How do I block websites on Mac on a schedule?

You have a few free routes. macOS Screen Time can set Downtime hours that restrict sites in Safari with a passcode. A session-based focus app like Focuh blocks distracting sites across every browser whenever you start a session, which acts as a schedule tied to your work. For fixed clock windows across all browsers, a system-level focus app or scheduled blocker is the most reliable, since Screen Time only covers Safari.

Does macOS have a built-in way to schedule website blocking?

Partly. Screen Time includes Downtime, which restricts apps and websites during hours you set, and App Limits for daily time caps. But Downtime's website blocking only applies to Safari, and a determined user with the passcode can lift it. There's no built-in feature to schedule blocking across Chrome, Arc, and Firefox at once, so for all-browser scheduling you need a third-party app that works below the browser.

How do I block websites during work hours on a Mac?

Two clean ways. Use Screen Time Downtime if you only browse in Safari — set the hours and a passcode. Or use a session-based focus app like Focuh and start a session when you sit down to work, which blocks distracting sites across every browser until you stop. Session-based blocking tracks your actual work hours rather than a fixed clock window, which suits days that don't follow an exact 9-to-5.

Why does Screen Time let blocked sites through in Chrome?

Because Screen Time's content restrictions only apply to Safari. If you set Downtime or block a site in Screen Time and then open Chrome, Arc, or Firefox, the site loads normally. This is the most common reason a scheduled block on Mac seems to fail. To block a site on a schedule across every browser, use a system-level tool that works below the browser instead of Screen Time.

What's the best free scheduled website blocker for Mac?

It depends on what you need. Screen Time is free and built in, best if you only use Safari. SelfControl is free and blocks across all browsers for a timer you set, though it's duration-based rather than recurring. Focuh is free and blocks across every browser during a focus session, which works as a recurring block tied to your work. For all-browser scheduling without paying, a session-based focus app is usually the cleanest fit.

Can a scheduled block on Mac be bypassed?

It can, but difficulty varies. Screen Time can be lifted by anyone with the passcode. SelfControl is hard to stop once its timer runs, even after a restart. Focuh blocks through macOS Accessibility APIs and is built to be hard to disable mid-session. A schedule makes blocking automatic, not unbreakable, so if you need it to truly hold, pick a system-level tool rather than relying on Screen Time alone.

How do I block websites on Mac on a schedule across all browsers?

Use a tool that works below the browser, because per-browser settings won't cover the others. A system-level focus app like Focuh blocks your distracting sites across Safari, Chrome, Arc, and Firefox at once during a session, so switching browsers doesn't get around it. Editing the /etc/hosts file also blocks across all browsers but has no timer or schedule, so you'd have to add and remove entries by hand each time.

Is scheduled blocking better than blocking sites permanently on Mac?

It depends on the habit. A schedule is better for sites you want blocked during work but available later, like social media, so you're not fighting the block in your downtime. A permanent block suits sites you never want to visit again. Many people run both: a recurring work-hours block on distractions, and a permanent block on the handful of sites they want gone entirely.

macOSwebsite blockerschedulefocusproductivity

How to Block Websites on Mac on a Schedule (Free, 2026)

June 16, 202610 min readFocuh

A website you only struggle with during work doesn't need a permanent block — it needs a schedule. Here's how to block websites on Mac on a schedule for free: use Screen Time's Downtime for a Safari-only block, or a session-based focus app that blocks across every browser whenever you start work. Below are the free methods, what each one actually covers, and why a Safari-only schedule is the trap most people fall into first.

Does macOS schedule website blocking on its own?

Partly. macOS has Screen Time, which includes Downtime (restrict apps and websites during set hours) and App Limits (daily time caps). So there is a built-in way to schedule blocking — with one large caveat: Screen Time's website restrictions only apply to Safari. There's no native feature that schedules blocking across Chrome, Arc, and Firefox together.

That single fact shapes everything below. If you live in Safari, Screen Time is enough. If you don't — and most people don't — you need a tool that works below the browser.

Method 1: Screen Time Downtime (built in, Safari only)

Screen Time is free and already on your Mac. To schedule a block:

Open System Settings → Screen Time.
Choose Downtime and set the hours (for example, 9am–5pm on weekdays). During Downtime, only apps you allow stay available.
To restrict specific sites, go to Content & Privacy → Content Restrictions → Access to Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites, click Customize, and add domains under Restricted.
Set a Screen Time passcode so the restriction isn't trivial to lift.

This gives you scheduled, passcode-protected blocking — in Safari. Open the same site in Chrome and it loads fine. For a Safari-only user, that's a clean, free, recurring block. For everyone else, it's a schedule with a hole in it.

Method 2: Focuh (session-based, all browsers, free)

The free Focuh Mac app takes a session approach instead of a clock. You start a focus session, and your distracting sites — and apps — are blocked across every browser until the session ends. In practice, that is a schedule: you start a session when you sit down to work, and the block matches your real work hours rather than a fixed 9-to-5 you have to predict.

Why this beats a Safari-only schedule for most people:

It blocks across Safari, Chrome, Arc, and Firefox at once, so switching browsers doesn't get around it.
It blocks native apps too — Messages, Discord, Slack — not just tabs.
It runs through macOS Accessibility APIs, so it's hard to disable mid-session.
It's free, with no account and no telemetry; your data stays on the machine.

If your distractions live in Chrome specifically, the free Focuh Chrome extension handles browser-level blocking, but for all-browser scheduling the Mac app is the tool. See our roundup of the best website blockers for Mac for how it compares to others.

Method 3: SelfControl (free, timer-based, all browsers)

SelfControl is a free, open-source Mac app that blocks a list of sites across all browsers for a timer you set. It's not a recurring schedule — it's a duration. But for "block these sites for the next four hours while I work," it's excellent, and it's famously stubborn: restarting your Mac or deleting the app won't lift the block until the timer ends.

The limits: no recurring schedule, no app blocking, and once started you can't shorten the timer. If your "schedule" is really "block hard for a fixed stretch, repeatedly," SelfControl does it well. For automatic recurring windows, Screen Time or a session app fits better.

Free scheduled blocking on Mac, compared

Method	Schedule type	All browsers?	Blocks apps?	Free?
Screen Time	Recurring hours (Downtime)	No (Safari only)	Limited	Yes
Focuh	Session-based (start when working)	Yes	Yes	Yes
SelfControl	Fixed timer per run	Yes	No	Yes
/etc/hosts	None (manual)	Yes	No	Yes

The deciding column is the third one. A schedule that only covers Safari isn't really protecting your work if you browse in Chrome.

The all-browsers problem

This is worth stating plainly because it trips up almost everyone: per-browser settings can't schedule a block across other browsers. Screen Time covers Safari. A Chrome extension covers Chrome. Neither touches the rest. So you set up a careful 9-to-5 block, switch to Arc out of habit, and the site you "blocked" is right there.

To schedule blocking across every browser, you need to work below the browser — at the operating-system level. The free Focuh app does this during a session, blocking across all browsers at once. Editing /etc/hosts in Terminal also blocks every browser, but it has no timer or schedule, so you'd be adding and removing lines by hand each time — fine once, miserable daily. See system-level vs browser blocking for the full picture.

Scheduled vs permanent blocking

Decide what you actually want before picking a tool:

Scheduled (or session-based) suits sites you want blocked during work but available later — social media, news, YouTube. You won't fight the block in your downtime, which makes it easier to keep.
Permanent suits sites you never want to visit again — a gambling or adult site, a forum you've sworn off. For those, see how to block websites permanently on Mac.

Plenty of people run both: a recurring work-hours block on distractions, plus a permanent block on the few sites they want gone for good. There's no rule against mixing them.

Which scheduled method should you choose?

"I only browse in Safari and want recurring hours" — Use Screen Time Downtime with a passcode.

"I want a recurring block across every browser, tied to my work" — Use the Focuh Mac app and start a session when you work.

"I want to block hard for a fixed stretch, repeatedly" — Use SelfControl and set a timer each session.

"I'll just switch browsers to escape it" — That rules out Screen Time. Go system-level with Focuh or SelfControl.

A scheduled block works when the hard part is remembering to block, not staying blocked. Get the timing automatic first — and if you find yourself in another browser dodging a Safari-only rule, that's the signal to move below the browser.

Get the free Focuh Mac app to block sites across every browser on your schedule, or try the free Chrome extension for Chrome-only blocking.