How to block YouTube on a Mac
Last updated
By Vitalii Kizlov, who makes Cloister.
If YouTube eats your evenings, the simplest fix is to make it not open at all for a while. Cloister does that on a Mac: you choose how long, and until the time is up, YouTube won’t load in Safari, Chrome or Firefox. There’s no button to turn it off early, so “just one video” stops being an option.
Block YouTube in three steps
Not on your Mac yet? Download Cloister first: the 14-day trial has nothing withheld.
- Click Cloister’s icon in the menu bar, at the top of your screen.
- Choose the Video list. It blocks YouTube, YouTube Music, shared YouTube links and YouTube videos inside other websites, and also Netflix, Twitch and other video sites.
- Pick how long it should last, then press Start session and Start blocking.
That’s it. Until the timer runs out, YouTube won’t open.
Only YouTube, not Netflix too?
Make a list of your own. Open Cloister’s Settings, go to Lists, press +, and call it “YouTube”. Then add these one at a time, pressing Add after each:
- youtube.com
- youtu.be
- music.youtube.com
- m.youtube.com
- youtube-nocookie.com, for YouTube videos shown inside other websites
Every day at the same time
If YouTube is a problem at certain hours, let Cloister start the block for you. In Settings, under Schedules, press +, choose the list, the days and the hours, such as weekdays from 9 to 5, and press Add schedule. It starts on its own, even with Cloister closed. A block can have short breaks too.
Does it really work?
We tried it on 22 October 2026, on a MacBook Pro with macOS Tahoe. During the block, the YouTube website and YouTube Music didn’t open in Safari, Chrome or Firefox, and shared youtu.be links didn’t open in Chrome or Firefox. The full results are at the end of this page.
Good to know
- It’s all of YouTube or none of it. You can’t keep one channel, or block only Shorts.
- YouTube videos inside other websites, like a clip in a news article, are blocked by the Video list from version 1.0.5, and by the list of your own above. Videos from other sites inside a page are blocked only if your list names them.
- If Safari shows YouTube’s own “Oops! Something went wrong.” page, YouTube is still blocked. Safari is showing something it saved on an earlier visit.
- If you use iCloud Private Relay in Safari, turn on Cloister’s network filter, in its Settings under Coverage, and allow it when your Mac asks.
- If you need YouTube for work or school, block it at the hours you don’t, rather than all day: a block can’t be stopped early. The study guide shows how to plan that.
Can I turn it off early?
No, and that’s the point. Quitting Cloister, restarting the Mac or changing the clock doesn’t end a block. The blocking guide explains what holds, and the rare ways around it.
Reddit too? See how to block Reddit on a Mac.
Try Cloister on your own Mac
The download is the whole app, with a 14-day trial and nothing withheld. If you buy it and it isn’t for you, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Version 1.0.5 · macOS 15 or later
A separate app · free to download, blocking needs Cloister Pro
The test in detail (22 October 2026)
A MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) running macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, with Cloister 1.0.3 and its Video list. Safari 26.6.2, Chrome 155 and Firefox 157. Firefox was also tried with DNS over HTTPS forced on, and was blocked the same way. On 1.0.3, a YouTube video inside another site from youtube-nocookie.com still showed up in Chrome and Firefox. Version 1.0.5 added it to the Video list, and the last row is that version, tried the same day.
| During the block | Safari | Chrome | Firefox |
|---|---|---|---|
| The YouTube website | Blocked | Blocked | Blocked |
| youtube.com, without www | Not tried | Blocked | Blocked |
| The mobile site | Not tried | Blocked | Blocked |
| YouTube Music | Blocked | Blocked | Blocked |
| A shared youtu.be link | No clear result | Blocked | Blocked |
| A YouTube video inside another site | Not checked | Blocked | Blocked |
| The same, from youtube-nocookie.com, on 1.0.5 | Blocked | Blocked | Blocked |
How this page was made
The results come from one test, on the date and with the versions above. The steps follow Cloister for Mac in the app’s own words. If anything here is wrong or out of date, write to support@getcloister.app and it will be corrected.