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There are several reasons why you would want to block certain websites on your Mac. The two most common reasons include stopping kids from accessing inappropriate content while using the family computer and preventing employees from wasting their time on non-work-related websites. While you can install surveillance software or set up parental controls, it’s easier to make the necessary changes in settings, and we’ll explain how to do it step-by-step in this tutorial.
This method applies restrictions to a separate non-admin user account, but the master administrator account can still access all websites. If you’ve already created a separate user account and want to apply web access restrictions to it, you can skip the first few steps mentioned here. It’s important to note that this method doesn’t apply restrictions to administrator accounts.
To block websites on your Mac, follow these simple steps:
Open Parental Controls
Go to System Preferences on your Mac, select Parental Controls, and select the account you want to change.
Create a New User Account
If you haven’t created a separate non-administrator account yet, select “Create a new user account with parental controls,” and click Continue.
User Account Information
Fill in the user account details and click Continue.
Parental Controls for Web
After creating a new user account, you will see the full range of parental control options. Click on Web (or Content) in the top bar.
Automatic Web Restrictions
You have three options: allow the user account to visit any sites, prevent the account from visiting adult sites (based on Apple’s list), or restrict the account to a whitelist of permitted websites. If you choose the second option, select “Try to automatically restrict access to adult websites” and click Customize.
Adjust the Blacklist
You can make changes to Apple’s blacklist by adding or removing URLs from either field.
Whitelist Approved Websites
For more security, you can select the third option to allow access to only approved websites. Click on the plus sign to add more websites or bookmarks to folders, or select a site and click the minus sign to remove it.
Lock Modifications
Once you’re done, click the padlock icon at the bottom left to lock the settings, which requires an administrator password to modify.
How to Unblock Websites
Select the account you want to modify, click on “Allow unlimited access to websites,” or add websites to the whitelist.
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FAQs
1. How can I temporarily unblock a website?
To unblock a website temporarily, you can add the site to your bookmarks or use a private browsing window on your browser.
2. Can I block specific users from accessing certain websites on my Mac?
Yes, you can use Parental Controls to restrict access to websites, apps, and more for specific users on your Mac.