How to Block Facebook on a Computer, Phone and Router

Key takeaways

• Hosts file: blocking only facebook.com is not enough, add the www, m and web versions too.
• Chrome and Edge policy: one facebook.com entry blocks every Facebook subdomain in that browser.
• Phones: the website and the app are blocked separately, with Screen Time on iPhone and Family Link or Digital Wellbeing on Android.
• Router: one rule covers every device on your home network, but not a phone on mobile data.
• Unblocking: to remove a built-in block, reverse the same step.

Methods compared

Only a website blocker set so its blocks cannot be edited or removed is difficult to remove.

1. Block Facebook with the hosts file (Windows)

The hosts file stops a domain from loading in every browser on the PC. Facebook uses several domain names, so list each one.

1. 1.Type Notepad in the Start menu, right click it and select Run as administrator.
2. 2.Select File > Open, go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc, change the file type to All Files and open hosts.
3. 3.Add these lines at the bottom:

   0.0.0.0 facebook.com
   0.0.0.0 www.facebook.com
   0.0.0.0 m.facebook.com
   0.0.0.0 web.facebook.com
   0.0.0.0 mbasic.facebook.com
   0.0.0.0 touch.facebook.com
   0.0.0.0 fb.com
   0.0.0.0 www.fb.com

4. 4.To block Messenger in the browser as well, add 0.0.0.0 messenger.com and 0.0.0.0 www.messenger.com.
5. 5.Save the file, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns. Close and reopen your browser.

On a Mac, the same lines go in /etc/hosts, which you edit in Terminal with sudo nano /etc/hosts.

Limits: it only blocks the exact names listed, and anyone with administrator access can edit it back.

2. Block Facebook in Chrome or Edge with the URLBlocklist policy

Chrome and Edge read a URLBlocklist policy from the Windows registry. An entry of facebook.com blocks facebook.com and every subdomain, including www and m.

1. 1.Press Windows + R, type regedit and press Enter.
2. 2.For Chrome, create the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\URLBlocklist. For Edge, create HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\URLBlocklist.
3. 3.Inside it, create a String Value named 1 with the value facebook.com. Add 2 with fb.com and 3 with messenger.com if you want those blocked too.
4. 4.Restart the browser and open chrome://policy or edge://policy to check the list is active.

Full steps, including Group Policy, are in how to block websites on Chrome.

Limits: each browser needs its own list, Firefox ignores it, and an administrator can delete the values.

3. Use a browser extension

Extensions such as BlockSite and LeechBlock NG block facebook.com in one browser.

1. 1.Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store, Edge Add-ons or Firefox Add-ons.
2. 2.Add facebook.com to its block list.
3. 3.Turn on Allow in Incognito in Chrome, Allow in InPrivate in Edge or Run in Private Windows in Firefox in the extension's settings.

Limits: it only covers the browser it is installed in, and it can be removed from the extensions page in one click.

4. Use a website blocker

If you want to block Facebook with strong enforcement, the best alternative is a hard to bypass blocker that cannot be removed or edited easily, such as Ascension or Cold Turkey Blocker.

Price: 15-day free trial, then $12.99/month or $50 one-time.

1. 1.Install Ascension and add its extension to your browser.
2. 2.Add facebook.com, or turn on the premade social media list. To block only one part of Facebook, add a section such as facebook.com/reels.
3. 3.Choose Always blocked, a Scheduled block, a daily Time limit or an Entry delay.
4. 4.Set the block so it cannot be edited or removed.

Limits: Windows only (iOS and Mac in development).

5. Block Facebook on a Mac with Screen Time

1. 1.Open Apple menu > System Settings > Screen Time.
2. 2.Click Content & Privacy and turn it on, then click App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
3. 3.Next to Safari, choose Limit Adult Websites, then click Customize.
4. 4.Under Restricted, click the add button, enter facebook.com and click Done.
5. 5.Set a Screen Time passcode so the setting cannot be changed without it.

These menu names are from macOS Tahoe 26. Ascension is in development for Mac: join the Mac waitlist.

Limits: Apple documents the filter for Safari, and it also filters a long list of adult websites you cannot turn off without removing the restriction.

6. Block Facebook on iPhone and iPad (website and app)

Screen Time blocks the Facebook website in Safari and limits the Facebook app separately.

Block the website (iOS 26 and earlier)

1. 1.Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
2. 2.Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Web Content.
3. 3.Select Limit Adult Websites, tap Add Website under Never Allow, and enter facebook.com.

Block the app (iOS 26 and earlier)

1. 1.Open Settings > Screen Time > App Limits and tap Add Limit.
2. 2.Tap the social category to see its apps, select Facebook, and tap Next.
3. 3.Set the time allowed to 1 minute and save.

On iOS 27, Screen Time for your own iPhone uses Time Allowances by category under Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances. Set a low allowance for the Social Media category. Apple states that if an app declares its website, the allowance applies to both.

For a child on iOS 27, open Settings > Family, tap the child's name, tap Apps & Websites, select Facebook, and tap Block App or Block Website. Set a Screen Time passcode with Lock Screen Time Settings so the limits cannot be changed without it.

Limits: you can delete the app and use another browser that is not filtered, and anyone who knows the passcode can remove the limits.

7. Block Facebook on Android

For yourself, with Digital Wellbeing

1. 1.Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing > App timers.
2. 2.Tap Set timer next to Facebook, choose the shortest time and tap OK.

When the time runs out, the app closes and its icon dims until midnight.

For a child, with Family Link

1. 1.Open the Family Link app and select your child.
2. 2.Tap Controls > App limits, select Facebook and tap Block.
3. 3.To block the website in Chrome, tap Controls > Google Chrome and Web, then Approved sites and Blocked sites, then Add a website, and enter www.facebook.com, or the domain facebook to cover every version.

Limits: Digital Wellbeing timers can be deleted in Settings by the phone's owner, and neither method blocks Facebook in browsers other than Chrome.

8. Block Facebook on your router or with a DNS filter

A router rule blocks Facebook on every phone, computer and tablet on your Wi-Fi, including the app.

1. 1.Open your router's admin page, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, and sign in.
2. 2.Find the website filter, often under Parental controls, Access control or Security. The name differs by brand.
3. 3.Add facebook.com and fb.com, and messenger.com if you want Messenger blocked. Save.

If your router has no website filter, a DNS service such as NextDNS or CleanBrowsing lets you add facebook.com to a block list or block a social media category, then you enter its addresses in the router's DNS settings.

Limits: a phone on mobile data or a VPN is not covered, and anyone with the router password can remove the rule.

How to unblock Facebook

Reverse the step you used to block it:

1. 1.Hosts file: delete the Facebook lines, or add # at the start of each line, save, and run ipconfig /flushdns.
2. 2.Chrome or Edge policy: delete the facebook.com value under URLBlocklist and restart the browser.
3. 3.Browser extension: remove facebook.com from its block list, or turn the extension off.
4. 4.Mac and iPhone: remove facebook.com from the Restricted or Never Allow list, and delete the app limit or allowance.
5. 5.Android: delete the app timer in Digital Wellbeing, or tap Allow on Facebook in Family Link.
6. 6.Router: delete the rule from the website filter.

A website blocker such as Ascension, Cold Turkey or Freedom in Locked Mode keeps Facebook blocked when the block is set so it cannot be edited or removed.

Which method should you use?

If you want to block Facebook on one Windows PC for free, choose the hosts file with every domain above. If you want to block it in Chrome or Edge only, choose the URLBlocklist policy. If you want to block it on an iPhone or Mac, choose Screen Time with a passcode. If you want to block it on Android, choose Digital Wellbeing for yourself or Family Link for a child. If you want to block it on every device at home, choose your router. If you want to block Facebook with strong enforcement, choose a hard to bypass blocker such as Ascension. If you want Facebook blocked on your computer and phone at the same time, choose Freedom.

Frequently asked questions