How to Block or Limit Reddit on Chrome
Last updated:
Quick answer
Chrome has no built-in website blocker or per-site time limit. Install SiteKeeper, add www.reddit.com, and set a daily limit of 0 hours and 0 minutes to block Reddit, or 30 minutes to cap it. old.reddit.com does not redirect there, so it needs its own row.
Without an extension, Family Link on a supervised account, Chrome's URLBlocklist policy, the hosts file, or router and DNS filtering can block Reddit. None of them is a daily minute budget in ordinary Chrome.
Limit or block Reddit with SiteKeeper
SiteKeeper sets that budget in desktop Chrome. It is privacy-first; we never sell or share your data. It is a Chrome extension only: limits and history do not sync, and there is no phone app.
Set a daily limit, for example 30 minutes
Do this from the popup on www.reddit.com. The same controls take any other daily cap.
1Install SiteKeeper in Chrome
Install SiteKeeper from the Chrome Web Store. The toolbar badge then shows today's minutes for the hostname of the active tab.
2Open the popup on www.reddit.com
Go to
www.reddit.comand click the SiteKeeper icon. The popup shows today's time on that hostname and a Set Limit button.
The popup on www.reddit.com shows today's time on this hostname and Set Limit. The time in this picture is demo data. 3Turn on Limit Web Time and set 30 minutes
Click Set Limit and turn Limit Web Time on. Set 0 hours and 30 minutes, or choose the 30m preset. The other daily presets are 10m, 1h, 2h, and 3h. Hours run from 0 to 23 and minutes from 0 to 59.
Limit Web Time is on for www.reddit.com, with the 30-minute daily preset. 4Click Save Changes
Click Save Changes. The popup saves the tab's hostname,
www.reddit.com. On the options page, open Settings, then Limited Sites, then Add Site, then Enter Custom Website, and typewww.reddit.com. The hint says to omit http:// and www, which is wrong for this site. Areddit.comrow never fires, because the browser redirects towww.reddit.com.When today's time on that host reaches the limit, this tab and later top-level visits open the block page. The counter resets at local midnight.
Block Reddit completely with a 0-minute limit
There is no separate always-block list. A daily limit of 0 hours and 0 minutes is the block. Do the same on old.reddit.com, or old Reddit stays open.
1Turn Limit Web Time on for www.reddit.com
Use the same popup, still on
www.reddit.com. Turning the switch off removes the limit. It does not mean block forever.2Leave the daily fields at 0 and 0
Leave both daily fields at 0, with no preset selected, and click Save Changes.
3Open Reddit once
The block starts after one visit, because 0 seconds already meets a 0-second limit. That first visit can show Reddit for about a second, then redirect. Later visits open the block page immediately, including on later days.
Add a weekly limit
A weekly limit is optional and free, on the same screen as the daily limit. Hours run from 0 to 168, plus minutes. Presets are 3h, 7h, 14h, 21h, and 28h. The week is Monday through Sunday, and the host blocks when that week's time hits the cap, even if today is under the daily limit. One hostname is one of six free sites whether you set daily, weekly, or both. Pro removes the cap ($4.99/mo, $24.99/yr, $29.99 lifetime). Time windows are free too.
Block Reddit during work hours
Open Advanced Settings (Time Windows) from the popup, or edit the site on the options page. Pick Workdays, Weekends, or All, then a start and an end on the same day. A window cannot cross midnight, so 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM is two windows.
A window limit counts only time inside that window. Set 0 hours and 0 minutes to block the whole window, such as Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Outside it, daily and weekly limits still apply. A window with no limit does not block by itself. One saved on www.reddit.com does not cover old.reddit.com.
What you see when time runs out
The page is titled Time's Up. It names the hostname and the reason (daily, weekly, or time window) and shows time used against the limit, including the weekly numbers when a weekly limit is set. Extend Session is +5m, +15m, +30m, and +1h. Add Time & Unblock adds that amount to the saved limit. It is not a snooze: 30 minutes plus 15 stays 45 until you lower it.
Continue to Website stays disabled until the cap is no longer exceeded. Show Usage History is 7 days. You can turn the limit off or disable the extension. There is no password. If you will click +15m, or this is for a child, use Family Link or Chrome policy.
Reddit hostnames, subreddits, and what the limit covers
Each limit matches one exact hostname. Subreddits are paths on that hostname, not separate sites.
Every subreddit shares the www.reddit.com clock
Desktop Reddit is www.reddit.com. The home feed, r/popular, r/all, search, chat, profiles, and every /r/<name> share one clock. SiteKeeper cannot limit or exempt one subreddit. The cap follows this Chrome profile, not your Reddit username.
Path Analysis only tracks, and it is opt-in per host. The free tree is 2 levels deep, which reaches /r/<name> here. Pro shows 10 levels. It is free on 3 hosts, separate from the six limit slots, and it never blocks a path.
old.reddit.com is a second site
old.reddit.com does not redirect to www. It needs its own row, free slot, and clock. Time there does not count toward www.reddit.com. Switching to old Reddit when www is blocked is the usual leak.
Save it from the popup on that site, or type old.reddit.com in Add Site. For a block, set 0 and 0 on both rows. The list and the weekly ranking show the rows apart and do not add the clocks.
Names that redirect into the www limit
In October 2026, desktop Chrome gets a 301 to www.reddit.com from reddit.com, new.reddit.com, sh.reddit.com, np.reddit.com, m.reddit.com, i.reddit.com, and amp.reddit.com. redd.it/<id> goes to www.reddit.com/comments/<id>. chat.reddit.com goes to www.reddit.com/chat/.
The www limit covers those visits after the redirect. Alias rows never fire and use a free slot, so do not add them. i.reddit.com is not the image host i.redd.it.
Keep one subreddit with Chrome policy
SiteKeeper cannot keep one subreddit. Block reddit.com and allow www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming. Chrome's policy matching lets a more specific allow entry win. The path is a case-sensitive prefix, so posts under it stay open. Other Reddit pages, including old.reddit.com, open Chrome's block page. It needs an admin and has no timer. A redd.it link lands on /comments/<id>, outside that path, so it is blocked too. Add one allow entry per extra subreddit, and test the result in your own Chrome before you rely on it.
{
"URLBlocklist": ["reddit.com"],
"URLAllowlist": ["www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming"]
}Active time, and where images load
Time ticks once a second on the active tab of the focused window, only while you are active. Scrolling and clicking count. After 15 seconds without keyboard or mouse input, or when the screen locks, counting pauses. Background tabs are not counted.
Images and video come from i.redd.it, v.redd.it, and preview.redd.it. Time stays on the page hostname. An embed on another site is not blocked or counted. Blocking those hosts in the hosts file breaks Reddit images elsewhere.
Incognito, other browsers, and the Reddit app
SiteKeeper has no official Incognito support. Chrome turns extensions off there unless you enable Allow in Incognito at chrome://extensions, and we do not promise that mode. The extension does not run in other browsers, the Reddit app, or mobile web on a phone.
Block Reddit without an extension
None of these four options is a per-site Reddit timer in ordinary Chrome. Use one when the block page must not be able to undo the block.
Family Link on a supervised account
In the Family Link app, open the child, then Controls, then Google Chrome and Web, then Manage sites, then Blocked sites. Add www.reddit.com, including the www, or add the domain reddit to cover subdomains such as old and m. Add redd.it too. It is a different domain.
Android and Chromebook are fully supervised. On Windows, Mac, and Linux it applies only while the child is signed into that Chrome profile, and they can sign out, switch profile, or use another browser. It blocks in that Chrome profile and has no per-site daily timer.
Chrome URLBlocklist policy
URLBlocklist works on a personal computer and needs an administrator. It blocks matching URLs. It has no time limit. reddit.com also matches subdomains, so www, old, new, m, and chat are included. Add redd.it too. It is not a subdomain of reddit.com, and it also matches i.redd.it, v.redd.it, and preview.redd.it.
On Windows, add string values under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\URLBlocklist. Name 1 is reddit.com. Name 2 is redd.it. On macOS, deliver the same policy with a configuration profile for com.google.Chrome. On Linux, put a JSON file in /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/:
{
"URLBlocklist": ["reddit.com", "redd.it"]
}Open chrome://policy and reload. Chrome then shows it is managed by your organization. Set IncognitoModeAvailability to 1 if you also want Incognito off. The block is Chrome-only.
Hosts file on this computer
The hosts file stops those names from resolving for every browser on that computer. It has no schedule, no time limit, and no wildcards, so each name needs a line. A line for reddit.com does not cover www.reddit.com or old.reddit.com. On Windows, edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts in Notepad opened as administrator. On macOS and Linux, edit /etc/hosts with sudo.
0.0.0.0 reddit.com
0.0.0.0 www.reddit.com
0.0.0.0 old.reddit.com
0.0.0.0 new.reddit.com
0.0.0.0 m.reddit.com
0.0.0.0 redd.itFlush DNS afterward. On Windows run ipconfig /flushdns. On macOS run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache and sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Clear Chrome at chrome://net-internals/#dns and restart it. A VPN or a proxy can bypass the file.
Router or DNS filtering
Block reddit.com in the router's parental controls or with a filtering DNS service. Every device on that Wi-Fi is covered, including the Reddit app. Mobile data is not. Many filtering services offer a Reddit toggle. Chrome's Use secure DNS setting (Settings, Privacy and security, Security) or a VPN can bypass the router. Point secure DNS at the same provider, or turn it off.
Compare ways to block or limit Reddit
SiteKeeper is the easiest method to undo. That suits your own profile and fails as a lock.
SiteKeeper
- Cost
- Free for 6 sites. Pro drops the cap ($4.99/mo, $24.99/yr, $29.99 lifetime).
- Daily time limits
- Yes, per hostname. 0 minutes blocks it.
- Covers Incognito
- No. Not officially supported.
- Covers other browsers and devices
- This Chrome only.
- How easy to undo
- Easiest. Add time, turn it off, or disable it. No password.
- Best for
- A daily cap on www.reddit.com you can undo yourself.
Family Link
- Cost
- Free.
- Daily time limits
- No Chrome timer. It blocks.
- Covers Incognito
- Can close private windows on a supervised account.
- Covers other browsers and devices
- Full on Android and Chromebook. Desktop: that Chrome sign-in only.
- How easy to undo
- A parent changes it. A child on a computer can switch profiles.
- Best for
- A supervised child.
Chrome URLBlocklist
- Cost
- Free. Needs an admin account.
- Daily time limits
- No. Blocked entirely.
- Covers Incognito
- Only with IncognitoModeAvailability set to 1.
- Covers other browsers and devices
- That Chrome install. reddit.com covers its subdomains.
- How easy to undo
- An admin removes the policy.
- Best for
- A hard block in Chrome.
Hosts file
- Cost
- Free. Needs an admin account.
- Daily time limits
- No.
- Covers Incognito
- Yes, unless a VPN or proxy bypasses it.
- Covers other browsers and devices
- Every browser on this computer.
- How easy to undo
- Edit the file as admin and flush DNS.
- Best for
- Every browser on one PC.
Router or DNS filtering
- Cost
- Often free on the router.
- Daily time limits
- No timer. Some routers can schedule it.
- Covers Incognito
- Yes, unless secure DNS or a VPN bypasses it.
- Covers other browsers and devices
- Every device on that Wi-Fi, including the app. Not mobile data.
- How easy to undo
- Change the router, or leave the network.
- Best for
- The whole home network.
When to block Reddit and when to limit it
Use 0 hours and 0 minutes on both www.reddit.com and old.reddit.com when Reddit should not open. Use 30 minutes when you still want the feed. Every subreddit on that hostname shares those minutes.
A 0-minute window, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, blocks work hours, and the daily limit still applies in the evening. If you will raise the limit from Time's Up, use Family Link, URLBlocklist, or the hosts file instead.
Troubleshooting
If Reddit still opens, check the hostname in the popup, then old Reddit, then Incognito.
www.reddit.com still opens after you set a limit
Cause: The row is not www.reddit.com, or Limit Web Time is off.
Fix: Open the popup on www.reddit.com and delete any reddit.com row.
Reddit flashes, then the block page appears
Cause: A 0-minute limit can show the site for about a second on the first visit.
Fix: Later visits should open Time's Up. If not, set the daily fields back to 0 and 0.
old.reddit.com still loads
Cause: old.reddit.com does not redirect to www, so it has its own clock.
Fix: Add old.reddit.com from the popup on that site and set the same limit.
A row for new.reddit.com or m.reddit.com does nothing
Cause: Desktop Chrome redirects those names to www.reddit.com.
Fix: Delete the alias row. Keep the limit on www.reddit.com.
Today's minutes look low for a tab that stayed open
Cause: Counting pauses after 15 seconds without input, on a locked screen, or in a background tab.
Fix: Use a 0-minute limit for a hard stop.
A normal window blocks, but Incognito and the app do not
Cause: SiteKeeper is desktop Chrome only. Incognito is not officially supported.
Fix: Close Incognito with policy or Family Link. Use hosts or router DNS for the phone on that Wi-Fi.
Saving old.reddit.com is refused
Cause: Free accounts get 6 hostnames, and alias rows use slots.
Fix: Delete redirect-only rows, or use Pro.
Frequently asked questions
Can Chrome block Reddit without an extension?
Not on a normal profile. Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and router DNS can block it. None of them is a 30-minute timer in ordinary Chrome.
Does a limit on www.reddit.com cover old Reddit, short links, and chat?
On desktop Chrome, redd.it and chat.reddit.com redirect to www.reddit.com, so that limit covers them. old.reddit.com does not. Subreddits on www share one clock.
Why does a limit saved as reddit.com do nothing?
Desktop Reddit is www.reddit.com. reddit.com redirects there, so type the www host even if the Add Site hint says to omit www.
Can I block Reddit but keep one subreddit?
Not with SiteKeeper. Chrome policy can block reddit.com and allow a path such as www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming. That has no timer, needs an admin, and links out of the subreddit hit Chrome's block page.
Will SiteKeeper block Reddit in Incognito or in the app?
No. Incognito is not officially supported, and the Reddit app is outside this extension. Router or DNS filtering covers the app only on that Wi-Fi.
What does Add Time & Unblock actually change?
It raises the saved limit on that hostname until you lower it. Adding 15 minutes to a 30-minute cap makes it 45. It is not a snooze.
When does the Reddit daily limit reset?
At local midnight, so a 0-minute block still blocks the next day. A weekly cap runs Monday through Sunday and can fire while today is under the daily limit.
Set a Reddit limit in Chrome
Add www.reddit.com, and old.reddit.com if you use it. Turn on Limit Web Time and set 30 minutes or 0 minutes. Daily limits, weekly limits, and time windows are covered on website time limits, and you can install SiteKeeper from the Chrome Web Store.
Other guides
Block or limit YouTube on Chrome with a 30-minute daily cap or a 0-minute block in SiteKeeper, plus Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Block or limit TikTok on Chrome with a 10-minute daily cap or a 0-minute block in SiteKeeper, plus Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Limit or block www.instagram.com on Chrome with a 30-minute cap or a 0-minute block. Reels and DMs share it. Family Link, URLBlocklist, hosts, and DNS.
Block or limit X on Chrome with a 30-minute daily cap or a 0-minute block in SiteKeeper, plus Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Set a 30-minute Facebook limit on Chrome, or block www.facebook.com with SiteKeeper. Also covers Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Set a 60-minute Netflix cap on Chrome, or block www.netflix.com in SiteKeeper. Also covers Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Set a 30-minute Discord limit on Chrome, or block discord.com with SiteKeeper. Also covers Canary, Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Set a 30-minute Twitch limit on Chrome, or block www.twitch.tv with SiteKeeper. Also covers clips, Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.
Set a 30-minute LinkedIn limit on Chrome, or block www.linkedin.com with SiteKeeper. Also covers Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, and DNS.