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Mac guide

Websites blocked in
the Chrome you use

When monk mode is on, the MonkMate extension in your usual Google Chrome blocks websites. Here’s how it works and what changes in Chrome, in four steps.

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Step 1

How monk mode works

Pick the apps and websites to block, set how long to focus, and start. Once it starts, it stays locked until the timer ends.

  • You can’t end it early. You can only add time or block more.
  • Scheduled monk modes can’t be canceled.
  • Without Pro, it lasts up to 1 hour 30 minutes at a time. Pro has no limit.
  • A monitoring process, installed once with your admin password, keeps blocks on even if MonkMate quits or your Mac restarts.
Step 2

Websites are blocked in your usual Chrome

The MonkMate extension is added to the Google Chrome you already use. Open a blocked site and the MonkMate block page shows instead. Your bookmarks, passwords, and logins stay put, so there’s nothing to set up.

  • Most blocker extensions can be switched off or removed mid-session. The MonkMate extension is installed by a Chrome policy, so it can’t be turned off or removed.
  • If Chrome starts with extensions disabled or the extension stops responding, the monitoring process closes Chrome.
  • When monk mode ends, the rules lift and tabs on the block page go back to where they were.
Step 3

Other browsers close while you focus

The MonkMate extension lives only in Google Chrome. In a monk mode with website rules, the web opens only in Chrome, and other browsers stay closed until the end.

  • Browsers that close: Safari, Chrome Beta and Canary, Edge, Whale, Firefox, Brave, Arc, Dia, Opera, Vivaldi, Zen, Tor, and more.
  • Website rules mean a blocklist with at least one site, or any allowlist. An empty allowlist blocks the entire web.
  • If you only block apps, every browser is left alone.
  • When monk mode ends, every browser works as usual again.
Step 4

What changes in Chrome

To guard the extension, MonkMate uses Chrome policies. So Chrome shows “Managed by your organization,” and a few windows that could get around the extension are turned off.

  • “Managed by your organization” means a policy MonkMate added. It doesn’t mean a company or school manages your Chrome.
  • Incognito windows, Guest mode, and adding new profiles are out of the extension’s reach, so they’re off. They stay off outside monk mode too.
  • Your bookmarks, passwords, logins, and other extensions stay as they are.
  • Delete the MonkMate app and the policy and extension go away within a few minutes.
Good to know

Blocking in Chrome,
in a nutshell

The Mac app shows the same guide the first time you open it.

Google Chrome is required

The MonkMate extension goes into the Google Chrome installed on your Mac. If it’s missing, the app tells you Google Chrome is needed and links to the download.

Restart Chrome once after installing

A Chrome that’s already running may not pick up the extension right away. Quit and reopen Chrome once and the extension is added. After that, no restarts are needed.

monkmate.pro always opens

Even during a session, monkmate.pro and the support pages stay reachable.

Find it again in the app

The Mac app shows the same guide the first time you open it. Later, find it under Settings › How MonkMate works.

Mac guide FAQ

Do I need Google Chrome?
To block websites, Google Chrome needs to be installed on your Mac. The MonkMate extension goes into Chrome and blocks sites there. A monk mode that only blocks apps, with no website rules, doesn’t need Chrome.
What happens to my regular Chrome data?
Nothing changes. Your bookmarks, passwords, logins, and other extensions work as usual, and there’s no need to sign in again anywhere.
I only use Safari.
Just have Google Chrome installed. During a monk mode with website rules, Safari closes and the web opens in Chrome. When it ends, use Safari as usual.
If I only block apps, do browsers close too?
No. Without website rules, every browser is left alone.
Chrome says “Managed by your organization.”
That’s the Chrome policy MonkMate adds to install and guard its extension. No company or school is managing your Chrome. Delete the MonkMate app and the policy and extension go away within a few minutes.
Incognito windows won’t open.
The extension doesn’t run in Incognito or Guest mode, so they would be a way around monk mode. MonkMate keeps them off while it’s installed.
What happens when monk mode ends?
All rules lift and tabs on the block page go back to where they were. Browsers that were closed open as usual again.

One place for the web,
focus to the end

Get the Mac app and start focusing in the Chrome you already use.

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