In addition to the other security systems that we may have installed on our devices, it is convenient to know what the method to block web pages. This can be especially interesting if other people, especially minors, have access to our tablet or our computer.
There are several ways to do it, although in most cases it will be necessary to establish these locks individually in each of the devices that we use regularly. There is a way to do it in a general way, which we explain below, which has advantages and disadvantages.
Reasons to block web pages
Blocking certain sites can help us improve our Internet experience and make our browsing experience safer. These are some of the advantages that we will achieve, especially in certain circumstances:
- Avoid employee unproductivity. Let's be honest: we all use our work computer for things that have nothing to do with our professional obligations. In many companies, managers choose to "capture" the devices of their employees so that they cannot connect to certain websites that, although not dangerous, can steal precious time from their users: social networks, news websites, platforms streaming etc
- Prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content: pages with sexual or violent content, gambling, forums where no moderation, etc.
Block from the router
This is the method we referred to before when talking about a "general block" of a website on different devices. The idea is to establish this lock from the router itself to which the different devices are connected. However, not on all routers this is possible.
Regardless of the router you have at home or in the office, the system is always the same: you have to access the user interface and look for some kind of content filter that may exist (it is usually in the Firewall section). Although there may be some small differences between one model or another, in general all you have to do is insert the address of the website we want to block and press the "Save" button.
This method can be very convenient if we want to block a dangerous or not recommended page that does not interest us or is not convenient in any way. Instead, It is not the most appropriate method if what we want to do is selectively restrict access to a website.
Block web pages individually
If what we want is to choose which web page to block on each device, we have several methods (the ones we explain are valid for computers with Windows 10).
From the Chrome browser
Through the configuration settings of the Chrome browser itself, a website can be blocked. The steps to follow are these:
- First, we open a new browser window and access the setup menu with the icon located at the top right of the screen.
- Once there, we will Advanced settings.
- Then we select the section Privacy & Security.
- Now we are going to Site configuration. That is where we will be able to add the URL of the website that we want to block (it must be done in the Javascript and Images sections).
Using the hosts file
The method consists of adding the domain name of the page or pages that we wish to block in the system hosts file. To do this, we open a memo pad with administrator permissions and then we open the hosts file of the route
C:/Windows/System32/drivers/…
At the end of the bar, where we have placed the ellipsis (...) would go the IP 127.0.0.1 followed by a blank space and the address of the web to block. If this were, for example, the Google website, then we would write: 127.0.0.1 www.google.es.
In macOS the method would be similar, only in this case you have to open the terminal and write the command sudo nano /…/hosts. Following the previous example, in the ellipses we would add: 127.0.0.1 www.google.com.
Using extensions
In the case of using Chrome, a good solution to block unwanted web pages is to use extensions. There are many that can do this job, although probably the most recommended of all is BlockSite, among other things because it will also help us to download it and use it from our mobile phone. This is the link:
In case of installing the extension on the computer, BlockSite can be added to our browser through this link. Once we have it installed, to block websites, all we have to do is access the page in question and click on the block icon that is next to the address bar. That easy. It must also be said that the BlockSite extension also allows us to establish temporary blocks, an option that can be especially useful in certain cases.
Apart from these methods, it can also help us to know how to activate and configure parental control in windowsEspecially when we have children at home.