How to Manage Website Blocks Without Losing Access

Blocking distracting or harmful content is essential to productivity and digital wellness. But sometimes, you could accidentally block too many websites or need urgent access to a blocked page.

With 1Focus—the leading website blocker for Mac—you can easily fine-tune what’s blocked, add exceptions, temporarily pause blocks, and restore access when needed.

This guide shows you exactly how to manage your website blocks on Mac with 1Focus, including:

How to add, remove, or review blocked sites.
How to create an exceptions list so you never lose access to essential content.
How to temporarily pause blocks or set daily allowances for urgent needs.
How to test, troubleshoot, and easily adjust blocking schedules.

These steps work whether you’re blocking YouTube, porn, or any distracting content on Safari, Chrome, or any major browser.

❓ Why Managing Website Blocks Matters

While it’s easy to block websites on Mac with 1Focus, it’s also possible to accidentally block access to sites you need. Many users reach out for help after realizing they’ve blocked important content. 1Focus helps you avoid this problem by making it simple to manage your blocks.

🔍 Review and Edit Your Block List in 1Focus

To see what’s on your block list:

Open 1Focus (click the menu bar arrow icon).
Select your preset if you have more than one.
Click the Websites tab.
- Here, you’ll see both blocked websites and any current exceptions.
- Remove a website from the block list by selecting it and clicking the minus (–) button.
- To add a new website to block, click the plus (+) button under “Blocked Websites,” type the web address, and hit Enter.

Note: You can only modify your settings when the block is not active.

➕ How to Add Website Exceptions

Adding exceptions ensures you never lose access to platforms or tools you need for work, research, or daily life. Here’s how:

Open 1Focus and select your preset.
Go to the Websites tab.
Click + under “Exceptions.”
Type the website’s URL address.
Press Enter and confirm it appears in your exceptions list.

Tip: Only add final URL addresses; avoid search engine result links.

For a step-by-step guide: How to add a website exception in 1Focus

⏸️ How to Temporarily Pause Website and App Blocking

Sometimes, you might quickly need to access a blocked site or app—for an urgent task. 1Focus Pro lets you “pause” all blocking for a limited amount of time, without losing your block schedule. Here is how:

Enable pausing:

Make sure there’s no active block running.
Open 1Focus → click the menu icon (≡) → Preferences.
Under Suspend Blocking, set a “pausing allowance” (e.g. 30 min per 10 hours).
Close Preferences and set up your block sessions.
During a block, click the pause button in 1Focus’ window to temporarily regain access.
After using your time, blocking resumes automatically.

Note: By default, the pause allowance in 1Focus is set to 0 minutes, meaning that pausing is not enabled unless you adjust this setting. To be able to pause during focus sessions, you need to enable this feature as outlined in the following guide: How to pause blocking in 1Focus

🔄 How to Restore Access if You Blocked Necessary Content

Blocked yourself from important sites, or even from all websites? Don’t panic!

Wait for your block event to end.
If you set a permanent or recurring block, use your next available minute gap to regain access and adjust your settings.
Add essential sites to your exception list once the block is inactive.
If needed, delete a blocking event from the Schedule tab when it is inactive.

Note: Always test your settings—try visiting both blocked and allowed sites—before closing 1Focus.

📅 How to Schedule Limited Access

Schedule specific times for breaks or limited content access:

Use daily time limits (e.g. allow social media, YouTube, or news sites from 5–6 p.m.).
Allow daily pause time (e.g. 60 minutes per 10 hours).

👨‍💻 How to Schedule Block Sessions During Working Hours

Maximize your productivity by scheduling block sessions during your work hours. By automatically blocking distracting websites and apps on your Mac when you need to concentrate the most, you can maintain focus and enhance your time-management skills.

Learn how to set up recurring block sessions during working hours here: How to schedule blocking events in 1Focus during working hours.

⏲️ How to Schedule Temporary Block Sessions on Your Mac

When you need to concentrate on a specific project or study session, you can schedule temporary block sessions to prevent distractions. This feature works perfectly for implementing productivity methods such as the Pomodoro Technique. Whether you’re studying, working on a project, or simply need an intensive focus period, temporary block sessions help maintain concentration without a long-term block commitment.

Learn how to set up temporary block sessions here: How to temporarily block websites and applications.

💡 Advanced Features for Improved Website Blocking

Block websites by category
Create your allowlist (whitelist)
Block keywords in website URLs
Schedule multiple block lists for different purposes

Troubleshooting

You can only modify your settings when blocking is inactive.
Block durations longer than 6 hours require 1Focus Pro.
Apps that could be used to circumvent blocking like Activity Monitor will continue being blocked during pauses.
1Focus adapts to the time format set in your Mac system settings. If your computer uses the 12-hour format, you’ll see “AM” or “PM” next to the start and end times in your blocking event. If it’s set to the 24-hour format, these indicators won’t appear, allowing you to schedule events from 00:00 to 23:59. This flexibility ensures you can organize your blocks in your preferred format, helping prevent confusion when setting start and end times.
Use a supported web browser on your Mac. 1Focus is compatible with Safari, Chrome, Brave, Edge, Opera, and Arc. It can also block unsupported browsers via 1Focus → Apps.
Grant permission so that 1Focus can block distracting websites.
Ensure 1Focus starts automatically at login.
Restart your Mac.
If problems persist, uninstall 1Focus, permanently delete it from the Trash (important), and reinstall it from the Mac App Store. Your data remains intact through this process.
Fix unexpected blocking.
Fix 1Focus closing randomly.
Change language.
Prevent bypassing blocks.

For additional assistance, please contact support.