URL Filtering Software

With BrowseControl’s URL Filtering feature you can allow and block (whitelist and blacklist) access to specific websites based on their URL, domain, IP addresses, or URL keywords.

  • Improve Productivity & Security
  • URL Category Database
  • Protection On Any Network

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& many more

Trusted by

mitsubishi electric
pepsi cola logo
Viking Yachts
New York City Department of Transportation DOT Logo

and many more

Screenshot of the URL filter from BrowseControl, CurrentWare's web filtering software

URL Filtering With Block & Allow Lists

With the Allowed URLs List of the BrowseControl you can restrict internet access to only specific websites or exempt specific websites that are blocked by the Category Filtering feature.

With the Blocked URLs List you can block specific websites while allowing access to the rest of the internet.

  • Block (Blacklist) URLs with the URL filtering block list to block users from accessing websites
  • Allow (Whitelist) URLs with the URL filtering  allow list to set exceptions for websites you would like to allow
  • Create unique URL filtering policies for each user/PC group

Block Web Content Categories

BrowseControl’s category filtering database provides you with a convenient way to blacklist millions of websites across over 100 URL categories.

Start blocking access social media, porn, games, malicious sites such as malware or phishing sites, and more in just a few clicks!

  • Meet CIPA compliance by blocking categories of websites that are not age-appropriate such as porn
  • Effortlessly block millions of websites across 100+ URL categories
  • Customize the website category database locally to suit the needs of your environment
Screenshot of the URL filter from BrowseControl, CurrentWare's web filtering software
Blocked website warning message that says "Your IT administrator has prevented you from browsing this URL. Request access"

Present a Custom Block Screen Message

  • Block Message or Redirect
    Display a message or redirect users to another web page
  • Enforce Internet Use Policies
    Remind your users of your acceptable use policy
  • Request Access to Blocked Websites
    Optionally provide users with an access request link
Click Here for Transcript

Need to restrict internet access in your network? In this tutorial you will learn how to block websites using a free trial of BrowseControl, CurrentWare’s web content filtering software.

With BrowseControl you can...

  • Block or allow websites based on URL, category, domain, or IP address
  • Schedule unique internet restrictions throughout the day
  • Assign custom policies for each group of computers or users, and...
  • Enforce internet usage policies, even when devices leave the network

There are 3 ways to block employee internet access with BrowseControl...

  1. Block access to specific websites with the Block List
  2. Restrict internet access to only certain sites with the Allow List,
  3. and using the Category Filtering feature to block access to content categories such as Porn, Virus Infected, or Social Media

For complete control over internet and application use in your network, you can combine BrowseControl with BrowseReporter, CurrentWare’s internet monitoring software.

All right, let’s get started...

To begin, sign up for a free trial of BrowseControl at CurrentWare.com/Download. After filling out the form you will be provided with the files you need to get started with BrowseControl.

To install BrowseControl, run CurrentWare.exe on the administrator’s computer and follow the installation instructions; this will install the CurrentWare Console and Server.

After that, deploy the CurrentWare Client Setup file (cwClientSetup.exe) on all of the computers you would like to control.

From there you can import your Active Directory organizational units or manually create your desired policy groups.

For full installation instructions, please visit our knowledge base at CurrentWare.com/Support.

Now that you have BrowseControl installed, I’ll show you how to block specific websites based on their URL, domain, or IP address using the URL Filter.

This feature can be used to block your employees from accessing distracting websites like Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram.

  1. First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.
  2. Next, click on URL Filter then select “Blocked List”
  3. From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict
  4. Enter the URL, domain, or IP address of the websites you want to block to the master URL list, then press the Enter key or click “Add”. BrowseControl will apply a wildcard to the URL, ensuring that any paths within the domain will be blocked as well.
  5. In the master URL list, select the websites you want to block for the chosen group, then click “Add to Blocked List”
    • If you would like to add the selected websites to the block list of multiple groups, you can press the drop-down arrow and select “add to multiple groups”, select the desired groups, then click “add to blocked list”
    • If you have a large number of websites you would like to block, you can also use the import feature to import an existing list.
  6. Finally, click “Apply to Clients”.

That’s it! You have now blocked your employees, students, or patrons from accessing those specific websites.

Next, I’ll show you how to restrict internet access to only certain sites.

This feature is ideal if you want to prevent your employees, students, or patrons from accessing websites that are not explicitly allowed by your organization.

The process is identical to how you would block a website, except this time you will set the internet to “off” and add the websites you would like to allow to the Allow List.

With this method, your users will only be able to access the exact websites that have been approved by your company.

Here are the full instructions

  1. First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.
  2. Next, click on URL Filter then ensure that “Allowed List” is selected
  3. From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict
  4. Set the internet to “Off”. This will ensure that only the websites that are added to the allowed list can be accessed.
  5. Enter the URL, domain, or IP address of the website you want to allow to the master URL list, then press the Enter key or click “Add”. BrowseControl will apply a wildcard to the URL, ensuring that any paths within the domain will be allowed as well.
  6. In the master URL list, select the websites you want to allow for the chosen group, then click “Add to Allowed List”
  7. If you would like to add the selected websites to the Allowed list of multiple groups, you can press the drop-down arrow and select “add to multiple groups”, select the desired groups, then click “add to Allowed list”
  8. If you have a large number of websites you would like to allow, you can also use the import feature to import an existing list.
  9. Finally, click “Apply to Clients”.

Next, I’ll show you how to block websites based on content categories such as Porn, Virus Infected, and Social Media

With BrowseControl’s category filtering feature you can block billions of websites across over 100 URL categories. More than 10,000 new domains are added each day, making it simple to restrict internet access even as new sites emerge.

Here’s how:

  1. First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.
  2. Click on “Category Filtering”
  3. From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict
  4. Select the web content categories you would like to block, then click “Add to Blocked List”
  5. Finally, click “Apply to Clients”.

That’s it!

The Allow List can also be used in tandem with the Category Filtering feature to allow websites that would otherwise be blocked based on their content category.

For example, you could use Category Filtering to block Social Media while still allowing access to LinkedIn.

Now that you’ve seen the 3 key ways you can block a website with BrowseControl, I’d like to show you how to restrict internet access at certain times.

With BrowseControl’s Internet Scheduler you can schedule custom block or allow lists throughout the day.

This feature will bring some flexibility to your internet restriction policies; in this example, we will allow our employees to browse the internet during lunchtime.

Here’s how to use the internet scheduler

  1. First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.
  2. Click on “internet scheduler”
  3. From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict
  4. Click “New Schedule”
  5. Set the start and end time of the schedule
  6. Select the schedule type
    • Internet on will allow internet access to all websites that are not on the URL Block List
    • Custom allowed list will only allow access to specific websites
    • Custom blocked list will block access to a specific list of websites and allow access to the rest of the internet
    • Custom Category blocked list will block specific categories and allow access to the rest of the internet
  7. Set your desired schedule frequency
    • Daily will enable the schedule every day during the specified time period
    • Weekly will enable the schedule only on specific days of the week
    • Monthly will enable the schedule only on specific months
  8. Click “Add Schedule”
  9. If you selected one of the custom block or allow list options, you can click the link provided under the “schedule type” column to set the websites or categories that you would like on the list.
  10. And finally, Click “Enable scheduler” if it is not already enabled

That’s it for today. If you’re ready to start blocking websites you can get a free trial of BrowseControl at CurrentWare.com/Download.

If you have any questions during your evaluation our support team is available to help you over a phone call, live chat, or email.

See you next time!

How to Block a Website With BrowseControl

Learn how to block a website with BrowseControl, CurrentWare’s URL filtering software. Easily restrict access to distracting, inappropriate, or unsafe sites on any internet browser.

Why Use Internet Filtering Software?

Paper document that says "Internet Usage Policy"

Enforce Acceptable Computer Use Policies

  • Policy Reminders: Redirect users from restricted websites to your internet use policy or a custom block page
  • Block Websites: Prevent access to websites that go against your acceptable computer use policies
  • Non-Compliance Alerts: Combine BrowseControl with BrowseReporter internet use monitoring software to get alerts of policy violations
An Ethernet router with five RJ45 cables connected to it

Block Bandwidth Hogs to Improve Network Availability

  • Block Bandwidth Hogs: Block Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other unproductive bandwidth hogs
  • Restrict Unproductive Sites: Reduce unproductive web browsing to ensure bandwidth availability for work tasks
  • Discretionary Access: Selectively allow access to high-bandwidth sites on an as-needed basis
A woman in professional attire stares off-screen, distracted

Reduce Distractions to Improve Employee Productivity

  • Improve Focus: Block distracting websites and apps to keep your users focused on their tasks
  • Custom Internet Policies: Apply different policies for group of users or computers to avoid bottlenecks
  • Control Tech Use: Combine with BrowseReporter computer monitoring software for advanced awareness and control over technology usage
A group of three lawyers in formal attire

Protect Your Business From Compliance & Liability Risks

  • Prevent Software Piracy: Use the app blocker to prevent employees from launching specific applications
  • Block Inappropriate Content: Prevent users from accessing pornographic, hateful, or crude websites at work or school
  • Meet Compliance Requirements: Control internet use to secure your network against web-based threats and data loss to cloud storage sites/apps

Protect Against Web Security Threats

  • Download Blocker: Block file downloads such as executables, zipped files, and videos from the internet
  • Internet Off: Block the entire internet from being browsed for specific computers or employees
  • Malware Protection: Block malicious and high-risk websites with our frequently updated category filtering database
Cloud storage server

Prevent Data Theft & Leakage

  • Cloud DLP: Block unsanctioned cloud storage apps and sites to prevent employee data theft
  • Port Filtering: Block ports used for FTP, SCP, SFTP, etc. to prevent data from leaving the network
  • Block High-Risk Sites: Block other potential data egress points such as personal email platforms, torrenting sites, etc
BrowseControl

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Check Out Our Great Reviews!

"As a 'novice' I was able to set up with help from support in about an hour. Previous software took forever and didn't work as advertised. This software worked right out of the box."

Dr. Gerard B, Office Manager
Medical Practice, 2-10 Employees

"This software was easy to install and customize to our needs. Category Filtering is such a time saver and of course saving time is saving money!"

Scott S, Senior Systems Engineer
Maritime Industry, 201-500 Employees

"BrowseControl is the best software for internet filtering. We can block specific websites and applications...[being able to] add and remove the restrictions instantly is a great feature. They have a great customer support to solve our queries."

Ajoob S, Engineer
Chemical Industry, 501-1000 Employees

In my nearly 40 years in the IT business I’ve worked with a lot of support teams. I really appreciate CurrentWare going the extra mile to help me get the most out of the product. They’ve definitely outweighed any of the other competitors that I’ve looked at.

Jerry Slocum, Managed Services Provider
Haggerty Auto Group, 150-200 Employees

Expand your capabilities with CurrentWare's award-winning productivity and security software

BrowseControl

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Fully functional. Easy to use. Install in minutes.

Combine Website Blocking and Monitoring
 for Enhanced Protection and Productivity

Block Websites and Apps

BrowseControl is both an application to block websites and a Windows app blocker, making it is the best website blocker for schools, libraries, and businesses.

  • Block Websites: Block websites based on category, URL, domain, or IP address.
  • Granular Policies: Customize internet restrictions for each user, device, or department.
  • Block Apps: Add the apps you want to block to the app blocker to prevent the launching of distracting or high-risk apps.
Screenshot of category filtering window from BrowseControl web filter. Porn and social media categories blocked.
Employee productivity dashboard with productive vs unproductive time charts and data

Monitor Internet Use

BrowseReporter is the best employee monitoring software for tracking web use.

  • Productivity Tracker: See how much time is spent on unproductive web browsing. What is considered productive can be customized to fit your needs.
  • Monitor Web Traffic: Get reports on words used in search engines, websites visited, and applications used.
  • Reduce Distractions: Noisy data such as CDNs and advertisements are filtered out; the reports show genuine browsing behavior from company computers.

Manage Remote Devices

BrowseControl blocks apps, distractions, and high-risk sites with malicious content and other security threats no matter where your Windows devices are.

  • Offsite Features: Use the offsite mode to continue restricting Windows devices when they leave the network.
  • Browser Console: Remotely manage internet control policies through the web-based central management console.
  • Local Cache: Updates to policies will sync with devices once they reconnect to the server.
A photo of a glowing model of earth. A man's hands surround the Earth. Icons representing data and internet surround them
Paper document that says "Internet Usage Policy"

FREE DOWNLOAD
Internet Use Policy Template

Download this FREE internet use policy to set standards for acceptable internet usage in your organization.

  • Disclose the organization’s intent to monitor internet use
  • Communicate acceptable standards for technology use
  • Describe your users' rights and responsibilities

BrowseControl Web Filtering Features

Internet Off
Internet ON/OFF

One click to completely block
users from browsing the web

URL Filter
URL Filter

Allowed list or Blocked list for
specific URLs

Category Filtering
Category Filtering

Block websites based on specific web content categories

Application Blocker
Application Blocker

Block specific Windows
applications from launching

Bandwidth Tracker
Google Safe Search

Search engine filters prevent explicit results in search engines

Customized Message
Customize Message

Display a customized warning
message on blocked websites

Download Filter
Download Filter

Block files from being downloaded from the internet

Port Filter
Port Filter

Close unused and high-risk
TCP/UDP ports

Internet Quota
Internet Quota

Set a time-based quota for
internet browsing

Internet Scheduler
Internet Scheduler

Schedule internet use policies for specific times of the day

Internet Timer
Timer

Allocate specific time for your
users to access the Internet

Stealth
Stealth Mode

Restrict internet use without
alerting users

Internet Off

Centralized Console

Manage all your users from the
centralized console with Active
Directory import or syncing

Internet Off

Platform Security

Protect your CurrentWare console
with 2FA, passwords, privilege
management, and more

Internet Off

Offsite Management

Extend onsite Internet usage
policies to laptops running outside
the corporate network

Internet Off

SQL Server Supported

Database scaled for enterprise and
large business operations using
Microsoft SQL Server

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Fully functional. Easy to use. Install in minutes.