Gertrude’s Mac App Blocker

As an additional layer of safety and control for parents, Gertrude allows you to block any macOS app—either on a schedule, or all the time.

How does it work?

If you don't already have a Gertrude account, start by signing up for a 21 day free trial here. Once you've got a parent account, and at least one child with the Gertrude app installed on their Mac, navigate to the Settings screen for that child, and scroll down to the area labeled Blocked apps, then type the name of an app you want to block.

Type the name of an app you want to block

You can also block an app on a schedule, if you'd prefer to block an app only at certain times:

You can also block apps on a schedule

When the child tries to launch a blocked app, they'll see a message like this:

Why would I want to block apps?

Some apps (specifically many created by Apple and pre-installed with the operating system) cannot be deleted from the computer. Or, a computer might have a third-party app that could be deleted, but is important to another user on the computer, like a parent or sibling. If these apps are usable without internet access (because Gertrude would be blocking their internet access anyway) and are distracting or harmful, blocking them for your child can be a great solution.

Do I need to block apps?

If you're a Gertrude parent making use of the built-in internet filtering, you usually don't need to worry about blocking apps. That's because unless you grant an application a "key" to access the internet, it can't make any network requests at all. For most apps, this makes them pretty much useless, uninteresting, and safe for kids. It's really only if you have apps that are a distraction or unsafe even without internet that you need to block them. Or if you leave your child's internet filter off or suspended for large amounts of time, in that case blocking apps can be a useful extra safeguard.

What's Gertrude?

Gertrude is a parental controls app for Mac computers that puts parents in total control over their kids' online activity. It combines a safe-list oriented internet filter with monitoring tools for viewing your child's computer activity. It's also designed to be completely managed from a parent's phone or computer once installed. Parents can unblock websites and apps wherever they are, and even turn off and on the filter remotely. Plus, there's one low price for the whole family. For parents wanting to take total control over their child's internet access and be strict and careful with their exposure to the internet, there's simply nothing better than Gertrude.