Which browsers does Focus Firewall support?

Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, Edge, Orion, Zen, Dia and many more. If your browser isn't supported yet, let us know at support@focusfirewall.com and we'll add it in a heartbeat.

Does Focus Firewall need browser extensions?

No, Focus Firewall does not need any browser extensions. It works at the system level, blocking websites and apps regardless of the browser you use.

What happens when I visit a blocked website?

It looks like the internet is down just for that website. Blocked apps work the same way: they open, but they can't access the internet.

Can I bypass the block if I really need to?

Yes, and that's by design. You can pause blocking for a few minutes, temporarily turn off a category, or unblock just the one website you need. Having to click a few times is just enough friction to make you think twice, without the all-or-nothing strictness that makes people give up. Read more about our approach.

How much does Focus Firewall cost?

$2.99/month, $19.99/year, or $29.99 once for Lifetime. See pricing for details.

Is there a free trial?

Yes, we offer a 7-day free trial so you can try it out and see if it fits your needs.

Should I subscribe or purchase Lifetime?

With a subscription, you can cancel anytime — for example, subscribe just during exams or a big project. Lifetime offers the best value: you pay once and get all future updates for free.

Can I use it on more than one Mac?

Yes. Focus Firewall comes from the Mac App Store, so you can install it on all Macs signed in to your App Store account.

Does Focus Firewall slow down my Mac?

No. The app uses very little CPU and memory, and Apple's instruments indicate it has near zero energy impact.

How does Focus Firewall handle my privacy?

Our business is about selling great software, not selling your data. We do not collect any personal information about you, your browsing habits, or the websites you visit — blocking happens locally on your device. Read more in our Privacy Policy.

Can I use Focus Firewall on my iPhone or iPad?

No. Focus Firewall is currently only available for macOS. We are considering making it available for iPhone and iPad. If you are interested, please let us know!

YouTube blocked in Chrome on a Mac: the page can't connect and no video loads

Guide

How to block YouTube on your Mac.

There are three ways to do it: what's built into macOS, a browser extension, or a system-level blocker. Here we'll discuss how each one works so you can find one that best suits you.

Updated September 2026

Your options

Three ways to block YouTube on a Mac.

Screen Time

Built into macOS, free.

Good when you only use Safari and want a daily limit rather than a wall. Add youtube.com under Screen Time's website restrictions.

Falls short when you open Chrome or any other browser, and because your own passcode lifts the limit in a few seconds.

Setup: Apple's guide to content restrictions

A browser extension

StayFocusd, LeechBlock NG, BlockSite.

Good when you live in one browser. StayFocusd is Chrome only, LeechBlock NG also runs in Firefox and Edge, and both are quick to set up with a free tier.

Falls short when a second browser is open, or when the extension's own settings page is two clicks away at the moment you least want it to be.

Setup: StayFocusd·LeechBlock NG·BlockSite

Our recommendation

A system-level blocker

SelfControl (free), Cold Turkey, or Focus Firewall, the one we make.

Good when you want YouTube gone in every browser at once. These sit below the browser, so a second window or a fresh install changes nothing.

Falls short when you're not up for a bit of setup. They can be a little harder to set up initially, some need a lot of configuration, and some are paid.

More of this kind: our roundup of focus apps for Mac

Our recommendation

Focus Firewall

Disclaimer: this is our app. Focus Firewall is a system-level blocker we built with a lot of care, and the rest of this page is about using it to block YouTube, and to keep it blocked on a daily basis. If it's not for you, the alternatives above are good, and our blog compares them in more depth.

How we got here: we tried the others first, for years. Screen Time is Safari only. Extensions cover one browser. The strict ones lock you out cold turkey-style, no exceptions. It's not uncommon to give up in a few days and go back to square one. The full-featured ones have too many knobs: timers, sessions, modes, endless tweaking, until the tweaking is the distraction. So we wrote our own.

How it's different: it runs on a schedule so there's nothing to start, and stopping it asks for Touch ID. The rest is in the table, and the setup is right below.

Screen
Time

Browser
extension

Focus
Firewall

Blocks YouTube in every browser

Safari

Survives switching to a new browser

Turns on and off by schedule

Some

Asks for Touch ID to stop

Comes back on its own after a pause

Shows it's on, from the menu bar

Counts your time on YouTube, hour by hour

Safari

Some

Covers youtu.be and the video servers too

You list them

Needs an account or sends data anywhere

Varies

Setup

Blocked in under a minute.

YouTube is already included in our blocklist, together with youtu.be and the domains the videos actually stream from. There's no hunting for URLs.

InstallDownload from the Mac App Store. macOS asks once for the permission that lets Focus Firewall filter traffic.
Pick Streaming Video during onboardingIt's one of the lists on the "What distracts you?" screen, and YouTube is already in it.
Set your hours and start blockingOnboarding asks for them too. 9 to 5 on weekdays, for example, and blocking turns on and off by itself from then on.

The Focus Firewall blocklist window, with Streaming Video and the other categories in the sidebar and a switch per site

Menu bar popover with Social Media, Streaming Video, News and Shopping switched on

macOS asking for Touch ID because Focus Firewall is trying to turn off blocking

Menu bar popover with the pause menu open: 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes, 1 hour, or until tomorrow

When you need a break

Off takes a deliberate step. Pause takes one click.

Stopping the block asks for Touch ID or your password. Pausing is easy on purpose: pick one, five, ten, fifteen or thirty minutes, or an hour, and blocking comes back by itself when the time is up. A lunch break stays a lunch break.

“The scheduler makes the app work on autopilot, blocking distracting websites during my working hours seamlessly.”

★★★★★Mac App Store review

Browsing Report

See how much YouTube actually gets.

Time on each site, hour by hour, with every blocked attempt marked as a dot. It's a quiet way to notice the 10 AM YouTube reflex, and to watch the number fall once the block is on. Everything stays on your Mac.

More about the Browsing Report

Browsing Report timeline: blocking on from 10 AM to 5 PM, with blocked YouTube, X and Instagram attempts marked as dots

YouTube blocked in every browser you own.

No extensions, no account. Nothing leaves your Mac.

Free download. Plans from $2.99 a month or $29.99 once.

Questions about blocking YouTube

Yes. Focus Firewall filters traffic at the system level, so Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave and every other supported browser are covered at once, with no extension to install.

Yes. YouTube Studio stays reachable while videos and the rest of YouTube are blocked. Signing in to Gmail keeps working too, even though Google routes that sign-in through a YouTube address.

Pause from the menu bar for five, ten or thirty minutes and blocking comes back on its own. You can also switch off Streaming Video from the menu bar for a while, and ask for Touch ID on that switch too if you'd like the extra friction.

Your browser may show a cached copy of the page, but nothing on it loads. Refresh and you'll see the connection error.