# How to Block Reddit on MacBook and Mac (2026) > How to block Reddit on a MacBook in Safari or any browser: Screen Time steps, a work-hours schedule, and why old.reddit.com and i.redd.it need their own entry. Canonical: https://usecactus.app/guides/how-to-block-reddit-on-mac Last updated: 2026-10-17 Block reddit.com and www.reddit.com, then add old.reddit.com, because it is a separate site. Choose Screen Time for Safari, a daily limit, or a schedule that covers every browser during work hours. ## How to block Reddit on your MacBook To block Reddit on a MacBook, block `reddit.com`, `www.reddit.com`, and `old.reddit.com`. Use Screen Time to restrict them in Safari, a Screen Time limit for a daily allowance, or a scheduled blocker such as Cactus to keep Reddit closed during work hours in every browser. The steps are the same on any Mac model running the same macOS. 1. **Block Reddit in Safari all the time:** add it to Screen Time's Restricted list. 2. **Allow a fixed amount each day:** set a Screen Time limit. 3. **Block Reddit during recurring hours in every browser:** use a scheduled blocker. Reddit has no Mac app. As of October 2026, the [Reddit App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reddit/id1064216828) covers iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision, so on a Mac you use it in a browser. ## The Reddit hostnames that matter Reddit runs on more hostnames than most sites. This is what each one did in October 2026. | Hostname | What it does | Add it? | | --- | --- | --- | | `reddit.com` | Redirects to `www.reddit.com` | Yes | | `www.reddit.com` | The main site | Yes | | `old.reddit.com` | The classic interface, served separately | Yes | | `new.reddit.com`, `sh.reddit.com`, `np.reddit.com`, `m.reddit.com` | Redirect to `www.reddit.com` | Optional | | `redd.it` | Short post links that redirect to `www.reddit.com` | Optional | | `i.redd.it`, `v.redd.it`, `preview.redd.it` | Images and video | Only if direct media links pull you in | | `embed.reddit.com` | Reddit posts embedded on other sites | Optional | The redirecting names end at `www.reddit.com`. Once that is blocked, they fail too. Add them only if you want them to fail directly. ### old.reddit.com is a separate site `old.reddit.com` does not redirect. It serves the classic interface from its own hostname, so a block on `reddit.com` alone may leave it open. Since mid-2026, Reddit [requires a login for old Reddit](https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/07/01/1743219/reddit-will-require-you-to-log-in-to-use-old-reddit), but logged-in users can still use it. If you prefer old Reddit, it is probably the one you will reach for first, so add it. ### Media links: i.redd.it and v.redd.it Reddit serves images from `i.redd.it` and video from `v.redd.it`. A direct image link shared in chat or found in image search loads from there without opening Reddit. Adding them stops those links. The cost is that Reddit images shown on other sites break during the block too. You can usually leave them off, because a single image is not the feed. ## Method 1: Block Reddit with Screen Time in Safari 1. Open **System Settings** and click **Screen Time** in the sidebar. Turn it on if macOS asks. 2. Click **Content & Privacy** and turn it on. 3. Click **App Store, Media, Web, & Games**. 4. Next to Safari, choose **Limit Adult Websites**, then click **Customize**. 5. Click the add button below the **Restricted** list, enter `reddit.com`, and click **Done**. Add `old.reddit.com` the same way. 6. Open `www.reddit.com` and `old.reddit.com` in Safari and confirm neither loads. 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 Golden Gate, Apple's overview page labels the button **Content & Privacy Restrictions**. The Safari list is still under App Store, Media, Web, & Games, as Apple's guide to [App Store, Media, Web, & Games settings](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-app-store-media-web-and-games-settings-mchlbcf0dfe2/mac) shows. The [Safari website blocker guide](https://usecactus.app/guides/website-blocker-for-safari-mac) compares this with Safari extensions and Mac-level blockers. ## Method 2: Set a daily Reddit limit On macOS Sonoma 14 through Tahoe 26: 1. Open **System Settings > Screen Time > App Limits** and turn it on. 2. Click **Add Limit**, then expand **Websites** at the bottom of the list. 3. Select `reddit.com` if you have visited it, or add the URL. Add `old.reddit.com` if you use it. 4. Choose **Every Day** or **Custom**, enter the time, and select **Block at end of limit**. 5. Click **Done**. These steps follow Apple's [App Limits guide for macOS Tahoe 26](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchl630bc02f/26.0/mac/26.0). macOS 27 replaced App Limits with [Schedules and Time Allowances](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-time-limits-for-apps-and-websites-mchl630bc02f/mac), which Apple describes by category. As of October 2026 its guide does not describe a limit for a single website. A limit counts minutes. It does not care whether you spend them at lunch or in the middle of a hard problem. ## Method 3: Block Reddit during work hours with Cactus Cactus for Mac runs one recurring schedule: one time range, the weekdays it repeats, and one list of sites. During those hours it blocks the sites through `/etc/hosts` and the pf firewall, which covers Safari, Chrome, Arc, Firefox, and other browsers without an extension. 1. Install Cactus, move it to Applications, and allow it to run in the background. 2. Choose the days and drag the time block. 3. Add `reddit.com`. Cactus blocks `reddit.com` and `www.reddit.com`. 4. Add `old.reddit.com` as its own entry. Cactus does not add it for you. 5. Add `i.redd.it` or `v.redd.it` only if direct media links are a problem. 6. Click **Turn On Cactus** and test. Cactus also blocks the IP addresses that your listed names resolve to. A Reddit hostname you did not add can therefore fail during a test when it happens to share servers with one you did. Do not count on it. Add every name you want blocked. Once a block starts, Cactus has no button to end it early, and edits made during a block apply from the next one. A Mac administrator can still remove it. See [how Cactus blocks websites](https://usecactus.app/how-cactus-blocks) for the details. Where Cactus falls short: - It blocks whole sites, so `reddit.com/r/programming` blocks all of Reddit. - It has one schedule. Different hours on different days are not possible. - It is Mac-only. For Reddit on your phone, use Screen Time on the iPhone, or a cross-device tool such as Freedom. Cactus costs $19.99 once and runs on macOS 14 or later. The 7-day trial starts when you turn on your first schedule, with no account or card. ## How to block Reddit on Safari on Mac, and in other browsers **Safari.** Method 1 is the built-in route, and Apple documents it as a Safari setting. **Chrome, Arc, Firefox, Brave.** Test each one. A Safari setting does not carry over, an extension covers only its own browser, and a browser's own secure DNS can bypass the hosts file. [Blocking websites in Arc, Brave, and Firefox](https://usecactus.app/guides/block-websites-arc-brave-firefox-mac) covers each browser. **Terminal.** You can add the names to `/etc/hosts` yourself, one line per hostname, with no schedule. [Blocking websites with the hosts file](https://usecactus.app/guides/block-websites-mac-terminal-hosts-file) shows how. ## Reddit links in Google results Google often shows Reddit results near the top. A blocker stops you at the click, because those links go to `www.reddit.com`. It does not hide the Reddit snippet that Google shows on its own page. To keep Reddit out of one search, add `-site:reddit.com` to the query. The snippet may be all you needed, and you do not land in the comments. ## Which method should you use? Use Screen Time if you only use Safari and want Reddit gone for good. Use a daily limit if you want some Reddit and the amount is the issue. Use Cactus when Reddit is fine in the evening but not during work hours, and you want the block to start on its own in every browser. ## Common Reddit blocking problems ### old.reddit.com still loads Add it as its own entry. Cactus and the hosts file only block the exact names you list. ### A redd.it link still opens a post It should redirect to `www.reddit.com` and fail there. If the post loads, check that `www.reddit.com` is on your list. ### Reddit images still appear They come from `i.redd.it`. Add it if that matters to you. ### Reddit is blocked in Safari but not in Chrome Screen Time's list is a Safari setting. Use a Mac-level blocker, or see [why Screen Time is not blocking websites](https://usecactus.app/guides/screen-time-not-blocking-websites-mac). ### Reddit still loads during a Cactus block Reload the tab, because the page may come from the cache. Browsers with their own secure DNS, iCloud Private Relay in Safari, proxies, and some VPNs can affect blocking. ## Test the result before you rely on it Open `reddit.com`, `www.reddit.com`, `old.reddit.com`, and a `redd.it` link. Click a Reddit result from Google. Repeat in each browser you use, including a private window. For a schedule, check that Reddit is blocked just after the start time and returns at the end time. ## Questions ### Does blocking reddit.com block old.reddit.com? Not reliably. old.reddit.com is its own hostname and serves its own pages, so add it as a separate entry. Cactus blocks reddit.com and www.reddit.com only, plus whatever you add. ### How do I block Reddit on Safari on Mac? Open System Settings, then Screen Time, Content & Privacy, and App Store, Media, Web, & Games. Choose Limit Adult Websites, click Customize, and add reddit.com and old.reddit.com to the Restricted list. ### How do I stop Reddit showing up in Google results? A blocker stops the click, not the snippet Google shows on its own page. To hide Reddit from a single search, add -site:reddit.com to the query. ### Can I block one subreddit instead of all of Reddit? Not with Cactus or the hosts file, which block whole sites. A URL-based browser extension can block a path such as reddit.com/r/news, inside the browser where it is installed. ### Is there a Reddit app for Mac? No. As of October 2026, the Reddit App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision, not Mac. On a Mac, Reddit is a website. ## Keep reading - [How to block social media on your Mac](https://usecactus.app/guides/block-social-media-on-mac): Block social media on your Mac or MacBook: the exact domains for 12 networks, how to block them in Safari with Screen Time, and how to block them on a schedule. - [How to block Facebook on your Mac](https://usecactus.app/guides/how-to-block-facebook-on-mac): Block Facebook on your Mac or MacBook with Screen Time, a daily limit, or a recurring schedule. Includes the domains to add and what happens to Messenger. - [How to block Instagram on a MacBook or Mac](https://usecactus.app/guides/how-to-block-instagram-on-mac): Block Instagram on a MacBook in Safari, Chrome, or any browser: Screen Time steps for macOS 14 to 27, a work-hours schedule, and the exact hostnames to add.