How to Block Websites on Google Chrome

Google has come up with its own web browser called Google Chrome. This web browser offers many user-friendly features. Therefore, it has become a default browser for many Internet users. Most of us own a personal computer or have access to the Internet at our workplace. As a parent, many people want to protect their kids from viewing restricted sites and spend less time on social networking sites. In case of an employer, it is obvious that you do not want your employees chatting on the Internet and not concentrating on the work. In such a case, the solution is to block websites. Let us read the following instructions and understand how to do the needful.

Blocking Websites on Chrome
There is a simple way of blocking websites on Chrome. All you need to do is launch Google Chrome. Now, towards your right hand side, on the screen, you will find a 'wrench' icon. Click on this wrench icon and you will find a drop-down list. Here, find 'Options' and click on it. A new pop-up window will open with three tabs Basics, Personal Stuff and Under the Hood. Click on Under the Hood and scroll down a bit. You will find Network and a button under it that says Change proxy settings. When you click on it, another window will pop open containing a number of tabs. You need to click on Privacy tab. Now, spot the button that says Sites and click on it, a third window will open. You will find a box named Address of website. Type in the name of the websites you want to block and click on Block. Then click on OK and close the window.

Blocking using Extensions
Unlike blocking sites in Safari, there is no parental control in Chrome. You need to download an extension called Blockit extension for Google Chrome. Once you install it, you will find a login screen. Now, you need to click on the login button without entering the password. Then you need to add all the sites you wish to block, for example:

• http://www.facebook.com
• http://www.myspace.com
• http://www.twitter.com

Then you need to click on 'block all' and you will be asked to change access password. You need to leave Current Password blank, for the first time. Just enter the New Password and Confirm New Password boxes and click on change.

Rechecking if the Website is Blocked For Sure
Suppose you want to be doubly sure that the websites remain restricted and there is no way to access them, follow the path given below or just copy-paste the path in the Search here option in Windows explorer and hit enter.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\

Once you do so, you will get into the folder containing a Host file. You will need to open the host file using notepad. Once you do, you will observe something similar to this on your screen:

# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one # space. # # Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual # lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol. # # For example: # # 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host 127.0.0.1 localhost ::1 localhost

Below the 127.0.0.1 local host, you will have to type 127.0.0.1 facebook.com or 127.0.0.1 myspace.com or 127.0.0.1 twitter.com. Just add the websites you wish to block one beneath the other. If you wish to restrict specific pages of the site, just type the following, for example:

127.0.0.1 search.myspace.com
127.0.0.1 profile.myspace.com

Save the host file and you will find that these websites will be blocked. Just follow these simple instructions and restrict the Internet access on your computer.