PauseFence – Free Website Blocker for Focus

PauseFence is a free website blocker for Chrome that helps you stop impulsive browsing and return to what matters. Use it to block distracting websites, reduce social media interruptions, protect study sessions, and stay focused during work. Instead of forcing everyone into one rigid system, PauseFence gives you three protection modes. You decide which websites to guard, how much resistance you need, when the rules should run, and whether a controlled break should be available. Whether you are studying for an exam, working from home, completing an important project, or simply trying to spend less time scrolling, PauseFence helps create a deliberate moment between an impulse and an unwanted visit. WHY INSTALL PAUSEFENCE? Distractions often begin automatically: you open a new tab, type the name of a familiar site, and lose several minutes before noticing what happened. PauseFence interrupts that pattern. When you attempt to open a guarded site, the extension applies the protection rules you selected. Depending on your mode, it can block the visit completely or require an intentional waiting period before granting limited access. The interruption page also brings your priorities back into view. It can show your personal tasks, study reminder, exam countdown, or daily CAT progress so you can make a more conscious decision about what to do next. PauseFence is useful for: • Deep work and productivity sessions • Studying without social media interruptions • Reducing habitual or impulsive browsing • Staying focused while working from home • Protecting specific hours with an automatic schedule • Keeping personal tasks visible when distractions appear • Preparing for an exam with a countdown and reminder • Taking limited breaks without leaving distracting sites open indefinitely THREE FLEXIBLE PROTECTION MODES Choose the level of website blocking that fits your situation. STRICT MODE Strict Mode creates the strongest boundary. Attempts to open an enabled site are redirected to a local PauseFence interruption page, with no bypass available inside the extension. This mode is suited to deep work, important study sessions, exam preparation, writing, coding, or any period when you do not want to negotiate with a distraction. You can also save up to three personal images and choose one as an optional full-screen Strict Mode background. A meaningful image, goal, or visual reminder can make the interruption more personal and help reinforce why you chose to focus. FRICTION MODE Friction Mode is designed for people who want a deliberate pause instead of a permanent block. When you open a guarded website, PauseFence starts a configurable waiting period. If you still choose to continue after the pause, you can begin a controlled, timed break. You can configure: • How long the intentional pause lasts • How many minutes each break lasts • How many new breaks are allowed per day • How long the post-break reset period lasts • Two optional one-time extension durations When a break ends, website protection returns immediately. A short reset period gives you time to reconsider before two configurable extension choices become available. Only one extension can be used for the original break. When that extension ends, the site is guarded again and another extension is not offered. This prevents a short break from becoming a repeated chain of unlimited access. An active break or extension can also be ended early from the PauseFence popup whenever you are ready to return to your task. FREE MODE Free Mode leaves your selected websites accessible during ordinary browsing. It is useful when you only want protection during scheduled focus periods. If a recurring Strict schedule becomes active, the schedule temporarily overrides Free Mode. When the scheduled period ends, PauseFence automatically restores your normal setting. GUARD THE SITES THAT DISTRACT YOU PauseFence includes convenient controls for popular sites such as Reddit, X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. You can guard all of YouTube or select the Shorts-only option when short-form videos are the main distraction. You are not limited to the built-in choices. Add a custom domain when you want to control access to another news, entertainment, shopping, discussion, streaming, or social website. No websites are enabled automatically. Before Chrome displays a website-access permission prompt, PauseFence provides a plain-language explanation of why that permission is needed. Permission is requested only after you explicitly choose to enable a site. This gives you control over which websites the extension can guard. AUTOMATE RECURRING FOCUS SESSIONS You should not have to remember to activate a distraction blocker every day. PauseFence lets you create recurring focus periods for selected days of the week. Choose a start time and end time, and the extension will automatically apply Strict Mode during that window. Recurring schedules can support routines such as: • Morning study sessions • Office or work-from-home hours • Evening revision periods • Writing or project blocks • Weekend learning sessions • Overnight focus periods Overnight schedules are supported, so a focus period can begin in the evening and finish the following morning. While a scheduled period is active, Strict Mode overrides your regular protection mode. After the period ends, your previously selected mode resumes automatically. PERSONAL TASKS ON THE INTERRUPTION PAGE A blocker is more useful when it reminds you what to do instead. PauseFence includes a personal task list that can be managed from both the popup and the Settings page. Add the work, study, or personal actions you want to return to when a distracting impulse appears. Your tasks are displayed on interruption pages, where you can: • Add new tasks • Mark tasks as complete • Delete tasks • Reorder tasks • See what remains unfinished The list works in both Normal Mode and Study Mode. This make…