Many schools have also blocked access to specific websites, such as social media, streaming services, and educational materials. While this is done to keep you on track, they can also prevent you from obtaining useful information. There are several safe and free ways to unblock websites on a school computer.
In this article, we are going to walk you through how to unblock websites on school computer. You can use these methods to access research materials, stay in touch with your friends or surf the internet freely. Just be sure to use them responsibly and you’re not breaking any school policies. Let’s dive in.
Why Does Your School Keep Blocking Websites?
Schools block websites to create a safe and focused learning environment. They limit online content to shield students from distractions, cyber threats and inappropriate content.
Protect Students from Inappropriate Content
Schools block certain websites in order to limit students’ exposure to explicit material, violence or hate speech. These restrictions establish a safe online environment for students and protect them from harmful content that may be inappropriate for their age group.
Minimize Distractions in the Classroom
Platforms like social media, gaming, and streaming services can distract students from their studies. As a result, by blocking access to these sites, schools help ensure that students are not distracted during class hours.
Prevent Cybersecurity Threats
There are malware, phishing scams, and other security risks on many websites that can be harmful to school networks. Blocking potentially malicious sites is a simple way to keep school computers and student data safe from cyber attacks.
Maintain Academic Integrity
Schools block websites that offer answers to homework, essays or tests to avoid cheating. This allows students to submit assignments honestly and enhance their skills by learning on their own.
Comply with Legal and Policy Requirements
Most schools are subject to laws, including the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), requiring them to filter internet content. Thus, these regulations help schools in controlling the online acquaintance.
What Kind of Websites Are Blocked in Schools?
Schools tend to block websites deemed distracting, inappropriate or harmful. The purpose of such limitations is to ensure a safe and efficient classroom environment.
Social Media Platforms
Social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are commonly blocked due to their potential to distract students in class. These platforms can also serve as vehicles for cyberbullying that schools want to address.
Streaming and Entertainment Sites
Schools block sites and services for video streaming like YouTube, Netflix, and Twitch and music streaming like Spotify. These sites take up bandwidth and distract students from classwork.
Gaming Websites
Many schools block online gaming platforms, like Roblox, Fortnite and other web games. Schools restrict access to these sites to ensure students concentrate on their studies rather than play games during school hours.
Adult and Inappropriate Content
Websites featuring pornographic material, graphic violence, and hate speech are strictly prohibited. This gets in the way of students receiving harmful or inappropriate information.
File-Sharing and Torrents
P2P file-sharing sites and other torrent websites such as The Pirate Bay are frequently blocked to stop illegal downloads and minimize malware risk. These websites can threaten school networks with the addition of cybersecurity risks.
Cheating and Academic Dishonesty Websites
Schools block sites that offer pre-written essays, homework answers or solutions to tests as a deterrent against academic dishonesty. These include websites such as Course Hero, Chegg, and some forums.
How to Unblock Websites on School Computer?
You can unblock websites on school computer in a few ways. These techniques will help you get around restrictions while still browsing safely.
- Way 1: Use The Wayback Machine
- Way 2: Use a URL Shortener
- Way 3: Connect Your School Computer to Mobile Hotspot
- Way 4: Convert HTML to PDF
- Way 5: Try to Search Chrome Extension
Way 1: Use The Wayback Machine
You can use the Wayback Machine to check out old versions of websites that might be blocked on your school computer. Instead, browsing through earlier snapshots allows you to view the content without circumventing security limitations. This method is free to use and requires no software downloads. Steps to use the Wayback Machine:
- Visit archive.org/web.
- Type the web address of the blocked site.
- Select a date on the timeline to see the archived version.
- Browse the site as it was on that date.
Way 2: Use a URL Shortener
The easy way of bypassing the website restriction is shortening the website link with URL shorteners. School networks will block certain URLs but might not recognize shortened versions. You can do this with a URL shortener service that you may already be using, like Bitly or TinyURL. How to shorten a website link:
- Open a link shortener ( bitly. com, tinyurl. com).
- After that, enter the blocked website address into the shortener.
- You can use this shortened link to visit the site.
Way 3: Connect Your School Computer to Mobile Hotspot
You can get around the school’s network restrictions by connecting your school computer to a mobile hotspot. Since the mobile hotspot connects to your phone’s data rather than the school’s Wi-Fi, you’re free to visit blocked websites. Steps to connect to a mobile hotspot:
- Enable the mobile hotspot feature on your phone.
- Connect the mobile hotspot to your school computer.
- Open your browser and navigate to the desired website.
Way 4: Convert HTML to PDF
If the website you are trying to visit is text-based (doesn’t require a login), you can convert the web page to a PDF. You’ll be able to read the content offline, without having to go back to the site itself. It’s ideal for reading articles or other text-heavy material. Steps to convert HTML to PDF:
- Visit a PDF converter site (e.g. webpagepdf.com, pdfmyurl.com).
- Input the URL of the blocked site in the converting tool.
- After you click Convert, it should download the PDF of the site.
- You can read the content by opening the PDF.
Way 5: Try to Search Chrome Extension
For certain blocked websites or games, browser extensions might be there. For example, 1v1 LOL games or other tools could be found as an extension in Chrome store, bypassing the restrictions on the main site. If an extension is available, this method is fast and simple. How to use a Chrome Extension:
- Open the Chrome Web Store.
- Type in the website or game that you wish to access (i.e. “1v1 LOL”).
- Click on Add to Chrome to download the extension.
- Just open the extension to access the website or game.
How to Unblock Websites on School iOS Devices?
Some schools enable a Screen Time passcode on iOS devices they issue to students to prevent them from accessing certain websites or applications. If you know the Screen Time passcode, unblocking websites and accessing the needed content is relatively easy. Here’s how to do it.
- Go to Settings on the iOS device.
- Tap on Screen Time.
- Choose Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- When prompted, enter the Screen Time passcode.
- Tap on Content Restrictions.
- Choose Unrestricted Access under the Web Content section.
- You should be able to browse freely now.
If your school-provided iOS device has a Screen Time passcode that you don’t know, you can reset the passcode through UnlockGo iPhone Unlocker. Some major features of UnlockGo are:
- Remove the Screen Time passcode without knowing the passcode.
- You won’t lose any data during the removal process.
- It allows you to remove all restrictions in 1 simple click.
- The tool supports all iPhone, iPad, iPod touch models.
Here’s how to reset the Screen Time passcode using UnlockGo:
Step 1 The first step is to download and install UnlockGo on your PC. After you download, launch the software. Then, connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer with a USB cable. On the UnlockGo interface, choose the “Unlock Screen Time Passcode” option and choose “Unlock Now” to start the unlocking process.
Step 2 You will then need to unlock your device and click the “Trust” button and type the passcode to proceed.
Step 3 UnlockGo will begin to remove the Screen Time passcode. It takes only a few seconds to complete the entire process.
Final Words
Using the techniques above, you will have no problem accessing restricted sites on your school computer or iOS device. You have a variety of choices – whether it’s using the Wayback Machine, shortening the URLs or resetting your Screen Time passcode. As such, always make sure to respect the guidelines and rules to access blocked websites.
