How to block a website in Windows 10 and 11 (step by step)

This tutorial will show you step by step how to block a website in Windows 10 and 11 by adding a few lines to the Windows hosts file using Notepad.

You don't need third-party software to block websites in Windows 10 or 11. You can do this by adding a few lines to the Windows hosts file using Notepad.

The website will be blocked in all web browsers (e.g., Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, Opera, etc.).

How to block a website in Windows 10 and 11 using hosts file

  1. Click on the Windows start menu button.
    Windows 11 start menu button
  2. Type notepad.
  3. Right-click on Notepad when it appears in the search results.
  4. Click Run as administrator.
    Open Windows Notepad as administrator
  5. If the 'User Account Control' window appears, you click Yes. Depending on your settings, you may also need to enter the admin password and click Yes.
  6. Click File located in the top left corner of Notepad.
  7. Click Open.
    Windows Notepad open file
  8. Navigate to the following location on your PC: (C:) > Windows > System32 > drivers > etc.
  9. Click Text Documents (*.txt) located in the bottom right corner of Notepad.
  10. Select All Files (*.*).
    Select All Files in Windows Notepad
  11. Select the hosts file.
  12. Click Open.
    Open Windows hosts file in Notepad
  13. Add the following lines underneath localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself:
    
    127.0.0.1	www.example.com
    127.0.0.1	example.com
    
    
    Replace www.example.com and example.com with the website you want to block (e.g., www.youtube.com, youtube.com).
    Block a website in Windows 10 using the hosts file
  14. Click File located in the top left corner of Notepad.
  15. Click Save.
    Save the Windows Hosts file in Notepad
  16. Close Notepad.

The website is now blocked in all web browsers by the hosts file in Windows 10 or 11.