3Eyes / Blog
2026-08-20 · Dan Clark

How to Block YouTube on a Chromebook (2026 Guide)

A Chromebook has no hosts file to edit, no Registry, and no conventional way to install filtering software. That sounds like bad news and mostly is not: the built-in control, Google Family Link, is genuinely the strongest of the three major platforms, because a child cannot install their way around it.

What defeats most Chromebook blocks is not the block itself. It is the three doors left open beside it — the YouTube Android app from the Play Store, Guest mode, and adding a second Google account to the device. Each one sidesteps Family Link completely, and none of them is switched off by default.

This guide covers the Family Link setup properly, then closes all three doors. It is the Chromebook-specific companion to our main guide on blocking YouTube on a child's computer and our broader Chromebook parental controls guide.

Why Chromebook Blocks Usually Fail

The door left open What happens Fixed in
YouTube Android app Website blocked, app plays fine Step 2
Guest mode Signs in with no account, so no restrictions at all Step 3
Second Google account Adult account added to the device bypasses Family Link Step 3
Incognito window Chrome policy can leave it open Step 4
youtu.be and m.youtube.com Blocking only youtube.com misses both Step 1

If you have already blocked YouTube on a Chromebook and it is still being watched, one of these five is why. Work down the list.

This assumes your child's Chromebook is signed in with a supervised Google account. If it is signed in with an ordinary adult account, none of the following will appear — you must first create a supervised account, which is covered in our Family Link setup guide.

  1. Open the Family Link app on your phone
  2. Select your child, then Controls > Content restrictions > Google Chrome
  3. Choose Try to block explicit sites (blocklist mode) or Only allow approved sites (allowlist mode)
  4. Tap Manage sites > Blocked
  5. Add each of these as a separate entry:
youtube.com
m.youtube.com
youtu.be
youtube-nocookie.com

Adding only youtube.com is the single most common mistake. m.youtube.com is the mobile site and loads perfectly on a Chromebook; youtu.be is the share-link domain and redirects into a working player.

Allowlist mode is dramatically stronger. Choosing Only allow approved sites means anything you have not named fails to load, so the YouTube mirror your child finds in three weeks is already blocked. In blocklist mode you are permanently one step behind. The trade-off is the first week of adding legitimate school sites as they come up.

Step 2: Block the YouTube Android App

Most Chromebooks made since 2017 run Android apps from the Play Store, and the YouTube app is entirely separate from Chrome. Blocking the website does nothing to it.

  1. In Family Link, select your child, then Controls > Apps
  2. Find YouTube in the list
  3. Toggle it off to block it outright, or set a time limit of zero

While you are there, do the same for YouTube Music and YouTube Kids if you do not want them. Then go back to Controls > Apps > Google Play and set Apps & games approval so your child cannot install replacements — otherwise they will download a third-party YouTube client the same afternoon.

If your child does not need Android apps at all, the cleanest option is to disable the Play Store entirely: Settings > Apps > Google Play Store > Turn off.

Step 3: Close Guest Mode and Second Accounts

These two are the biggest holes on the platform and both are on by default.

Guest mode signs anyone into the Chromebook with no account, which means no Family Link, no restrictions, and full browsing. To disable it, sign in as the device owner (the first account ever added to the Chromebook), then:

  1. Open Settings > Security and Privacy > Manage other people
  2. Turn off Enable Guest browsing
  3. Turn on Restrict sign-in to the following users and list only your child's account

Second accounts. Without step 3, your child can add any Google account to the device — including one they create themselves in two minutes — and browse with no supervision at all. The "Restrict sign-in" toggle is what closes this, and it is why it matters more than any blocklist entry.

Both settings live on the owner account. If your child's account is the device owner, you will need to powerwash the Chromebook and set it up again with your account first. That is inconvenient but it is the only route.

Step 4: Disable Incognito and Developer Mode

Incognito does not bypass Family Link's site blocking on a supervised account, but it does hide history, which removes your ability to see what is happening. In Family Link this is controlled through the Chrome settings on the child's profile; on managed devices it is a Chrome policy. Our guide on disabling incognito mode covers the routes.

Developer mode is the serious one. Booting a Chromebook into developer mode (Esc + Refresh + Power, then Ctrl+D) unlocks the device and can strip enrolment and restrictions. On personally-owned Chromebooks there is no way to permanently prevent this — the counter is that entering developer mode powerwashes the device, wiping their files and games, which is a real deterrent for most children. Check for the developer-mode warning screen at boot; if you see it, the device has been unlocked.

Step 5: DNS Filtering as a Backstop

Because you cannot install filtering software on Chrome OS, network-level filtering carries more weight here than on Windows or Mac.

Set your router's DNS to a filtering resolver, and YouTube stops resolving for every device on the Wi-Fi, Chromebook included, regardless of which account is signed in — which means it also covers Guest mode. The full walkthrough is in our router blocking guide; the method is identical, only the domains change.

Two caveats. It stops applying the moment the Chromebook leaves your Wi-Fi, which for a school device is most of the day. And Chrome's secure DNS setting can route lookups around it — on a supervised account you can force this off, on an unsupervised one you cannot.

School-Issued Chromebooks Are Different

If the Chromebook came from your child's school, it is enterprise-enrolled, and the school's admin console outranks you. Family Link controls often cannot be applied at all, your child may not be able to sign in with a personal supervised account, and the settings above may be greyed out.

You have three realistic options: ask the school's IT department to tighten the policy (they can, and YouTube is a common request), apply router-level DNS filtering at home so the device is restricted on your Wi-Fi even if you cannot touch its settings, or set a house rule that the school device stays in a shared room. Do not attempt to remove the enrolment — on a school-owned device that is both against policy and reversible by the school within a day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I block YouTube on a Chromebook without Family Link?

Router-level DNS filtering is the only method that does not require a supervised account. Chrome extensions can be removed by the child in two clicks and are not a control.

Will blocking YouTube also block YouTube Kids?

Not automatically — YouTube Kids is a separate app and a separate domain (youtubekids.com). Block or allow it deliberately in Family Link's app list.

My child's Chromebook has no parental controls in Settings. Why?

Almost always because the signed-in account is not a supervised child account, or because the device is enterprise-enrolled by a school. Check for a school badge on the sign-in screen.

Can my child remove Family Link from the Chromebook?

Not from within the account. They can, however, add a second account or use Guest mode unless you have disabled both — which is why Step 3 matters more than the blocklist itself. A child over 13 can also request to stop supervision, and you receive a notification if they do.

Does blocking YouTube on the Chromebook block it on their phone?

No. Family Link controls are per-device. The phone needs its own configuration.