How to block Slack on a Mac during focus time (app and website, 2026)

Do you want to pause Slack notifications or block Slack?

They are different. Pausing notifications keeps Slack open and silent. Blocking keeps Slack from opening. Slack has a built-in way to pause notifications, and it is the right first step if the problem is pings. If the problem is that you open Slack on your own, a block is the tool that helps.

Slack runs as a desktop app for Mac, downloadable from slack.com/downloads/mac and listed on the Mac App Store, and as a web version in a browser. Your workspace opens at an address such as yourworkspace.slack.com, and once it loads the address changes to app.slack.com. Blocking the app does not block the website, and the other way round.

How do you pause Slack notifications on a Mac?

Slack's Do Not Disturb pauses notifications for a set time. Slack's help center describes the steps below, and the menu label can differ between versions (some pages say Pause notifications, others say Notifications). This is a Slack feature, not part of Nudge.

• For a recurring quiet period, open Preferences from the profile menu and set Working hours, with Allow notifications set to Every day, Weekdays or Custom.
• Slash commands also work in the message box: /dnd for 15 mins, /dnd until 5pm, and /dnd off to resume.
• Slack also has a focus mode that quiets the sidebar and pauses notifications. Slack stays open and reachable in all of these, so a habit of checking it is not stopped.

1. In Slack on your desktop, click your profile picture in the sidebar.

2. Move your cursor over Notifications (called Pause notifications in some versions).

3. Pick a duration from the menu, or choose Custom to set your own.

4. To resume early, open the same menu and select Resume notifications.

Which method should you use to block Slack?

Use Slack's own pause notifications to quiet alerts, Screen Time App Limits for a free cap on the app, the hosts file for the web version, and Nudge when you want the app and the website blocked for the length of a session. For the general app method, see how to block apps on a Mac.

How do you block the Slack app with Screen Time App Limits?

Screen Time can limit how long an app is used per day. On macOS 26 and earlier, App Limits set limits for specific apps, app categories and websites. On macOS 27, Apple's guide sets Time Allowances by app category, so you may need to limit the whole category Slack is in, which can include other apps. A limit caps use; it does not remove the app.

• When the time is up, macOS shows a prompt that the person at the keyboard can usually dismiss with an extra allowance unless a Screen Time passcode is set. It limits time; it does not stop you opening Slack at the start of a work session. If Slack is part of your job, a daily cap rarely fits. A session-based block does.

1. Click the Apple menu, open System Settings and click Screen Time in the sidebar (you may need to scroll). Turn it on if needed.

2. Open App Limits (on macOS 27, Time Allowances).

3. Add a limit and choose the Slack app from the list of apps, or its category if you want a wider limit.

4. Set a short daily time, then confirm.

5. Optional: turn on Lock Screen Time Settings so a passcode is needed to change it.

How do you block the Slack website with the hosts file?

Point your Slack web address at an address that goes nowhere. Slack's help center says a workspace URL is the workspace name followed by slack.com, for example acmeinc.slack.com, and that once the page loads the address changes to app.slack.com. Hosts entries do not support wildcards: each line covers one hostname only. List your own workspace hostname and app.slack.com, then open Slack in the browser to see which address it ends up on.

Chrome reads the hosts file itself, and other browsers on this Mac that use the system resolver read it too. Safari follows it as well, unless iCloud Private Relay is on; turn Private Relay off for Safari, then open the site to confirm it is blocked. Do not add shared content or CDN domains to the file.

• To unblock, open the file again, delete the lines and flush the cache again.
• It is a permanent block with no timer, and anyone who knows the trick can reverse it. The Slack desktop app may or may not keep working, so test it, and block the app with App Limits or a focus app.

1. Open Terminal and run:

   sudo nano /etc/hosts

2. Enter your Mac password. Move to the bottom of the file and add your workspace hostname (replace acmeinc with your own) and app.slack.com:

   0.0.0.0 acmeinc.slack.com
   0.0.0.0 app.slack.com

3. Press Control-O, then Return to save, and Control-X to exit.

4. Flush the DNS cache so the change applies now:

   sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
   sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

5. Quit and reopen your browser, then open your Slack address and confirm it no longer loads. Quit and reopen the Slack app and see whether it still connects.

How do you block Slack on your iPhone too?

Use Screen Time on the iPhone, or pause notifications in the Slack app on the phone (tap your profile picture, then Pause notifications). A block on your Mac does not carry over to the phone, and Nudge is a Mac app only. Menu names differ slightly between iOS versions.

1. On the iPhone, open Settings and tap Screen Time.

2. Tap App Limits, add Slack and set a time allowance.

3. Optional: pause notifications inside Slack so alerts also stay quiet.

How do you block Slack only during focus sessions?

Use a focus app that blocks apps as well as websites, so Slack is shut while you do deep work and reachable after. Add the Slack app, app.slack.com and your workspace address to a Nudge preset and start the session from the menu bar. Nudge blocks the apps and websites you picked while the session runs, and websites are blocked in Safari and Chrome. Nudge does not block or manage notifications, so keep Slack's own Do Not Disturb for that.

• Slack is blocked on the Mac while you work and reachable after the session ends. Nudge costs $9.99 once for Lifetime Access, with no subscription, and every Mac gets a 7-day free trial that needs no email, password or card.
• To compare other tools, read the best website blocker apps for Mac and app blocker vs website blocker. A longer plan for deep work is in the focus app for coding on Mac guide.

1. Open Nudge and create a preset, such as Deep Work.

2. Add the Slack app to the apps to block, and app.slack.com plus your workspace address (such as acmeinc.slack.com) to the websites to block.

3. Start the preset from the menu bar, or use Quick Focus for a one-off session.

4. Optional: add a schedule so the preset runs on the days and hours you choose.