If a web page causes you discomfort, either for the content or for other reasons, here in this article you will learn how to block some websites in Firefox and Chrome without having to block all of them.
Blocking a website provides advantages for both the team and the user. We can prevent our computer from being invaded by viruses or malware by blocking a page that is dedicated to seeding them, or limiting access to the pages that tend to distract us when we work or study.
Also deny access to inappropriate sites for our children and thus have more peace of mind when allowing them to surf the internet.
What are the Host parameters for Google Chrome?
The Host or web hosting is he service in charge of storing all kinds of information on the internet from browsers like Chrome. However, although the system is of high quality and is available at almost any time, it can fall as it happens with any other during a certain period of time.
If this happens to us, after having checked the internet connection, we must restart Chrome or the computer, check with the site or desist from it, since many times the hosting server fails to detect the web as malicious.
The action of blocking a site from Firefox can be carried out using two different and simple methods that we continue to explain.
Through extensions
Extensions are tools that offer us the possibility of carrying out multiple actions on our computers. Block Site it is designed precisely to block access to web pages.
To make use of it, we must go to the browser and from there to Extensions Finder for Firefox. Once we locate it and select to see its information, we will also find a blue button to add to Firefox.
Once it is installed, we will locate it in the upper right part of the browser screen, where the extensions tend to be, shown with a letter W icon. We will proceed to enter the site that we want to block and then use the Black Site.
Pressing it will break down the screen that asks if we are sure we want to block the site and we will accept. The page will be restricted and we will not be able to access it, unless we unlock it from the Black Site settings.
With Notepad
To block sites from the notepad we start by opening the windows taskbar and locate the notepad using the search engine.
In the menu of the pad we must start with Run as administrator. Inside the pad we open the File to be guided to the file explorer. In the upper sidebar we write the address C: Windows System32 drivers etc which will take us to a folder with files where we will select the host.
The host is a text file to which we must add in the final part the name of the page that we want to restrict as follows: 127.0.0.1 www.pinterest.com (to give an example of a web address). Now we press the File menu and we are going to save so that the action is completed.
With this method we will not only block the site for Firefox, but also for each browser that we have installed in the team.
What are some URL blocking exceptions for Chrome?
There are some URLs for Chrome that Google recommends us not to block. We explain which ones and why you should not deny their access.
chrome: // settings
What part of Chrome’s operating system and facilitator of its functions, blocking a chrome: // settings should be seen as a strictly prohibited action.
chrome: // os-settings
Here the case is repeated as it is a URL that is part of the browser. Also, it is important to know that can never be completely blocked a chrome: // settings or chrome: // os-settings. There is always another way to access them.
chrome-untrusted: //
Chrome uses these URLs for web and user data processing. What’s more, takes care of security and allows various components of this browserTherefore, one of the consequences of blocking them is preventing it from correctly performing all its functions.
Steps to consider to block a specific page in Chrome
Before blocking a web page from the Chrome browser, we will see some steps that should be considered practically mandatory to avoid other inconveniences.
Check the policies
When it comes to blocking sites, Chrome works with two policies: URLBlocklist and URLAllowlist. The first prevents access to blocked URLs, while the second allows access to those that are not.
Specify the visit URLs
Just as we block some sites, we must allow access to those we want to continue visiting. We must go to the Windows computer configuration, go from Directives to Administrative Templates, enter Google and then Google Chrome.
The options of Block access to a list of URLs and Allow access to URLs. In both cases we must enable them and enter each one respectively the URLs.
Sometimes it is necessary update the accounts that allow us to use the browser so that the block is executed correctly.
Verify that the policies have been applied
In the same way, it is necessary restart browser to verify that the policies have been applied as we established them.
When we restart it, we must enter Chrome: // policy from the browser and Reload policies. The two URLs mentioned above must be in the Correct state. On the contrary, the process must be repeated.
What is the best extension to avoid distractions in Chrome and Firefox?
There are many extensions that can be used to block websites from any browser, but you have to know how to choose the most practical and useful of all.
BlockSite
Block Site, as we already mentioned, It is the most used to deny access to websites. And it should be noted that this tool not only allows you to make permanent locks, but also scheduled ones. So we can, for example, block a site only during our working hours to avoid distractions.