How to block YouTube on your Mac or MacBook
To block YouTube on a Mac or MacBook, use Screen Time for a continuous restriction, App Limits for a daily allowance, or Cactus for recurring focus hours. Add youtube.com and youtu.be, then test the block in every browser you use. Pick the method that matches when you still want access.
- Block YouTube continuously: add it to Screen Time's restricted websites.
- Limit daily YouTube time: add the site under Screen Time's App Limits.
- Block YouTube during work hours: set a recurring schedule in Cactus.
The steps are the same on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or desktop Mac. They depend on your macOS version, and this guide notes where macOS 27 differs.
YouTube appears in more than one place on the web, so test youtube.com, www.youtube.com, m.youtube.com, and shortened youtu.be links. Cactus expands youtube.com to the first three automatically. Add youtu.be separately if shortened links matter to you.
Method 1: Block YouTube with Screen Time
Screen Time is the built-in choice when YouTube should stay restricted rather than return at a scheduled time. Apple places website restrictions inside Content & Privacy, not in Safari's own settings.
- Open System Settings, choose Screen Time, and turn Screen Time on if it is off.
- Open Content & Privacy and turn it on.
- Choose App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
- Under Safari, choose Limit Adult Websites, then Customize.
- Add
youtube.comandyoutu.beto the restricted list. - Open YouTube in Safari and test both a normal video URL and a shortened link.
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, Apple's overview labels the button Content & Privacy Restrictions, and the Safari website list is still documented under App Store, Media, Web, & Games. Apple documents the current controls in its guides to Content & Privacy restrictions and web-content settings.
This method is strongest when another person controls the Screen Time passcode. If you know the passcode and can change the settings immediately, the restriction adds less friction. Apple documents the website list for Safari, so test Chrome or Firefox separately.
Method 2: Set a daily YouTube limit
Use an App Limit when you want some YouTube each day but do not want an open-ended session. This is a usage allowance, so it does not express a rule such as "block YouTube every weekday from 9:00 to 17:00."
- Open System Settings, choose Screen Time, then App Limits.
- Choose Add Limit, expand Websites, and select YouTube or add its URL.
- Set the daily allowance with Every Day, or choose Custom if weekends should differ.
- Select Block at end of limit, click Done, and verify what happens when the allowance runs out.
Apple's App Limits guide for macOS Tahoe 26 covers these steps, and Sequoia 15 matches. On macOS 27, Apple replaces App Limits with Schedules and Time Allowances set by category, and as of October 2026 its guide does not describe a limit for one website. Watching in a browser and watching in a separate app may be counted or controlled differently, so test the route you actually use.
Method 3: Block YouTube on a recurring schedule
A recurring blocker lets YouTube remain available outside work or study hours. The same block starts automatically each week, so you do not need to start a focus session every day.
Cactus has one schedule: a time range, the weekdays it runs, and one list of sites. To block YouTube with it:
- Choose the days the block should run, such as every weekday.
- Drag the time block to set the start and end, such as 09:00 to 17:00.
- Add
youtube.comto the blocked websites. - Add
youtu.beif you also want shortened links blocked, andmusic.youtube.comif you use YouTube Music. - Click Turn On Cactus, then test YouTube in every browser you use.
Cactus handles youtube.com, www.youtube.com, and m.youtube.com together. Other YouTube hostnames are not blocked by name, so add the ones you use. The block happens at the Mac level through the hosts file and the pf firewall, so it applies in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers without an extension. The schedule stays on your Mac. While the app is open, the menu bar shows whether blocking is on and when access returns. Read how Cactus blocks websites for more detail, including how a Mac administrator can remove it.
Once a block has started, Cactus has no button to end it early, and edits made during it apply from the next block. A Mac administrator can still remove the app. Cactus blocks websites, not apps, and it is not parental-control software. For more on picking hours and comparing schedulers, see how to block websites on a schedule.
Which method should you use?
| Method | Best for | Access returns | Extra software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Time restriction | Keeping YouTube continuously restricted | When the setting changes | No |
| Screen Time App Limit | Allowing a fixed amount each day | On the next allowance period | No |
| Cactus schedule | Recurring work or study hours | At the scheduled end | Yes |
Start with Screen Time if a permanent Safari restriction solves the problem. Use App Limits if the amount of time matters. Use Cactus when the real rule is about specific recurring hours and you want that schedule to start without a daily decision.
For a broader comparison, see how to block websites on Mac or the Safari website blocker guide.
Can you block only YouTube Shorts on a Mac?
Not with Screen Time or Cactus. Both work on whole websites. Shorts live at youtube.com/shorts, on the same site as every other YouTube video, so neither tool can block that path while leaving the rest of YouTube open. If you type youtube.com/shorts into Cactus, it saves youtube.com and blocks all of YouTube during your schedule.
The realistic way to hide Shorts and keep the rest of YouTube is a browser extension that changes how YouTube's pages look, for example by hiding the Shorts shelf and Shorts links. Search your browser's extension store, then check before installing:
- Permissions. It needs access to
youtube.com. Avoid one that asks for every site without a reason. - Upkeep. YouTube changes its pages often, so a recently updated extension is more likely to still work.
- Coverage. It only works in the browser where you install it, and you can turn it off in a few seconds.
You can combine the two approaches. Use an extension to hide Shorts all the time, and a scheduled block to remove YouTube entirely during work hours.
Common YouTube blocking problems
YouTube still opens from a shortened link
Add youtu.be separately. It is a different domain from youtube.com, even though it redirects to the same videos.
The homepage is blocked but an embedded video still plays
Embedded players can load through additional YouTube or Google-owned hostnames, such as youtube-nocookie.com. Test the exact embedded page you care about. Widening a block to every Google video hostname can also break unrelated services, so avoid copying a huge domain list without testing it.
The block works in Safari but not another browser
Screen Time's web-content control is centered on Safari. If you use Chrome, Firefox, Arc, or several browsers, test each one and choose a Mac-level blocker when you need the same scheduled rule across browsers. A browser using its own secure DNS (DNS over HTTPS) can bypass the hosts file, and iCloud Private Relay, proxies, or some VPNs can affect any Mac-level blocker, so test with your usual setup. Browser-specific steps are in how to block websites on Mac Chrome and the guide for Arc, Brave, and Firefox.
The block is easy to turn off
Use a Screen Time passcode controlled by someone else if another person should control the restriction. Use a scheduled blocker if you want no off switch during specific hours. A Mac administrator can still remove any local app.
YouTube is useful for work too
A blanket block may be too broad. Block YouTube only during the hours when habitual viewing is a problem, or use a separate browser profile for necessary work videos.
Test the result before relying on it
Open a normal YouTube video, a youtu.be link, a mobile URL, and an embedded video. Repeat the test in every browser you actually use, then confirm exactly when access returns. A block is useful only when its real behavior matches the rule you thought you created.
