How to Block or Limit Twitch on Chrome
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Quick answer
Chrome has no built-in website blocker or per-site time limit. Install SiteKeeper, add www.twitch.tv, and set a daily limit of 0 hours and 0 minutes to block Twitch, or 30 minutes to cap it.
Without an extension, Family Link on a supervised account, Chrome's URLBlocklist policy, the hosts file, or router and DNS filtering can block Twitch. None of them is a daily minute budget in ordinary Chrome.
Limit or block Twitch 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 the Twitch tab.
1Install SiteKeeper in Chrome
Install SiteKeeper from the Chrome Web Store. The toolbar badge then shows today's minutes for the hostname in the active tab.
2Open the popup on www.twitch.tv
Go to Twitch and click the SiteKeeper icon. The popup shows today's time on this tab's hostname and a Set Limit button. On a normal desktop visit that hostname is
www.twitch.tv.
The popup on www.twitch.tv shows today's time on this hostname and Set Limit. The minutes in this picture are 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. That is a 30-minute daily cap. 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.twitch.tv, with the 30-minute daily preset. 4Click Save Changes
Click Save Changes. The popup saves the limit for this tab's hostname. On the options page, open Settings, Limited Sites, Add Site, Enter Custom Website, and type
www.twitch.tv. The hint says to omit www.twitch.tvredirects towww.twitch.tv, so that row never records time or blocks.When today's time on that hostname reaches the limit, the active tab and later top-level visits open the block page. The counter resets at local midnight.
Block Twitch 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.
1Turn Limit Web Time on for www.twitch.tv
Use the same popup on the hostname it shows. Turning Limit Web Time off removes the limit and leaves Twitch open.
2Leave the daily fields at 0 and 0
Leave both daily fields at 0, with no preset selected, and click Save Changes. With the switch on and both fields at 0, the daily budget is zero seconds.
3Open Twitch once
The block starts after one visit, because 0 seconds already meets a 0-second limit. That first load can show Twitch for about a second, then redirect. Later visits, including the next day, open the block page immediately.
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. 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.
Block Twitch during work hours
Open Advanced Settings (Time Windows) from the popup. That opens the full settings page for this site. 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 it to 0 hours and 0 minutes to block Twitch for the whole window, such as Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Outside the window, the daily and weekly limits still apply. A window with no limit of its own does not block by itself.
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 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 that was exceeded. A 30-minute cap plus 15 minutes stays 45 until you lower it. That is a soft limit, not a snooze.
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. For a child, or if you will click +15m, use Family Link, Chrome policy, the hosts file, or DNS below.
Twitch hostnames, channels, and embeds
Each limit matches one exact hostname.
Save www.twitch.tv, including www
twitch.tv redirects to www.twitch.tv. The www row is the one that records time and blocks. Type that full hostname even if the dialog says to leave out www. Saving from the popup uses the name it shows.
Directory, a channel, and VODs on www share one clock
Following, a category, a channel page, chat on that page, and a VOD at /videos/... are paths on www.twitch.tv. One clock covers all of them. You cannot allow one streamer and block the others with SiteKeeper.
Chrome policy can approximate that split, and it has no timer. Block twitch.tv and allow www.twitch.tv/ plus the channel name. The allow entry is a case-sensitive prefix. /videos/ is a different path, so those VODs stay blocked. It needs an admin. Test it in your own Chrome.
Clips, the dashboard, and mobile web are other hosts
m.twitch.tv, clips.twitch.tv, dashboard.twitch.tv, and player.twitch.tv do not redirect away to www. A clip you open on clips.twitch.tv, or the creator dashboard, needs its own row if it should be capped. Each row is its own clock and one free hostname. Clips and VODs that stay on www.twitch.tv already count toward the www limit.
Embeds and a hands-off stream
A Twitch player on another site is an iframe, often player.twitch.tv. SiteKeeper neither blocks nor counts it. Blocking applies to top-level page loads.
Counting pauses after 15 seconds without keyboard or mouse input, or when the screen locks, even while a stream keeps playing. Scrolling and clicking count as input. Background tabs are not counted. For a hard stop, use a 0-minute daily limit or a 0-minute window.
Reports list each Twitch host alone
Limited Sites and the weekly ranking list www.twitch.tv, clips.twitch.tv, and dashboard.twitch.tv as separate rows. Minutes on clips do not fill the channel page.
The Twitch app, Incognito, and other browsers
The Twitch app is outside Chrome, and so are other browsers. Limits do not sync. Incognito is not officially supported. Chrome turns extensions off there unless you enable Allow in Incognito at chrome://extensions, under SiteKeeper, then Details, and we do not promise that mode. Close it with IncognitoModeAvailability set to 1, or with Family Link.
Block Twitch without an extension
None of these four is a Twitch minute budget 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.twitch.tv, including the www, or the domain twitch to cover subdomains such as www, m, clips, dashboard, and player.
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 or use another browser. Family Link blocks. It has no Twitch daily timer in Chrome.
Chrome URLBlocklist policy
URLBlocklist works on a personal computer and needs an administrator. It blocks URLs, with no time limit. twitch.tv matches its subdomains, so www, m, clips, dashboard, and player are included. That also reaches embedded players in Chrome. URLAllowlist is the exception list. The more specific filter wins, which is how a single channel path can stay open while the rest of Twitch does not.
On Windows, add a string value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\URLBlocklist. Name 1 is twitch.tv. 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": ["twitch.tv"],
"URLAllowlist": ["www.twitch.tv/nasa"]
}The allow line is optional. Replace nasa with a channel you mean to keep, or delete URLAllowlist to block every Twitch path. Open chrome://policy and reload. Chrome then shows it is managed by your organization. Set IncognitoModeAvailability to 1 if Incognito should be off.
Hosts file on this computer
The hosts file stops these names for every browser on the computer. It has no schedule and no wildcards, so each name needs a line. twitch.tv does not cover www.twitch.tv. These lines also break embeds that load player.twitch.tv. 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 twitch.tv
0.0.0.0 www.twitch.tv
0.0.0.0 m.twitch.tv
0.0.0.0 clips.twitch.tv
0.0.0.0 dashboard.twitch.tv
0.0.0.0 player.twitch.tvFlush 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 Twitch in the router's parental controls or with filtering DNS. Every device on that Wi-Fi is covered, including the Twitch app, and some routers can schedule it. Mobile data is not. Chrome's Use secure DNS setting (Settings, Privacy and security, Security) or a VPN can bypass it. Point secure DNS at the same provider, or turn it off.
Compare ways to block or limit Twitch
SiteKeeper is the easiest method to undo. That suits your own profile and fails as a lock.
SiteKeeper
- Cost
- Free for 6 hostnames. Pro drops the cap ($4.99/mo, $24.99/yr, $29.99 lifetime).
- Daily time limits
- Yes, per hostname. 0 minutes blocks that host.
- 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 Twitch cap 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. Subdomains of twitch.tv included.
- How easy to undo
- An admin removes the policy.
- Best for
- A hard block in Chrome, or one allowed channel.
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 Twitch and when to limit it
Use 0 hours and 0 minutes when Twitch should not open. Use 30 minutes when you still want one stream. The cap is active time, so a hands-off stream can run longer than the number you set.
A 0-minute window, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, blocks those hours, and the daily limit still applies in the evening. Leave clips.twitch.tv off the list only if clips on that host should stay open. If you will raise the limit from Time's Up, use Family Link, URLBlocklist, the hosts file, or DNS instead.
Troubleshooting
If Twitch still opens, read the hostname in the popup, then check clips, embeds, and Incognito.
Twitch still opens after you set a limit
Cause: The row is twitch.tv, the tab is on m.twitch.tv or clips.twitch.tv, or Limit Web Time is off.
Fix: Save the hostname the popup shows. For desktop watching that is www.twitch.tv.
Twitch flashes, then the block page appears
Cause: The first visit with a 0-minute limit can load for about a second.
Fix: Later visits should open Time's Up immediately.
One channel is blocked and another still plays
Cause: Channel pages are paths on www.twitch.tv. SiteKeeper cannot allow one streamer.
Fix: The www limit covers every channel. For one allowed channel, use URLBlocklist plus URLAllowlist, which has no timer.
Clips or the creator dashboard still open
Cause: clips.twitch.tv and dashboard.twitch.tv are not the www host.
Fix: Add each host you want capped. Each one uses a free slot and its own clock.
A stream on another site still plays
Cause: An embedded player, including player.twitch.tv, is not a top-level Twitch visit.
Fix: SiteKeeper will not stop that iframe. Block twitch.tv with URLBlocklist, hosts, or DNS if embeds should fail too.
The stream keeps going after the cap
Cause: Counting pauses after 15 seconds without keyboard or mouse input, even while video continues.
Fix: Use a 0-minute daily limit or a 0-minute window when the tab itself should stop.
It works in a normal window, not in the app or Incognito
Cause: The extension is desktop Chrome only, and it is off in Incognito by default.
Fix: Close Incognito with policy or Family Link. Use hosts or router DNS for the Twitch app and other browsers.
Frequently asked questions
Can Chrome block Twitch without an extension?
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.twitch.tv cover every channel, VODs, and clips?
Channels, the directory, and VODs on www.twitch.tv share one clock. clips.twitch.tv, dashboard.twitch.tv, m.twitch.tv, and player.twitch.tv are separate hosts. You cannot allow one streamer with SiteKeeper.
Why does a limit saved as twitch.tv do nothing?
twitch.tv redirects to www.twitch.tv, so that row never matches. Type the www host even if the dialog says to omit www.
Will SiteKeeper block Twitch in Incognito or in the app?
No. Incognito is not officially supported, and the Twitch app is outside Chrome. Set IncognitoModeAvailability to 1, or use Family Link, to close Incognito. Use hosts or DNS for the app.
What does Add Time & Unblock actually change?
It raises the saved limit for good. Adding 15 minutes to a 30-minute cap makes it 45 until you set it back.
Can I keep one channel and block the rest?
Not with SiteKeeper. Chrome policy can block twitch.tv and allow a path such as www.twitch.tv/nasa. That has no timer, needs an admin, and /videos/ stays blocked unless you allow it too.
Can I block Twitch during work and allow it in the evening?
Yes. A 0-minute weekday window blocks those hours, and the daily limit still applies afterward. A window with no limit does not block by itself.
Will this stop a child from opening Twitch?
No. There is no password, and Add Time raises the limit. On a computer, Family Link applies only in the supervised Chrome profile.
Set a Twitch limit in Chrome
Add www.twitch.tv, 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. Install SiteKeeper from the Chrome Web Store.
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