How to Block Websites on Android (Chrome and Every Other Browser)

You deleted the app. Then you opened the website in Chrome instead, logged in, and kept scrolling. It happens to almost everyone who tries to quit a feed, because the browser is the back door nobody closes.

The frustrating part: Chrome on Android has no setting to block a website. There's no blocklist, no "never open this site" switch. You have to go around Chrome.

The short answer: on a Pixel, set a 0-minute site timer for the website in Digital Wellbeing. Chrome then shows "Site paused" instead of the page. To block a site in every browser, on any Android phone, use Private DNS with a filtering service like NextDNS and add the site to your block list. If you want a block you can't switch off yourself, you need a system-level blocker like StoicOS.

Below are the options from simplest to strongest. Menu names change between Android versions and phone brands. If a path doesn't match your phone, type the setting's name into the search box at the top of Settings.

Method 1: A site timer in Digital Wellbeing (Pixel, Chrome only)

Digital Wellbeing on a Pixel can put a timer on single websites you've visited in Chrome. Set it to zero and the site is paused for the rest of the day.

1. Open the website in Chrome once, so it shows up in your usage.
2. Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing and tap View app activity details.
3. Find Chrome. The websites you've visited are listed under it.
4. Tap the hourglass next to the website, set it to 0 minutes and tap OK.

When you open the site, Chrome now shows Site paused with the message that your timer ran out and it will start again tomorrow. The next day the timer runs again at 0 minutes, so the site stays paused until you delete the timer.

Three limits to know about:

• It only covers Chrome. Firefox, Samsung Internet or any other browser still opens the site.
• Samsung doesn't have it. Samsung's Digital Wellbeing has app timers but no site timers.
• It's easy to undo. You remove the timer in the same list you set it in.

Method 2: Block a website in every browser with Private DNS

Private DNS is an Android setting that sends your phone's website lookups through a service you choose. With a filtering service like NextDNS, you decide which sites get blocked, and the block applies to every browser and every app on the phone. No extra app needed.

Public hostnames like dns.google don't block anything, so you need your own hostname from a filtering service.

1. Create a free NextDNS account, so your settings are saved.
2. Add the sites you want to block:
   • For a single website, open the Denylist tab and add its domain, for example reddit.com.
   • For a service that also has an app, like Reddit, YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, open Parental Control, tap Add a website, app or game and add it from the list.
3. In the Setup tab, copy your personal hostname. It looks like abc123.dns.nextdns.io.
4. On a Pixel, open Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS. On a Samsung, open Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS.
5. Choose Private DNS provider hostname, paste your hostname and tap Save.

Use the Parental Control entry for anything that has an app. In our test on a Pixel, adding youtube.com, youtu.be and googlevideo.com to the Denylist blocked the YouTube website, but the YouTube app kept working. The YouTube entry under Parental Control blocked both. For Instagram and TikTok, the Parental Control entries blocked the app and the website.

If a browser still loads a blocked site, check that browser's own "secure DNS" setting, which can bypass yours.

This is the strongest free option. It's also the easiest to forget about, which is good, until the evening you remember that Private DNS can be switched back to Automatic in a few taps.

Method 3: Firefox with a blocker add-on

If Firefox is your main browser, it can do what Chrome can't: run add-ons. LeechBlock NG works on Firefox for Android and lets you block sites all day, on a schedule, or after a daily time allowance.

1. Install Firefox from the Play Store.
2. Open the LeechBlock NG page in Firefox and add it.
3. Open its options, list the sites you want to block and set when the block applies.

This only covers Firefox. The moment you open Chrome, the sites load again. It works best together with Method 1 or 2.

Method 4: Family Link (for a child's phone)

If you're setting up a phone for a child, Google Family Link can block sites in Chrome on their supervised account. In the Family Link app, open your child's profile and go to Controls > Google Chrome and Web > Manage sites, then add the site under Blocked.

Family Link is built for parents managing a child's account. It isn't meant for limiting yourself, and StoicOS isn't a parental control app either.

How to block Reddit on your phone

Reddit is a common one, because the app and the website are equally easy to fall into.

• The website: add reddit.com to your NextDNS Denylist, or add Reddit under Parental Control so the app is covered too (Method 2). On a Pixel, a 0-minute Chrome site timer for reddit.com also works (Method 1).
• The app: set an app timer or uninstall it. Our TikTok guide walks through app timers on Pixel and Samsung, and the steps are the same for Reddit.

If you uninstall the app, block the website at the same time. Otherwise reddit.com in Chrome becomes the new app within a day.

How to block adult websites on Android

For a lot of people, this is the reason they search for a website blocker in the first place.

• SafeSearch in the Google app hides explicit results in Google Search. It doesn't block any website you type in directly.
• NextDNS has a Parental Control Categories section. Add the Porn category and adult sites are blocked in every browser, without listing them one by one.
• StoicOS blocks adult websites and porn apps by default, and the block can't be turned off from the phone.

If the goal is to stop yourself rather than a child, the weak spot is always the same: anything you set up, you can also undo. Private DNS goes back to Automatic in a few taps. Our post on how to break a phone addiction covers why the off switch matters so much.

How easy is each method to undo?

Be honest with yourself here. Every method above is set up in a calm moment and tested in a weak one.

• Chrome site timer: delete the timer, or open the site in another browser.
• Private DNS: set it back to Automatic.
• Firefox add-on: remove the add-on, or use Chrome.
• Family Link: only a parent can change it, but it only exists for a child's account.

"Block websites permanently" and "block websites without an app" are two of the most common searches on this topic. Private DNS answers the second one. For the first, none of the free options qualify, because you can switch every one of them off yourself.

The permanent option: StoicOS

StoicOS is an Android system that blocks distracting apps and websites at the system level. It comes with a global web blocklist for social media, adult sites and addictive shopping sites, and you can add your own URLs to it. The block works in every browser, and it can't be turned off or uninstalled from the phone.

It also blocks the apps behind those websites: social media, streaming, games, porn and gambling. So there's no back door in either direction. Calls, messages, maps, banking, music and your work tools keep working.

To be clear about what it is: StoicOS blocks whole categories and is meant for your own phone, not for supervising a child. If you only want one news site gone and are happy with everything else on your phone, NextDNS is the lighter fix.

Setup takes about 10 minutes with a computer and a USB cable, and you don't need a factory reset. It works on Android 9 and up. There's no iPhone version, because Apple doesn't allow this level of control.

I built it after years of finding the way around every blocker I set up, usually late at night. The back door was always one tap away. With StoicOS there isn't one.

Which method should you pick?

Method	Covers	Can you undo it in a weak moment?	Cost	Effort
Chrome site timer (Pixel)	Chrome only	Yes, delete the timer	Free	2 minutes
NextDNS + Private DNS	Every browser and app on the phone	Yes, switch back to Automatic	Free	10 minutes
Firefox + LeechBlock NG	Firefox only	Yes, remove it or use Chrome	Free	5 minutes
Family Link	Chrome on a child's account	Not without the parent	Free	10 minutes
StoicOS	Every browser and the apps	No	From €7/month	10-minute setup

A good starting point: set up NextDNS today and add the one or two sites you lose the most time on. If you catch yourself switching Private DNS off, you know what you need next.

Get your life back with StoicOS

Android 9+ · From €7/month · 30-day money-back guarantee · Not available on iPhone

Related guides

• How to block TikTok
• How to block Instagram
• How to block YouTube on Android
• How to check screen time on Android
• Apps to stop scrolling

Frequently asked questions

Can you block websites on Chrome for Android?

Not from Chrome's own settings. Chrome on Android has no blocklist. On a Pixel you can set a 0-minute site timer in Digital Wellbeing, and on any Android phone you can block sites with Private DNS and a filtering service like NextDNS.

How do I block websites on Android without an app?

Use Private DNS. Create a free NextDNS account, add the sites to block, then paste your personal hostname under Private DNS in your phone's network settings. The block works in every browser and needs no extra app on the phone.

How do I block a website permanently on Android?

None of the built-in or free options are permanent, because you can switch each of them off yourself. For a block you can't undo from the phone, you need a system-level blocker like StoicOS.

How do I block Reddit on my phone?

Add Reddit under NextDNS Parental Control so both the app and reddit.com are blocked, or set an app timer and add reddit.com to your NextDNS Denylist. On a Pixel, a 0-minute Chrome site timer for reddit.com also works.

How do I block adult websites on Android?

Add the Porn category under NextDNS Parental Control and use your NextDNS hostname as Private DNS. That blocks adult sites in every browser. Google SafeSearch alone only filters search results, not sites you open directly.

Does Samsung have a website blocker?

Not in Digital Wellbeing. Samsung phones have app timers but no site timers. Use Private DNS under Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS with a filtering service instead.