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

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

In Timecard, open Apps & Sites and click Limits.
Find twitch.tv 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 twitch.tv the same way.

At 80%, a nudge comes out of the notch with the minutes left. At 100%, the Twitch 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.

Streams run for hours with the tab in the background. Timecard only counts time while the tab is in front, so the limit tracks watching, not a tab left open.

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 twitch.tv, 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 Twitch 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 twitch.tv
127.0.0.1 www.twitch.tv

Save with Control-O, quit with Control-X, then run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Twitch 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 Twitch, 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 Twitch
questions

How do I block Twitch on my Mac for free?

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

How do I block Twitch in Chrome on a Mac?

Screen Time's website limits don't apply in Chrome. Set a daily limit on twitch.tv 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 Twitch instead of blocking it completely?

Yes. Give twitch.tv 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 Twitch 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.