Block YouTube

Blocking YouTube on a Mac can help parents reduce distractions and limit access to content they do not want their child to open.

Parental Control lets you block YouTube on Mac and protect the restriction with a password. This helps prevent children from disabling or changing the block on their own.

This guide shows how to block YouTube on Mac with Parental Control.

How to block YouTube

Steps:

  1. Download Parental Control .
  2. Open Parental Control.
  3. Set a password.
    • Click “Password” (the key icon in the toolbar).
    • Enter a password under “New password”.
    • Enter it again under “Confirm password”.
    • Click “Confirm”.
  4. Click the “Websites” tab.
  5. Click the + button under “Blocked Websites”.
  6. Enter youtube.com and confirm with the Enter key (⏎).
  7. Open the Schedule tab.
  8. Start a block right away under “Quick Start”, or create a recurring schedule.

Once the block is active, YouTube will be blocked on the Mac. To change or remove the restriction, enter the password and update the settings.

How to block YouTube except specific videos

You can block YouTube on a Mac but still allow access to specific videos if needed.

Note: Website Exceptions and Keyword blocking are Pro features. See -> Pricing.

Steps:

  1. Open Parental Control.
  2. Click the “Websites” tab.
  3. Under “Blocked Websites”, add www.youtube.com and confirm with the Enter key (⏎).
  4. Under “Exceptions”, click the + button.
  5. Add the full URL of the video that you want to allow, surrounded by asterisks. For example:
    *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=useful2*
  6. Open the Schedule tab.
  7. Start a block right away under “Quick Start”, or create a recurring schedule.

Be sure to surround the full video URL with asterisks.

This makes Parental Control treat it as a keyword pattern. That way, YouTube stays blocked except for the specific video URL you allowed.

How to block YouTube but allow music.youtube.com

If you want to block YouTube on a Mac but still allow YouTube Music, you can block youtube.com and allow music.youtube.com.

Steps:

  1. Open Parental Control.
  2. Click the “Websites” tab.
  3. Under “Blocked Websites”, add youtube.com and confirm with the Enter key (⏎).
  4. Under “Exceptions”, click the + button.
  5. Add music.youtube.com and confirm with the Enter key (⏎).
  6. Open the Schedule tab.
  7. Start a block right away under “Quick Start”, or create a recurring schedule.

Parental Control will then block youtube.com while allowing access to music.youtube.com as an exception.

How to block YouTube and video content with keywords

To block YouTube and other video content across different sites, add these keywords to the block list:

*youtube.com*

*&q=video*

Note: Keyword blocking is a Pro feature. See -> Pricing.

Troubleshooting

If blocking is not working as expected, try the following:

  • Make sure you are using a supported web browser: Safari, Google Chrome, Brave, Microsoft Edge, or Opera.
  • Verify that the website address is spelled correctly.
  • Make sure Parental Control has permission to block websites:
    • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation → Parental Control.
    • Enable all web browsers listed there.
  • Restart your Mac.
  • Fix your subscription
  • Fix data disappearing

If you need help, contact support.

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