There can be tons of reasons why you would like to block any particular website. You know how to control your browsing, but other people on your device or even on their own device might not know, especially kids.
There can be many websites that might be spreading viruses, malware or just have explicit content not suitable for young brains. You need to restrict access to these websites for the safety of your device and family members.
Blocking access to a website is not that much of a big deal if you know how to do it. Windows come with this feature built-in and there are also many tools that can help you block a specific website.
In this Tutorial, we are going to show you how you can block websites on Windows and your Android phone. Although, there are many ways to block websites, but we are going to address the most secure/simple ways.
Block websites from Windows hosts file
Windows Hosts file is used to map ip addresses and hostnames and can also be edited to block access to websites. Before editing this file you need to access the PC with an administrative access, so make sure you access as an administrator.
Now, to reach this file you need to go to C drive>Windows>System32>drivers>etc. However, to make it easier to reach this location you can also copy this C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ and paste it in My Computer search bar and press enter.
In the window, you will see a file named “hosts”, just open it by double clicking on it or selecting open from the context menu. You will be given the option to open this file with different programs, choose “Notepad” from the options and click on “OK”.
When the file opens in the Notepad, the last two lines should be something like this “# 127.0.0.1 localhost” “# ::1 localhost”. If not, then look for these lines in the notepad.
Once you know where the specified lines are, you need to add the address of the website which you would like to block in the next line.
Add the line and before entering the address, type 127.0.0.1 and add a space and type the address.
It should look something like this “127.0.0.1 www.ubergizmo.com”. If you would like to add more than one website, then add another line (by pressing enter at the end) and repeat the process.
Once you are done, just click “close” and choose “Save” from the prompt or Click on “File” and choose “Save” from there and then close.
When someone will access the website, it will show that the page is not available.
Block websites in browser
If you think that the above mentioned process is a bit complex for you then you can also block websites from your browser. However, if you block a website in one browser it will still be accessible in other browsers.
In Firefox, you can block websites using an addon called BlockSite. Once the addon is installed, click on Menu at the top right corner of the screen and from there click on “Add-ons”.
On the next page, click on “Extensions” from the left menu and you should be able to see BlockSite there.
Click on “Options” on BlockSite, and from the next window, click on “Add”.
Just type the address of the website which you want to block under the heading “Location” and click on “OK”.
The website will be blocked and a message will be shown by BlockSite whenever someone tries to access the website. If you would like to disable the Message as well, then from the BlockSite options uncheck “Enable warning messages”. Now, nothing will happen when someone tries to access the website.
You can unblock the website again by clicking on it from the BlockSite options, and then clicking on “Remove”.
BlockSite is also available for Google Chrome and you can download it from Here.
Block Websites on Android
On android you can download an antivirus program that also comes with website blocking capabilities. In this tutorial, we are going to use Trend Micro’s Antivirus program. Trend Micro is a reputable security company and is responsible for many other security apps as well. Its anti-virus program has quite good reviews with a rating of 4.5/5 on Google Play Store.
Download the app on your android phone and launch it. In the main menu, tap on “Safe Surfing” and on the next page tap or slide the button next to option “Parental Controls”.
You will be moved to another page, there tap on “Set up an account” located at the end of the screen to create your account. From the next page tap on “Create an account”, and provide require details to create an account.
Note: Don’t forget the password which you have entered, as it will be required every time you would like to make some changes.
Now, tap or slide the button again next to “Parental Controls” option and provide the password which you have set for your Trend Micro account you just created and tap on “OK”. The Parental Controls will be turned on and you can now block websites.
Tap on “Blocked List” on the same page and from the next page tap on “Add”.
In “Add” you can provide the address of the website which you would like to block. Type the address under the heading “Website:” and hit “Save”. The website will now be blocked and when accessed, it will show that Trend Micro has blocked this website.
It should be noted that it’s in general more efficient to block specific devices and sites at the router level (the Internet box that provides WiFi in your home). However, not all routers have such functions, and it involves a bit more work.
If you have any questions or know any other reliable method to block websites, then let us know in the comments below.