One of our most popular articles on Web Hosting Sun is our guide to blocking individual websites on all major desktop and mobile platforms. However, maybe you have a need to unblock a website you have previously blocked. Maybe the children you were protecting from suspicious sites have grown up and left home, or maybe you’re willing to take a risk you weren’t willing to take before. Either way, you need to know how to unblock a website.
There are a few different ways to unblock websites. Some depend on what platform or browser you are using. Choose the most effective solution for you.
Unblocking Websites You’ve Blocked via Your Browser
The easiest way to block and unblock a website is by using your internet browser, but how to do it depends on which one you use.
How to Unblock Websites with Internet Explorer
- Step 1 – Go to your Tools menu
- Step 2 – Click on Internet Options
- Step 3 – Click on Security
- Step 4 – Click on the red Restricted Sites button
- Step 5 – Click Sites
A pop-up will appear after you click on Sites, and this will show all the websites you have previously blocked manually.
- Step 6 – Click on the site you want to unblock, then click the remove button.
You can test this to ensure the process has worked by simply visiting the site.
How to Unblock Websites with Chrome, Opera and Firefox
As we found in the previous article, the Chrome, Opera and Firefox browsers do not have options to block individual websites like Internet Explorer does. You have to install apps that perform this function for you.
Block Site is a free app available for all 3 of these browsers and is currently the most popular blocking app extension. It works in a similar way to Internet Explorer’s function, with the main difference being you can add a password to protect your blocking and unblocking choices.
- Step 1 – Enter your password and navigate to your list of manually blocked sites.
- Step 2 – Highlight the site you want to unblock and click on the trash icon. Your block will be removed.
How to Unblock Websites with Safari on Mac
The Mac version of Safari doesn’t have a blocker option either. To block individual websites requires you to go into the guts of Terminal and type in some quite fiddly code. We covered this in our previous article. However, if you did go through this process, but now want to unblock something, here’s what to do.
- Step 1 – Click on Terminal in your Mac’s Utilities folder.
- Step 2 – Enter your administrator password.
- Step 3 – Type “sudo nano /etc/hosts” in the Command Line.
- Step 4 – You’ll see the addresses of the sites you blocked originally. Delete the entries you want to unblock.
- Step 5 – Hold down CTRL and the letter ‘O’ to save the changes and leave the screen.
- Step 6 – type “sudo dscacheutil -flushcache” in the Command Line to remove cached files, hit Enter to finish.
Unblocking Websites with Your Internet Service Provider
Most ISPs offer their users a way to operate parental controls and website blockers. There will be ways to remove these controls too.
You will need to find your username and password to log on to your ISP. Follow the directions to navigate the way to the list of sites you originally blocked. There will be an option to unblock too.
Unblocking Websites on Mobile Devices
Anything you want to unblock on your desktop or laptop at home, you probably want to unblock on your mobile devices too. There are ways to do this on Apple, as well as Android devices.
Unblocking Websites on Apple Devices
- Step 1 – Go to your device’s Settings section
- Step 2 – Choose General
- Step 3 – Tap Restrictions
- Step 4 – Choose Enable Restrictions
- Step 5 – Enter the passcode you set to access this area. You will have set a passcode when you blocked the sites in the first place.
- Step 6 – Scroll down and tap on Websites.
- Step 7 – Tap Limit Adult Content at the top. This will give you a list of websites you had originally blocked.
- Step 8 – Click on the site you want to unblock, then the cross to remove it.
Your site will now be unblocked on your Apple device.
Unblocking Websites on Android Devices
Like some of our desktop browsers, Android devices do not have an option to block or unblock websites.
If you originally blocked your sites using your mobile internet browser, visit the browser’s settings area and you will be able to unblock your sites easily.
In our previous article, we also recommended an external app for blocking sites on Android, Trend Micro For Android. If you used this app to block a website, here’s how to unblock it.
- Step 1 – Sign into your Trend Micro app, find Safe Surfing in the Options menu.
- Step 2 – You’ll see a list of sites you originally blocked. Click on the address and the option to remove the block.
Whatever your reason you want to unblock access to sites you have previously blocked, there are numerous, easy ways to do so. Remember, however, the reason you blocked these sites in the first place. Unscrupulous people are always thinking of new ways to commit crimes online, such as stealing your personal data. Stay alert, and keep taking precautions to make sure you stay safe online.
