How to block Netflix on your Mac

How to block Netflix on your Mac

To block Netflix on a Mac or MacBook, block netflix.com and www.netflix.com. Use Screen Time's restricted websites for a permanent block in Safari, a daily limit if you want some Netflix each day, or a scheduled blocker such as Cactus for Mac to block it during set hours in every browser.

1. Block Netflix all the time in Safari: add it to Screen Time's restricted websites.
2. Allow a fixed amount each day: set a daily website limit.
3. Block Netflix during work or study hours: set a recurring schedule in Cactus.

Is there a Netflix app for Mac?

No. As of October 2026, Netflix's App Store listing lists iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, with no Mac version. Netflix hasn't made its iPad app available on Apple silicon Macs either. Its downloads help page lists phones, tablets, and Chromebooks, not Macs.

That makes Netflix simpler to block on a Mac than most services. There's no app to deal with, so blocking the website covers it. A Netflix shortcut added to the Dock from Safari opens the same website, so a Mac-level block on netflix.com applies to it too. If you use Screen Time, test the shortcut as well as Safari.

Which Netflix domains to block

Add netflix.com and www.netflix.com. As of October 2026, netflix.com redirects to www.netflix.com, which may add a country path to the address. Paths don't matter for blocking, because both methods below block whole domains.

Netflix streams video from separate delivery servers. You don't need to block them. Without www.netflix.com the site doesn't load, so you can't sign in or browse.

Method 1: Block Netflix with Screen Time

Screen Time is free and already on your Mac. It keeps Netflix restricted in Safari until you change the setting.

1. Open System Settings and choose Screen Time. Turn on Screen Time or App & Website Activity if macOS asks.
2. Choose Content & Privacy and turn it on.
3. Choose App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
4. Under Safari, choose Limit Adult Websites, then Customize.
5. Add netflix.com under Restricted.
6. Open Netflix in Safari and confirm it doesn't load.

These steps match macOS 15 Sequoia and 26 Tahoe. On macOS 14 Sonoma, that pane is called Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content, and the menu is Web Content instead of Safari. On macOS 27, some of Apple's help pages label the button Content & Privacy Restrictions. Apple's guide to App Store, Media, Web, & Games settings documents this as a Safari control, so test Chrome or Firefox separately if you use them.

If you're setting this up for a child, turn on a Screen Time passcode that the child doesn't know. Cactus is not parental-control software.

Method 2: Set a daily Netflix limit

A limit fits if one episode is fine and five is the problem.

On macOS 14 to 26, open Screen Time, then App Limits, and choose Add Limit. Expand Websites, add netflix.com, set the daily time, and select Block at end of limit. Apple's App Limits guide for macOS Tahoe has the full steps.

On macOS 27, App Limits became Time Allowances, set by category such as Entertainment, together with Screen Time Schedules. Apple's macOS 27 guide describes them in terms of apps and doesn't document a limit for a single website. Since Netflix has no Mac app, check whether netflix.com in your browser is counted before you rely on it.

Method 3: Block Netflix on a recurring schedule

A schedule fits when the rule is about time of day. For example, no Netflix on weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00, and it's back in the evening without touching any settings.

In Cactus:

1. Choose the days the block should run.
2. Drag the timeline to set the start and end time.
3. Add netflix.com. Cactus blocks netflix.com and www.netflix.com from that one entry.
4. Turn the schedule on and test Netflix in each browser you use.

Cactus works at the Mac level, so the block applies in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers without an extension. Once a block starts, the app has no button to end it early. How Cactus blocks websites explains how it works and how a Mac administrator can still remove it.

Cactus has one schedule, so Netflix shares its hours with every other site on your list. If you also want YouTube or social media blocked, the guide to blocking social media on Mac lists the domains. Chrome's Secure DNS, iCloud Private Relay, proxies, and some VPNs can affect blocking. It costs $19.99 once, with a 7-day free trial that starts when you turn on your first schedule. For other ways to set recurring hours, see how to block websites on a schedule.

Common Netflix blocking problems

A show keeps playing after the block starts

A title that was already playing can run on for a while from what it has buffered. Reload the page to check the block. It shouldn't load again until access returns.

Netflix still works on the TV

A Mac block only covers the Mac. Netflix on a TV, Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad needs that device's own settings.

The block works in Safari but not in Chrome

Screen Time's website list is documented for Safari. Test every browser you use, or use a Mac-level blocker so one list covers all of them.

Which method to pick

Use Screen Time if you want Netflix gone from Safari until you decide otherwise. Use a daily limit if you want some Netflix every day, with a cap. Use a schedule if the problem is specific hours, such as work or study time, and you want Netflix back automatically afterwards. For a wider comparison of all three, see how to block websites on Mac.