To block distracting websites during an online class, decide which sites students need for the lesson, add those sites to an allowlist, and test the setup in a student's browser before class. In Focus Room, participants join a room through the browser extension. During the session, the extension redirects visits to sites outside the room's whitelist to a blocked page.
A writing assignment might need Google Docs, your course page, and a separate sign-in page. Leave one out, and a student may be unable to open the work you assigned.
Choose a setup that fits the devices
For a class using personal laptops, a session tool works when participants can install its extension and choose to join. Explain what the tool checks and what the host can see before inviting students.
If the school manages the browsers or Chromebooks, start with IT. Administrators can configure website restrictions through Chrome's URL blocklist and allowlist policies. Google's guide to allowing or blocking websites explains the policy options and how to verify them. A teacher account alone doesn't grant access to those administrator settings.
Focus Room applies the room's website rules in the participating browser during a session. It doesn't block a student's phone, other browsers, or desktop apps, and it depends on the extension remaining installed and active. For school-wide restrictions, work with whoever manages your devices.
For more on managed devices, see our Chromebook classroom management guide.
Build the whitelist around one assignment
Start with the assignment students will complete. For example: "Write a paragraph comparing two sources and submit it through the course page."
Open the assignment as a student would. Record the domains students need for instructions, writing, and submission.
For a Google-based writing lesson, a starting list might look like this:
| Domain | Why you might need it |
|---|---|
classroom.google.com | Assignment instructions and submission |
docs.google.com | The writing document |
accounts.google.com | Account sign-in, if the workflow redirects there |
meet.google.com | A browser-based lesson call |
Your learning platform, chosen readings, and account setup may need other domains. If a step fails, check the address it tried to open before adding one.
Focus Room's whitelist works at the domain level. docs.google.com allows access across that domain, not just to one document. A parent domain also allows its subdomains, so google.com is broader than the individual entries above.
Video sites have the same tradeoff. Allowing youtube.com for a lesson clip also makes other pages on that domain available. If students only need one clip, consider showing it during the call, then returning to the writing task.
Set up the class in Focus Room
1. Create a room and review its websites
Sign in to Focus Room, create a room, and give it a name students will recognize, such as "Tuesday writing workshop."
Add the domains needed for the assignment. Review any websites already listed in the form and remove those the lesson doesn't need. If you're using a browser-based meeting, include the sites needed to open and join it, then test that route too.
2. Explain the session before students join
Tell students which websites will be available, how long the work period will last, and how to ask for a missing resource. Explain that the host can see participants and reported attempts to visit sites outside the whitelist.
You could say:
"For this writing block, we'll use the course page, our documents, and the two readings. Focus Room redirects sites outside the whitelist in this browser while you're in the session. I can see reported blocked-site attempts. If you need a page that won't open, send me the address so I can check it."
Ask students to save work in other tabs before joining. The extension scans existing tabs and may redirect an open page outside the whitelist.
Follow your school's process for introducing classroom software. Plan another way to complete the assignment for students who can't install the extension or whose device doesn't support it.
3. Share the code and test as a participant
Participants install the Focus Room extension and join with the room code. Before the first class, ask a colleague or test participant to join and work through the assignment.
Check that they can:
- Open the instructions and both readings.
- Sign in, edit their document, and submit it.
- Stay connected to the lesson call.
- See the blocked page when visiting a site outside the whitelist.
Use a browser profile like the one students will use. Your own signed-in browser may skip a login step that a student needs.
4. Watch for setup problems during the lesson
Keep the room dashboard open during class. If several students hit the same blocked domain, check whether an assignment link or sign-in redirect sent them there. A blocked-site report shows the URL they tried to visit; it can't explain why they opened it.
When you add a missing domain, ask a participant to retry after the whitelist update reaches their extension. Test the rest of the workflow before returning everyone to the assignment.
Fix common blocking problems
The lesson website opens, but sign-in fails
Look at the address of the blocked page. The service may redirect to a separate account provider. Confirm the sign-in domain belongs to the intended service, add it, then test the full login flow.
A broad parent domain may allow more browsing than you intended, so check the sign-in host before adding it.
A student says a distracting website still works
Check that they're in the right room, using the browser with the extension installed, and still connected to the session. Also review the whitelist: a broad domain entry may already allow the site.
If they're using another browser or device, the room's extension can't enforce its rules there. Discuss that limit when you introduce the session.
The activity requires open-ended research
A short allowlist can make open research awkward. Decide whether you can provide useful sources in advance. If students need to find and evaluate their own sources, consider a separate research period followed by a more restricted writing session.
Don't keep interrupting the activity to approve every new search result. Choose the session rules around what the assignment requires.
A checklist for the first lesson
Before students join, run the assignment from opening the instructions through submission. Keep the whitelist short, but include the sign-in pages and learning resources the task needs.
Give students a way to report a blocked resource. When the work period finishes, end the room session and confirm participants have left before unrestricted browsing resumes. Ask which required page, if any, was hard to reach.
For classes you run regularly, our guide to recurring rooms covers keeping a room code for future sessions.
Questions teachers ask
Can I block websites during a Zoom or Google Meet class?
You can run a Focus Room session alongside the call. Participants must join through the extension; joining the call alone doesn't apply the room's website rules. Test browser-based meeting access with your whitelist before class.
Can I allow just one page on a website?
Focus Room uses domain-based rules and cannot restrict students to one page or document within an allowed domain.
Does this prevent every distraction?
No. It can redirect off-list websites in the participating browser during the session. Phones, other apps, and disengagement still need a classroom plan. For ideas beyond website rules, see ways to keep participants focused during online sessions.
Where should I start?
Create a room and test it with a colleague before inviting a class. Start with a short assignment so you can check its links and adjust the whitelist. Create a Focus Room account.