How do I block AI websites on Chrome for free?

Install a free blocker like Focuh from the Chrome Web Store, add the AI domains you want gone — chatgpt.com, gemini.google.com, character.ai, claude.ai, and so on — and start a challenge. It takes under a minute and needs no account. Blocked tabs redirect to a quiet local page. This covers the sites you list inside Chrome. To block AI tools across other browsers or in native desktop apps, you need a system-level tool like the Focuh Mac app instead.

Which AI websites should I block to stay focused?

Block the ones you reach for on autopilot rather than for real work. Common culprits are chatgpt.com, gemini.google.com, character.ai, claude.ai, perplexity.ai, and AI image generators. If you use a tool legitimately during work, leave it unblocked and block only the companion-style or rabbit-hole ones. The goal isn't to swear off AI — it's to stop the reflexive 'let me just ask the chatbot' tab that pulls you out of deep work for twenty minutes.

Can a Chrome extension block ChatGPT and other AI chatbots?

Yes, for the web versions inside Chrome. Add chatgpt.com (and chat.openai.com) to a blocker like Focuh and the tab redirects to a local page during your challenge. The limits are real, though: the block only applies in Chrome, so ChatGPT still opens in Safari or Edge, and it doesn't touch the ChatGPT desktop or mobile app. For app-level and cross-browser blocking you need a system-level tool, not a browser extension.

How do I block Character.AI on Chrome?

Add character.ai and chat.character.ai to a free blocker like Focuh, then start a challenge so the tabs redirect to a local page. Turn on Allow in Incognito under chrome://extensions if you tend to open it in private windows. Character.AI is a common focus and time-sink trap because conversations are open-ended, so blocking it during work hours specifically — rather than all day — usually sticks better than a blanket ban.

Does blocking AI sites in Chrome work in incognito mode?

Only if you allow it. Chrome disables extensions in incognito windows by default, so a blocked AI site opens normally in a private window unless you've turned the extension on there. Go to chrome://extensions, open the blocker's details, and enable Allow in Incognito. Even then the block stops at Chrome's edge — an incognito window in another browser, or any browser without the extension, gets through untouched.

Can I block AI websites only during work hours?

Yes, and it's usually the smarter approach. Rather than blocking AI tools permanently, tie the block to a focus session or a scheduled window so the sites are gone while you work and available on breaks. Focuh is built around self-imposed challenges and focus sessions for exactly this reason. A session-based block fights you less than an all-day ban, which makes it far more likely you'll keep it on instead of disabling it for good.

Can AI website blocks be bypassed?

Yes — any Chrome extension disables from chrome://extensions in a couple of clicks, so a determined user can always get around it. The point of a blocker isn't to be unbreakable; it's to interrupt the reflex of opening the chatbot tab without thinking. If you need a block that's genuinely hard to undo mid-session, the Focuh Mac app uses macOS Accessibility APIs to block at the OS level, which is much harder to switch off than any browser extension.

How do I block AI websites across every browser, not just Chrome?

Move the block below the browser. On a Mac, the free Focuh app blocks the AI sites you list across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Arc at the OS level during a focus session, and can block the desktop apps too. A filtering DNS service also blocks chosen domains across every browser and app on the device at once. A Chrome extension can only ever cover Chrome — it has no reach into other browsers or native apps.

Chrome extensionblock AI websitesChatGPTwebsite blockerfree

How to Block AI Websites on Chrome (Free) — 2026

June 29, 20269 min readFocuh

AI tools are genuinely useful, which is exactly what makes them so easy to lose an hour to. One quick question to ChatGPT turns into a tangent, then a poke at Gemini, then an open-ended chat with Character.AI, and the thing you sat down to do is still untouched. This guide shows how to block AI websites on Chrome for free in about a minute — and it's honest about where a browser extension stops and what to layer on when you need the block to hold.

The fast answer

To block AI websites on Chrome for free, install Focuh from the Chrome Web Store, add the AI domains you want gone — chatgpt.com, gemini.google.com, character.ai, claude.ai, perplexity.ai — and start a challenge. Blocked tabs redirect to a quiet local page, with no account and no telemetry, so your list stays on your device. The honest caveat: an extension blocks only the sites you list, only in Chrome. For cross-browser or app-level blocking you need a layer below the browser.

Which AI websites are worth blocking?

Block the tools you open on reflex, not the ones you actually work in. The usual time-sinks:

AI chatbots — chatgpt.com, chat.openai.com, gemini.google.com, claude.ai
AI companions — character.ai, chat.character.ai and similar open-ended chat sites
AI search and research rabbit holes — perplexity.ai
AI image and video generators — the ones you tinker with rather than use for a deliverable

If you rely on a specific AI tool for real work, leave it unblocked and block only the ones that pull you sideways. For single-site walkthroughs, see how to block ChatGPT on Chrome and how to block Character.AI on Chrome.

How to block AI websites on Chrome step by step

Open the Chrome Web Store and search for Focuh, or go to the Focuh extension page.
Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension. No account, no email.
Click the Focuh icon and add each AI domain you want blocked.
Pick a challenge length — 30, 91, or 180 days, or a custom number — and start it.
In chrome://extensions, open Focuh's details and turn on Allow in Incognito if you sometimes open these sites in private windows.

The whole thing takes about a minute. Blocked tabs redirect to a plain local page instead of the chatbot, which is usually enough to break the "let me just ask it" reflex.

What is Focuh?

Focuh is a free Chrome extension that blocks distracting websites during a self-imposed challenge of any length — 30, 91, or 180 days, or a custom number. Add the AI sites you want gone, start the challenge, and every blocked tab redirects to a quiet local page. No account, no telemetry, no ads, and no cap on how many domains you block. Settings and the daily attempt counter live in local Chrome storage and never leave your device.

It's built by the same team as the free Focuh Mac app, and the two work together: the extension handles Chrome tabs, the Mac app handles system-wide blocking when you need AI tools gone everywhere, including the desktop apps.

Strengths

Unlimited sites on the free (and only) tier
No account, no telemetry — your blocklist stays local
Designed for long challenges and focus sessions, not just daily budgets
Free Mac app available for cross-browser, OS-level blocking

Limitations

Blocks Chrome only — ChatGPT still opens in Safari or Edge
Doesn't block native AI desktop apps
Disables from chrome://extensions like any extension

Try Focuh

Why a blocklist beats trying to block AI everywhere

It's tempting to want one switch that kills every AI tool at once. There isn't a clean one, because new AI sites launch constantly and a browser extension has no category list that recognizes them. The realistic approach is a focused blocklist: the five or six AI domains you actually lose time to, blocked during work. That's faster to maintain and far more effective than chasing an ever-growing category by hand.

Block during the windows that matter rather than all day. AI tools are useful, so a permanent ban invites you to disable the blocker for good. Tying the block to a focus session — sites gone while you work, available on breaks — keeps it honest and sustainable. For more on session timing, see timeboxing vs Pomodoro vs time blocking.

Be honest about what an extension can't do

A Chrome extension has three real limits, and you should plan around them:

It only blocks Chrome. Open Safari or Edge and the AI site loads normally. If you switch browsers to dodge the block, an extension alone won't help.
It doesn't touch apps. The ChatGPT desktop app, the Gemini side panel, or any native AI client sits outside an extension's reach entirely.
It's easy to disable. Two clicks in chrome://extensions and the block is off. That's fine for interrupting a reflex; it's not a hard lock.

If your AI distraction lives entirely in Chrome tabs, the extension is enough and it's free. The moment you notice yourself opening a second browser or the desktop app to get around it, that's the signal to move below the browser.

How to block AI websites across every browser

To cover more than Chrome, block at the system level. On a Mac, the free Focuh app blocks the AI sites you list across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Arc at the OS level during a focus session, using Accessibility APIs that also let it block native desktop apps — and that make it much harder to switch off mid-session than an extension. A filtering DNS service is the other option: it blocks chosen domains across every browser and app on the device at once.

The full breakdown of where the browser line sits is in system-level vs browser website blocking. The most reliable setup is both: the free Chrome extension for your browser plus the free Mac app for everything else, so opening Safari or the desktop app doesn't reopen the distraction.

Which approach should you choose?

My AI distraction is all in Chrome tabs — the Focuh extension, free, with Allow in Incognito on.
I switch browsers or use desktop AI apps — the free Focuh Mac app for OS-level, app-aware blocking.
I want chosen AI domains gone device-wide — a filtering DNS service, layered under a focus tool.
I only need to block one tool — start with how to block ChatGPT on Chrome.

AI isn't the problem; the reflexive tab is. Block the handful of sites you actually lose time to, tie the block to your work hours, and layer a system-level tool under it when one browser isn't enough. Install Focuh free to start, and add the free Mac app when you need AI tools gone beyond Chrome.