How do I temporarily block a website on Chrome for free?

Use a free blocker extension that runs on a timer or a fixed challenge length rather than blocking forever. Install Focuh, add the sites you want gone, and start a session — they stay blocked for the length you chose, then come back automatically. Focuh is free, needs no account, and has no site cap. For hour-by-hour recurring windows, LeechBlock NG is the free Chrome extension with the most granular scheduling. Either one blocks temporarily without editing any system files.

Can I block a website for a set number of hours in Chrome?

Yes. Schedule-based extensions like LeechBlock NG let you block a site only during chosen hours — say 9am to noon on weekdays — and leave it open the rest of the time. Session-based tools like Focuh take a different shape: you start a focus block and the sites stay blocked for that run, whether it's an afternoon or 30 days. Pick a scheduler if you want repeating daily windows, and a session blocker if you want one continuous stretch.

What's the difference between temporary and permanent website blocking?

Permanent blocking keeps a site unreachable until you actively remove the rule — useful for sites you never want back. Temporary blocking lifts on its own: after a timer, a schedule window, or a challenge length ends, the site returns without you doing anything. Temporary blocking suits work focus, where you need a site back later in the day; permanent blocking suits a habit you're trying to quit outright. Most free Chrome blockers can do either, depending on how you set them up.

How do I block a website during work hours but not after?

Use a scheduling extension. LeechBlock NG lets you define time windows per blockset — block reddit.com and youtube.com from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, and they unblock automatically in the evening and on weekends. If your schedule is unpredictable, a session blocker like Focuh fits better: you start a focus block on demand when you actually sit down to work, instead of trusting a fixed calendar rule you'll end up overriding.

Does temporary blocking in Chrome need an account?

It shouldn't. Focuh stores your blocklist and your session timer in local Chrome storage and never asks for an email, so you can block sites temporarily without signing up. Some popular blockers require an account and cap the free tier at three sites — BlockSite is the common example. If you want no-account, no-cap temporary blocking, choose an extension built that way rather than a freemium tool that gates the useful parts.

Can I bypass a temporary block I set on myself?

Usually yes — any Chrome extension can be disabled from chrome://extensions, so a determined user can lift a block in two clicks. The point of temporary blocking isn't to be unbreakable; it's to interrupt the reflex long enough for the urge to pass. If you want a block you genuinely can't cancel until the timer ends, SelfControl on Mac runs an irreversible countdown, though it works at the system level rather than inside Chrome.

Will a temporary block cover Safari and other browsers too?

No. A Chrome extension only controls Chrome, so a temporary block in Chrome leaves Safari, Firefox, and Arc wide open. If you tend to switch browsers to dodge a block, you need OS-level blocking instead. The free Focuh Mac app blocks sites across every browser at once during a timed focus session, and the hosts file blocks them network-wide — though the hosts file has no timer, so it isn't truly temporary on its own.

Is a temporary block better than blocking a site forever?

For focus, usually yes. A permanent block on a site you need for work — say you block all of YouTube but your job involves tutorials — just trains you to disable the blocker, and once it's off, it stays off. A temporary block tied to a focus session keeps the site gone while you work and hands it back afterward, so you never have a reason to turn the blocker off entirely. The friction stays in place for the next session.

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How to Temporarily Block Websites on Chrome (Free)

June 13, 20269 min readFocuh

You don't always want a site gone forever — you want it gone for the next two hours while you finish something. Here's how to temporarily block websites on Chrome for free: install a no-account blocker that runs on a timer or a session, add your distracting sites, and start a focus block. They stay blocked for the length you pick, then come back on their own. No system files, no payment.

This guide covers every free way to block sites temporarily in Chrome — a session-based extension, a scheduling extension, and Chrome's own settings — plus when a browser-only block falls short and you need system-level blocking instead.

What does "temporary" actually mean here?

Temporary blocking comes in two shapes, and picking the right one matters more than picking the right app.

A session block stays on for one continuous stretch you start on demand — an afternoon, a 90-minute deep-work block, or a 30-day challenge — then lifts. You decide when to begin, and the block ends when the run is over. This fits people whose focus time moves around day to day.

A scheduled block repeats on a clock — block Reddit every weekday from 9am to 5pm, open evenings and weekends. You set it once and it runs itself. This fits people with predictable hours who want zero decisions in the moment.

Both are "temporary" in that the site comes back without you removing a rule. The rest of this guide shows you how to set up each one for free.

Method 1: A session-based extension (start it when you sit down)

A session blocker is the simplest mental model: you start a focus block, your sites are gone, the block ends when the session does.

Open the Chrome Web Store and install a free blocker. Focuh is free with no account and no cap on sites.
Click the extension icon in your toolbar.
Add the sites you want gone — reddit.com, youtube.com, x.com, whatever pulls you.
Start a focus challenge — 30, 91, or 180 days, or a custom length.

The moment you start, those tabs redirect to a block screen, and they stay blocked for the run you chose. Focuh keeps your blocklist and a daily attempt counter in local Chrome storage — no email, no telemetry. The attempt counter is the quiet payoff: seeing that you reached for Reddit eleven times on Monday and twice by Friday is proof the reflex is fading.

One honest limit: a Chrome extension blocks Chrome and nothing else. Switch to Safari and the block is gone. More on that below.

Method 2: A scheduling extension (set it once, runs daily)

If you'd rather block by the clock, a scheduling extension is the free way to do it.

LeechBlock NG is the standard pick. It's free, open-source, and gives you up to 30 independent blocksets, each with its own list and schedule. You can block youtube.com from 9am to 5pm on weekdays only, set a different window for weekends, or require a delay before a site loads. It's the most granular free scheduler on Chrome.

The tradeoff is setup. LeechBlock NG's options page is dense with toggles and dropdowns — powerful once configured, intimidating on first open. If you enjoy dialing in settings, you'll like it. If you want to start blocking in under a minute, a session blocker is lighter. The two cover different temperaments more than different problems.

Method 3: Chrome's built-in site settings (a rough stopgap)

Chrome has no true "block this site until 5pm" toggle, but you can degrade a site by hand:

Go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings, pick the domain, and set JavaScript to Block.

The page loads broken instead of scrollable. It's free and built in, but there's no timer — you have to flip it back manually, which makes it temporary only in the sense that you'll forget you set it. Treat it as a last resort when you can't install anything.

Free ways to temporarily block sites in Chrome, compared

Method	Free?	Temporary how?	Covers other browsers?	Effort
Focuh extension	Yes	Session / challenge length	No (Chrome only)	Under a minute
LeechBlock NG	Yes	Daily schedule windows	No (Chrome only)	Higher setup
Chrome site settings	Yes	Manual on/off only	No	Low, but fiddly
Focuh Mac app	Yes	Timed focus session	Yes (OS-level)	Quick install

The right column is the honest catch. Every browser-based method stops at Chrome's edge. If your distraction problem stays inside Chrome, that's fine. If it doesn't, read on. For the wider field of free Chrome blockers, see the best free website blocker for Chrome in 2026.

When is a Chrome extension not enough?

A Chrome extension governs Chrome. That's the whole sentence. If your distraction lives entirely in Chrome tabs, an extension is genuinely complete.

But if you've ever closed a blocked Chrome tab and reopened the same site in Safari, you know the gap. An extension can't block other browsers, and it can't block native apps like the Slack or Reddit desktop clients. The reflex routes around it.

That's where OS-level blocking comes in. The free Focuh desktop app for Mac blocks sites at the operating-system level during a timed focus session, so a blocked site is unreachable in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Arc at once — and in native apps too. It uses macOS Accessibility APIs rather than living in chrome://extensions, so it's harder to switch off mid-session. The system-level vs browser blocking guide explains exactly why browser-only blocks tend to fail by week two.

For temporary blocking specifically, the Mac app is the cleanest fit: the block is tied to a timer, so it lifts on its own when the session ends, and it covers everything while it's running.

Can you cancel a temporary block early?

Mostly yes, and it's worth being honest about it. Any Chrome extension can be disabled from chrome://extensions, so a self-imposed block is never truly locked. The hosts file can be edited back. Even the Mac app can be stopped by revoking its permission in System Settings.

The point of temporary blocking isn't to be unbreakable — it's to add enough friction that the autopilot click fails and the urge passes. If you genuinely need a block you can't argue your way out of until the timer ends, SelfControl runs an irreversible countdown on Mac that survives a reboot. It's website-only and has no app blocking, but for a hard, can't-cancel temporary block, it's the strictest free option.

The quickest setup that actually sticks

If you want one recommendation: install a free, no-account session blocker, add your worst sites, and start a focus block when you sit down to work. The sites come back on their own when the session ends, so you never have a reason to turn the blocker off entirely.

Both the Chrome extension and the Mac app are free, so you can run the extension for Chrome and add the Mac app the day you catch yourself escaping to another browser. Temporary, timed, and no account either way.