How To Unblock a Website on Mac

Do you want to open a few websites, but your Mac is blocking access? Luckily, you can unblock them without much effort. 

To help you with the task, we’ve compiled an extensive guide to show you how to unblock a website on Mac. 

Unblocking a Website on Mac 

If you don’t know how to unblock a website on your Mac, our following 3 step-by-step methods will help you do it without difficulty.

Method #1: Setting Parental Controls 

To unblock a website on your Mac with macOS Mojave (10.4) or older, use Parental Controls by following these steps. 

1. Click the Apple icon.
2. Open System Preferences.
3. Select “Parental Controls.”
4. Click the lock icon at the bottom left.
5. Enter the password and click “Unlock.”
6. Click your user account from the left pane, select “Allow unrestricted access to websites” from the right pane, and save changes. 

Method #2: Using Screen Time Settings

If you are using macOS Catalina (10.15) or the latest, you can unblock websites using Screen Time settings on your Mac by following simple steps. 

1. Click the Apple icon. 
2. Open System Preferences.
3. Select “Screen Time.”
4. Click “Content and Privacy.”
   
5. Click the “Turn Off” button. 
6. Select the “Unrestricted Access” option in the “Web Content” section and save the settings to enjoy unrestricted browsing on your Mac.

Method #3: Using the ExpressVPN App

The easiest way to open restricted sites on your Mac is by using the ExpressVPN app in the following way. 

Step #1: Downloading the ExpressVPN App for Mac 

In the first step, open the ExpressVPN account dashboard on the browser and sign up by clicking “Get Started.” If you already have an account, enter your credentials in the “Sign in” section and click “Sign In.” 

Next, enter the verification code sent to your email in the pop-up to verify your account. Click the “Download for Mac” option from the dashboard to download the ExpressVPN app. 

Step #2: Copying the Activation Code 

In the second step, copy the activation code on the ExpressVPN Account Dashboard window after downloading the app. Click the “Copy” icon to copy it on your clipboard.  

Step #3: Installing the ExpressVPN App 

In the third step, open the “Downloads” folder from the Dock. Double-click the ExpressVPN app downloaded file to open the installer. Click “Continue” on the “Introduction” screen and keep clicking it until you reach the “Installation Type” screen. 

Here you will select the installation destination and click “Install.” If you have installed ExpressVPN on Mac earlier, you will see the “Existing Account” screen. 

Select any one option from “Keep existing account” or “Remove existing account and let me switch to another account,” and click “Continue.”

When the installation completes, click “Close,” and the app will launch automatically. 

Step #4: Setting Up the ExpressVPN App 

In this step, set up the ExpressVPN app on your Mac. To do this, click “Sign In,” paste the copied activation code using Command + V in the given box, and click “Sign In.” 

Now, a configuration pop-up will appear on your Mac’s screen, click “Allow” to proceed. Next, select your preference to launch ExpressVPN on startup using the “OK” or “No Thanks” option. 

Next, you will be asked to share anonymous diagnostics with ExpressVPN for product improvement. Select “OK” or “No Thanks” as per preference and complete the setup. 

Step #5: Unblocking Websites on Mac

In the last step, launch the ExpressVPN app, click the “On” button, and select a server from the list. Once you see the “Connected” sign, open a browser on your Mac, and access the blocked websites. 

Unblocking a Specific Website on Mac 

If you are trying to unblock a particular website on your Mac, you can do this by following these steps. 

1. Click the Apple icon, navigate to System Preferences > “Screen Time” > “Content and Privacy” > “Turn on.”
2. Select “Limit Adult Websites.” 
3. Click “Customize.” 
   
4.  Click “+” in the “Allow” section, paste the website URL, and click “OK.”
5. Click “OK” at the bottom of the window to save the settings and unblock the added website. 

Summary 

In this guide, we’ve discussed how to unblock websites on Mac using Parental Controls, Screen Time, and a VPN app. 

Hopefully, your question has been answered in this article, and you now have uninterrupted access to all the blocked websites on your Mac.