How to Block Instagram on Mac (Chrome, Safari, Arc)

Method 1: a daily limit that blocks, in every browser

In Timecard, open Apps & Sites and click Limits.
Find instagram.com and click Set.
Choose a daily limit, from 15 minutes to 4 hours, or set your own.

Setting a 30 minute daily limit for youtube.com in Timecard on a Mac — Setting a daily limit on a site in Apps & Sites. Pick instagram.com the same way.

At 80%, a nudge comes out of the notch with the minutes left. At 100%, the Instagram tab goes blank in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Dia, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera and Comet, and the time's-up screen covers it until tomorrow.

Timecard's time's up screen blocking YouTube on a Mac after the daily limit ran out — When the limit runs out, the site is blocked until tomorrow.

Need it for something real? Click Ask for time and say why. On macOS 26, Apple Intelligence on your Mac weighs the reason and the page. A tutorial for work gets time; one more video doesn't.

On a Mac most people use Instagram in the browser, so a limit on instagram.com covers the feed, Reels and messages.

Method 2: Screen Time, in Safari only

Open System Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy and turn on Content & Privacy.
Click App Store, Media, Web, & Games. Under Safari, set Access to Web Content to Limit Adult Websites.
Click Customize, click + under Restricted, enter instagram.com, click OK, then Done.

macOS Screen Time, App Store, Media, Web, & Games: Access to Web Content sits under Safari — Access to Web Content in macOS 27. It sits under Safari, because that's the only browser it covers.

This blocks Instagram completely, all day, and only in Safari. Chrome, Arc and Brave ignore Screen Time's website limits.

Method 3: the hosts file, a full block

In Terminal, open the hosts file with sudo nano /etc/hosts and add these lines at the end:

127.0.0.1 instagram.com
127.0.0.1 www.instagram.com

Save with Control-O, quit with Control-X, then run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Instagram is blocked in every browser until you delete the lines. There's no limit and no exception, just a wall.

Which method should you use?

A daily limit if you want some Instagram, just not all evening.
Screen Time if you only use Safari and want it gone completely.
The hosts file for a permanent block in every browser, at no cost.

Blocking Instagram
questions

How do I block Instagram on my Mac for free?

Two free ways: Screen Time can restrict instagram.com in Safari only, and adding instagram.com to the hosts file blocks it in every browser until you remove it. Timecard is a one-time purchase that blocks Instagram after a daily limit, in Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge and Safari.

How do I block Instagram in Chrome on a Mac?

Screen Time's website limits don't apply in Chrome. Set a daily limit on instagram.com in Timecard and the tab goes blank in Chrome when the time runs out, or use the hosts file to block it completely.

Can I limit Instagram instead of blocking it completely?

Yes. Give instagram.com a daily limit, say 30 minutes. You can use it freely until then, Timecard nudges you at 80%, and blocks it at 100% until tomorrow, or until you make a case for more time.

Will blocking Instagram on my Mac block it on my iPhone?

No. Timecard and the hosts file work on the Mac only. On iPhone, use Screen Time's App Limits. Timecard picks up the limits you set in Screen Time, so one limit can cover both.