifications, block sites, block site extension, or limit adult websites, it is all your choice.
Blocking Websites On Android
Depending on the level of blocking you want from the site, there are various ways to do it. You can restrict access to your camera or microphone and even restrict access to everything on your device. How to block websites in Chrome depending on the kind of content is an important thing!
Blocking websites that redirects you to inappropriate websites or maybe certain websites that bring viruses to your PC or phone can be very dangerous to use.
How To Block Sites On Chrome
Chrome extension provides you with a variety of features to block websites on Chrome. Blocked websites can’t access your files or keep spamming your system. Let’s first establish how to block websites in Chrome.
To block inappropriate websites-
- We need to install some chrome extension called “ad-blocker” or some other similar extension to block certain websites to limit the advertising they put upon us. This also helps us block distracting websites.
2. The orange shield icon on the left of the Web address helps you know if the website is not safe at all, which isn’t worth visiting as it might keep your data at risk. Some websites redirect you to the google play store to install their applications, which can be very annoying again.
3. You can block redirection from the settings. Block websites on Chrome that make you redirect to some third-party websites as it might be acquiring data from you by doing that.
So, this is how to block websites in Chrome on any platform. You can always change the blocked site settings to access the previous websites you blocked, so it isn’t a big issue blocking some websites you might want to use again.
How To Block Websites On Chrome Mobile
Chrome mobile works in the same way Chrome for Web does, but the interface is quite different for both. Just block a website on your mobile device by going to the three dots in your upper right corner. Now, go to settings. Depending on the restrictions you want to put on the website, choose the block site icon or unblock sites from the same settings tab.
If you want to disable the notifications on your mobile phone, go to the mobile device’s settings and then click on the block distractions under the notifications menu. If this is not available, go to Chrome under the notifications menu and uncheck the site you want to block.
You can also password protect certain websites or sync those websites to another WiFi-connected device to make it convenient to continue your work on your favorite device.
Windows computers will have an easy-to-use GUI with the site settings same as the mobile phones given that you have the latest chrome desktop version, and the same goes with android phones. So, these are a few tips on how to block websites in Chrome on mobile phones.
Blocking Sites On IOS
IOS and iPhones, in general, are considered to have a safe environment but still, the newer iPhone models provide some level of customization to the settings, which makes the iPhones more prone to third-party apps.
A website on Chrome might keep sending annoying notifications which need to be blocked on the chrome settings tab as in android. Â The procedure to this is almost the same as in android in the latest version of ISO so you can simply visit the site you want to block and click on the site settings under the advanced settings and change the permissions accordingly.
Blocking Sites On Windows
On a desktop computer, you can also install or add extensions, as when you add an extension, you can easily block a website. Installing some genuine free website blockers will also help you block a website, and a block site app is one of them that makes it convenient to block inappropriate websites on android as well. In Windows, most of the permissions are already allowed making your PC more prone to harmful viruses and you need to customize these settings under the advanced site settings as on other platforms.
Chrome users might be familiar with those annoying popup box that redirects you to a strange website which you might want to avoid in public (if you know what I mean); go to chrome settings and type “pop up” in the search bar, block it, that’s all.
So, this is how to block websites in Chrome on your Windows PC.
Syncing Your Websites
If you are logged into your Google account, you will probably have that account blocked forever on all your devices, so it’s important to learn how to unblock websites once you are in dire need of that content again.
Site blocker will let you unblock it from the app itself, but let’s talk about unblocking it from Chrome itself. The adult content you restricted on your android device or some other blocked URLs you need to get back is all stored in Google chrome, ready to get out of that cage.
Unblock it via that browser extension or do it manually. Let’s learn how to do it manually. Type in keyword or domain name; after you block a website, the website cannot access your data, but you can still access it anytime, and that’s the beauty of websites on Chrome. The blocked websites on Chrome can be unblocked the way you blocked them. Specific sites will still redirect you to Google play on your phone; keep them blocked as those have permissions to erase data on your mobile phone.
How To Block Websites In Chrome Permanently?
Once you block a website, it is pretty much permanently blocked from your device and all other synced devices unless you access it again and unblock it. To block websites on Chrome can be a tiring job as there are hundreds of sites we access every day, and we don’t have the resources or time to block each one of them manually. Blocking Chrome’s all notifications is an option but isn’t very ideal.
Third-party applications help you block inappropriate websites automatically, and unblocking those blocked sites is an easy task as well. The blocked sites might not be safe to run in the background, so the site blocker automatically blocks it every time the user logs off.
Maximum users have the latest version of Chrome in their MacOS, which works the same way as a Windows pc or android, with a slight change in the user interface, which Mac users are well adapted to. A website on Chrome blocks you from entering a blocked site the same way as on pc. This makes the process of blocking websites almost universal on all platforms.
Blocking Websites And URLs
URL blocking and site blocking on desktop computers is the same thing that blocks the default gateway for the sites to access our data: cookies, cache, or some other media. The external installation of third-party software or applications depends on the system preferences, which in most cases is turned off. You can always turn it on in your phone’s settings under the security tab or in-app settings for certain apps.
If you want to block or remove websites from your search history, you can temporarily pause your search history by going to settings and history. My Google activity also allows you to do the same with much more customization; you can choose what to save and what not to.
What period to save the stuff and delete all the history before that, and you can still choose what to keep among those files. If you want to block websites from sending you notifications, disable it for that site. If you want to block specific URLs, paste the URL, go to the site settings, and unselect the options you want to deny the permissions for.
Denying Permissions
You need to give permissions to a website for it to use that feature. It usually asks you before accessing a feature such as a camera or a microphone, but in certain cases, it might be set to always allowed, which can be quite disappointing, so always review those permissions before using sites.
Blocking websites that run in the background should be the priority since it plays all the audios in the background, which isn’t always preferable as you might not want the adult content or any other inappropriate content blasting in the middle of some formal meeting as it can be inappropriate. Just deny the permission of the site to run in the background, which will fix this issue.
Most of the websites these days ask you to allow cookies to work in a more personalized manner. This is true in most cases unless you don’t want the site to store the cache on its clouds due to any privacy reasons, which may vary from person to person as site to site.
Managing Websites And Cookies
If you want to block cookies on a site that doesn’t make it a prerequisite to enter the website, click on the reject/ignore tab, which will deny the website from storing your data.
You can always use the website as per your convenience and maybe even let it be the way it is as personalized content is often required, but if you choose to delete it for some reason, go to the settings tab on the top right corner of your mobile phone or PC. Then click on the settings under the list.
Once the settings appear, go to the site settings under the advanced section. Once you are there, scroll down to the clear cookies option, and you can choose the time you want to clear the cookies for.
This is the general method for blocking websites on the latest version of Chrome on the Web or mobile phones and is probably the most common method to get rid of those annoying messages from random sites.
In-A-Nutshell
We hope that you are familiar with how to block websites in Chrome on different platforms and operating systems. We hope that this article also answered how to block websites in Chrome with third-party software.
Now you can probably surf the Internet in peace and use the website you want without being redirected to spam sites and getting annoyed by those annoying popups.
Also, check out: How to screen record on a laptop.
