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How to block websites on iPhone, for good (iOS 27)

To block a website on iPhone, open Settings, tap Screen Time, turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions, open Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites, and add the site under Never Allow. Then set a Screen Time passcode so the block cannot be turned off with one tap. This stops the site in Safari and in other supported browsers, but anyone who knows the passcode can undo it, so for a block that truly sticks you need a supervised iPhone.

Below are the exact steps, the ways people get around them, and what "permanent" really takes. Menu names are checked against Apple's support pages as of October 2026. Labels vary a little between iOS versions, so we say where they differ.

Block a website with Screen Time

These steps match Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 26.

  1. Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time. If Screen Time is off, turn it on first.
  2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  3. Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
  4. Tap Web Content.
  5. Select Limit Adult Websites.
  6. Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and type the address, for example reddit.com.
  7. Repeat step 6 for every site you want gone.

Limit Adult Websites also turns on Apple's automatic adult content filter. You cannot add a Never Allow list without it, so expect a few harmless sites to be filtered too. If one is, add it under Always Allow.

On iOS 27, Apple rebuilt Screen Time, and its user guide no longer lists these website steps for your own iPhone. Content & Privacy Restrictions is still under Screen Time, but the sections inside it were renamed (for example, "Other Features" replaces "Allowed Apps & Features"). On recent iOS versions, look for Web Content inside Content & Privacy Restrictions; the exact labels vary by version.

For a child's iPhone on iOS 27, Apple documents a new path. Open Settings, tap Family, tap your child's name, then tap Apps & Websites. There you can block a single website with Block Website, or tap Restrictions, then Filtering under Websites, to choose Limit Adult Websites or Approved Websites Only.

Allow only the sites you choose

If a short list of sites is all the phone needs, pick the option on the Web Content screen that allows only the websites you list. Its label varies by iOS version; on a child's iPhone with iOS 27 it is Approved Websites Only. Safari then opens the sites on that list and nothing else. This is the strictest built-in setting and a good fit for a young child's phone.

Lock it with a Screen Time passcode

Without a passcode, the person holding the phone can reverse every step above. On iOS 27:

  1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
  2. Tap Passcode & Management, then tap Lock Screen Time Settings.
  3. Enter a four-digit passcode, then enter it again.

If you are blocking sites for yourself, ask someone else to type the passcode so you do not know it. That one choice does more than any setting on this page.

Does Screen Time block websites in Chrome and other browsers?

Mostly, yes. Apple says its web restrictions apply to "Safari and other supported browser apps." Apple does not publish a list of which browsers count as supported, and in-app browsers inside apps like Instagram or TikTok may behave differently. After you add a site, open it in each browser you care about to check that the block holds.

What it does not cover:

  • Apps. Blocking instagram.com does not block the Instagram app. To block the app, see how to block apps on iPhone.
  • Other addresses for the same site. youtube.com and m.youtube.com and youtu.be can behave as separate entries, so add each one you care about.
  • A brief flash. Some testers report a blocked page shows for a moment before the block screen appears.

Why the Screen Time block is easy to get around

Screen Time is a setting on the phone, so it can be changed on the phone. The common ways around it:

  • You know the passcode. If you set it for yourself, the block is one four-digit code away. A forgotten passcode can also be reset with your Apple Account if Screen Time Passcode Recovery is on.
  • Screen Time gets turned off. Turning off App & Website Activity or Content & Privacy Restrictions removes the block. It needs the passcode, which brings you back to the point above.
  • A site you did not list. Never Allow is a list of exact sites. Mirror sites, new domains and alternate addresses are not on it.
  • Network tricks. DNS filters you set in Wi-Fi settings (another popular method) work only on that Wi-Fi network and can be removed in the same menu.
  • Blocker apps. App Store blockers live on the phone, so they can be deleted, paused or have their permissions turned off.

None of this matters if the block is for a child who does not know the passcode. It matters a lot if the block is for yourself.

The stronger option: supervision and a configuration profile

Businesses and schools do not rely on Screen Time. They supervise their iPhones and install a configuration profile. Two parts make this stronger:

  1. A web content filter payload. It is the same built-in filter with the same choices: filter adult content, a list of denied sites, a list of permitted sites, or "specific websites only". The difference is where it lives. It is not under Screen Time, so no passcode turns it off.
  2. A profile that cannot be removed. On a supervised iPhone, a profile can be marked so the person holding the phone cannot delete it in Settings. Supervised iPhones also accept restrictions that normal iPhones ignore, such as blocking changes to Screen Time settings.

The catch is getting supervision in the first place. Apple offers two ways:

  • Apple Configurator on a Mac. Apple's own deployment guide is clear: "During this process, the device is erased and all data is lost." You then restore your backup, which can take hours.
  • Automated Device Enrollment through Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager, with an MDM server. This is for organizations that buy devices through Apple or an authorized seller. It is not a realistic path for one person's own iPhone.

So until recently, "permanent" meant either erasing your phone or working for a company that manages it.

Wax: supervision without erasing the iPhone

We make Wax, a Mac app that supervises an iPhone over a USB cable without erasing it, then installs a profile that blocks the websites and apps you pick. It is the same supervised profile described above, set up from your Mac in a few minutes.

  • How it works: turn off Find My on the iPhone, plug it into your Mac, click Supervise, and the iPhone restarts once. Then you pick sites and apps on the Mac and tap Install on the iPhone. Your photos, messages and apps stay. Back up first anyway: Wax makes no copy of its own.
  • What it blocks: any website in Safari (a block list, or an allow list with nothing else), Apple's adult content filter, any App Store app, and optionally the App Store itself.
  • What it cannot do: it cannot hide Apple's own apps, such as Safari, Messages or Phone. It does not stop someone from erasing the iPhone, which removes everything.
  • How to undo it: choose Remove Supervision in Wax on your Mac. Your data stays. No setting on the iPhone turns it off.
  • Requirements as of October 2026: a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 14 or later, and an iPhone on iOS 27 or earlier.

See how Wax works and the questions people ask first.

Which method should you use?

  • Blocking a few sites on your child's iPhone: Screen Time with a passcode only you know.
  • Locking a young child to a short list of sites: the approved-websites-only option with a passcode.
  • Blocking sites on your own iPhone and you keep turning it off: supervision, either through Apple Configurator (erases the phone) or Wax (does not).

Frequently asked questions

Can I permanently block a website on iPhone?

Not with Screen Time alone, because anyone with the Screen Time passcode can remove it. A permanent block needs a supervised iPhone with a profile that cannot be removed. Apple Configurator gets you there but erases the phone first. Wax does it over a cable from a Mac without erasing it.

Can I block certain websites on my child's iPhone?

Yes. On iOS 27 with Family Sharing, open Settings > Family on your own iPhone, tap your child's name, then Apps & Websites, where you can block a website or set web filtering. On iOS 26, use Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Web Content and add sites under Never Allow. Set a passcode your child does not know.

Can I block certain websites on my phone without an app?

Yes. Screen Time is built into every iPhone, and its Never Allow list blocks a site in Safari and other supported browsers. You do not need to install anything. The limit is that the block is only as strong as the Screen Time passcode, so keep that code away from whoever the block is for.

How do I block an app on my iPhone?

Screen Time can limit an app with App Limits or a schedule, and iOS 18 and later can hide an app behind Face ID. All of these can be bypassed by the phone's owner. Our guide on how to block apps on iPhone covers every option and how to make one stick.