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You do not have to block a whole site. FocusMe can block a section, a page or a feature while the rest of the domain stays open, or block the domain while one section stays open.

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How matching works

Step 1 What to block: click a row to edit its type and match

Every website entry has a type and a match. Click any row on What to block to edit them. Addresses are compared without https:// or www., so write entries without them.

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Method 1: Block a section by path

Type the path you want blocked into the add row. It is added as a Website address with Contains:
Each entry blocks that section and every page under it, such as each post in reddit.com/r/gaming. Everything else on those domains stays available.

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Method 2: Block the domain, allow a section

For the reverse, block the whole site and put the section you need on the allow list. Allow list entries always take priority over the block list.
  1. On What to block, with Blocked selected, add facebook.com
  2. Switch the segmented control to Allowed and add facebook.com/messages
  3. Click Next and finish the wizard as usual
If you try to add the same entry to both lists, FocusMe tells you it is Already on the allow list, which takes priority. or Already on the block list. and offers to move it.
If an allow entry is rejected with a Blocked: message, Similarity protection (under Advanced) considers it too close to a blocked entry. Lower the level, or make the allow entry more specific.

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Method 3: Matching on page titles

A Page title only entry is checked against the page title, and an Address or page title entry against both the title and the address. Add the word, then click its row and change the type. Either type catches content whose address is unpredictable:
  • Shorts — blocks YouTube Shorts wherever they appear
  • Reels — blocks Instagram Reels
  • The name of a show or game
Keep these entries specific: a short word can appear in the titles of pages you need. A word under five letters, or a number, added through Bulk add websites… starts on Whole Word, so it won’t match inside longer words.

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Method 4: Regex

For pattern matching, set the row’s match to Regex:
This blocks Shorts, the feed and trending pages but allows ordinary video pages, channels and search. Learn more about Regex → Learn more about blocking websites →