How to Block Reddit on Windows and Mac (Without Losing Dev Answers)

The Reddit trap on a work computer

Reddit gets onto a desktop through the side door. You search an error message, the best answer is a thread, and forty minutes later you are three subreddits away. For people quitting porn there is a second problem: NSFW subreddits sit on the same domain as the programming ones. That makes Reddit one of the hardest sites to manage with a scalpel, and one of the easiest to manage with a schedule.

Free methods on Windows and Mac

• Windows hosts file: add 0.0.0.0 reddit.com, 0.0.0.0 www.reddit.com, 0.0.0.0 old.reddit.com and 0.0.0.0 redd.it, then ipconfig /flushdns.
• Mac: add reddit.com to Screen Time → Content & Privacy restricted sites, or the same lines in /etc/hosts.
• Reddit's own settings: turning off NSFW content in your account preferences hides it while you are logged in, and only while you are logged in.

Each of these is reversible by the person they are meant to restrain. Images and video load from separate domains such as redditmedia.com and redditstatic.com, so a partial hosts list can leave odd half-working pages.

Block Reddit with NoorI

1. Enroll each computer with the free Cloudflare One app: Windows, Mac.
2. In Content Policy, create a rule and add the Reddit app. It covers reddit.com and every subdomain (www, old, new), redd.it short links, and Reddit's media and static domains.
3. Save and test in two browsers, including a private window.

App blocks are a Pro feature ($9.99/month, 7-day free trial). Your phone needs its own enrollment; the Reddit-on-phone guides in this section cover that.

Keeping Reddit answers without the feed

Developers often ask for "block the front page but let me read a thread from Google". That is a path-level rule, and DNS works on domains, so NoorI cannot do it today: reddit.com/r/programming and reddit.com/r/anything-else look identical to a DNS resolver. Realistic options:

• Schedule it. Block Reddit 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and read saved threads in the evening.
• Search elsewhere first. Official docs, GitHub issues and Stack Overflow cover most errors.
• Ask someone. If a thread is genuinely essential, an accountability partner can paste the answer to you, which is a surprisingly good filter for "essential".

If NSFW subreddits are the actual problem

NoorI's adult-content categories block dedicated porn sites, but they cannot block one subreddit on an allowed domain. If explicit subreddits are your trigger, block Reddit as a whole, at least for a season. Many people in recovery find that the honest answer. Pair it with Guardian Mode so unblocking needs your partner's approval and then a waiting period of at least 4 hours, which takes the impulse out of the decision. The same logic applies to X: see blocking X on your computer.

Limits worth knowing

Reddit content mirrored on other sites, search result snippets and archived copies are not blocked by a Reddit rule. Third-party Reddit viewers on different domains need adding as custom domains (Pro). A separate VPN app bypasses DNS filtering entirely; see bypass prevention. Blocking Reddit for a teenager? Use per-child rules.

Frequently asked questions

Can I block specific subreddits but not all of Reddit?

Not with DNS filtering, which sees only the domain reddit.com, not the path. Today NoorI blocks Reddit as a whole; scheduling the block is the practical compromise.

Does blocking reddit.com also block old.reddit.com?

In NoorI, yes. Domain rules cover every subdomain, and the Reddit app entry also includes redd.it and Reddit's media domains. A hosts file needs each name listed separately.

Will a Reddit block on my laptop also block the Reddit app on my phone?

Only if the phone is also enrolled in your NoorI account. Rules apply to every enrolled device, so enroll the phone with the Cloudflare One app.