How to Remove a Blocked Website

You can remove a website from Blocker Web when you no longer want it saved in your block list.

Removing a website is permanent. Blocker Web deletes it from the visible list and removes the related entries it manages in the Windows hosts file.

Remove a Website from the Block List

See also: Why a blocked website may still open Article

To remove a blocked website:

1. Open Blocker Web.
2. Select Blocked Websites from the menu on the left.
3. Find the website you want to remove.
4. Click the website row to select it.
5. Click Remove.

The website should disappear from the blocked websites list.

Blocker Web will also update the saved website information so the removed domain does not return the next time the application is opened.

Removing More Than One Website

You may be able to select more than one website in the list, depending on your Windows selection settings.

After selecting the websites, click Remove to remove each selected entry.

Take a moment to check your selection before continuing, especially if your block list contains similar domain names.

Removing a Website vs Turning Blocking Off

See also: How to use Popular Website Presets Article

Removing a website is different from turning website blocking off.

When you turn the main blocking switch to OFF:

• Every website remains saved
• Website blocking is temporarily paused
• You can turn the same blocks back on later

When you remove a website:

• The website is deleted from the list
• Its Blocker Web hosts-file entries are removed
• Its saved date and blocking reason are removed
• You must add the website again if you want to block it later

Use the main switch when you only want to pause blocking temporarily.

Use Search to Find the Website

For a longer block list, use the search box to find the website before removing it.

1. Click the Search blocked websites box.
2. Enter part of the domain name.
3. Select the matching website.
4. Click Remove.

For example, searching for:

face

could help you find:

facebook.com

Removing a website from filtered search results still removes it from the full list.

What Happens in the Windows Hosts File?

See also: Adding Blocklist Sources in Blocker Web Article

Blocker Web normally creates several hosts-file entries for each website so it can cover:

• The main domain
• The www version
• IPv4 connections
• IPv6 connections

When you remove the website, Blocker Web removes the matching active and temporarily disabled entries that it manages.

You do not normally need to open or edit the Windows hosts file yourself.

What If the Website Is Still Blocked?

A website may not become available immediately if Windows or your browser is still using cached information.

Try the following:

1. Close all browser windows.
2. Reopen the browser.
3. Visit the website again.
4. Try a private or incognito window.
5. Restart the computer if the website remains unavailable.

You should also check that Internet Lock is not enabled. Internet Lock is separate from the individual block list and can continue blocking web traffic after a website has been removed.

What If the Website Returns After Restarting Blocker Web?

See also: How to Control Blocker Web Using a Remote Text File Article

Blocker Web loads website entries from the Windows hosts file when it starts.

If a removed website returns, an entry for the domain may still exist in the hosts file. This could happen if:

• Blocker Web did not have administrator permission
• Security software prevented the hosts file from being changed
• Another application added the same domain
• The hosts file was read-only or locked

Close Blocker Web and reopen it using Run as administrator, then try removing the website again.

What If the Remove Button Does Nothing?

Make sure you have selected the website row before clicking Remove.

If the website remains in the list:

1. Close Blocker Web.
2. Reopen it as an administrator.
3. Select the website again.
4. Click Remove.

Administrator permission may be required because the Windows hosts file is stored in a protected system folder.

Can I Restore a Removed Website?

There is no undo button for an individually removed website.

To block it again:

1. Click Add Website.
2. Enter the domain.
3. Select a blocking reason.
4. Click Add.
5. Make sure website blocking is set to ON.

The website will be added as a new entry with the current date.