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Help! SelfControl is still blocking sites even after the block should have ended!

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Charlie Stigler edited this page Jul 19, 2021 · 3 revisions

Oh no! Sorry that you're having issues with SelfControl - I know that's frustrating. We'll figure this out. Pick a set of instructions to follow based on your situation:

Timer is stuck on "Finishing" or "00:00" (SelfControl 2.0 or later)

If you're using SelfControl 2.0 or later, just wait ten seconds when the timer says Finishing (or 00:00), and a button labeled "Stuck? Stop block manually" will replace the "Add to Blocklist" button." Click that button and remove your block manually!

If that didn't work, restart your computer after clearing the block manually. If it's still not working after the restart, click the "Stuck? Stop block manually" button again and see if it works on the second time.

If it's still not working after the above troubleshooting steps, email Charlie ([email protected]) and he can help you debug further. Make sure to include the following info:

  • What SelfControl and macOS versions are you using?
  • When did you start the block?
  • When was the block supposed to end?
  • What does SelfControl show when you open it right now?
  • Are websites actually still blocked (you can't access them in your browser)?
  • What happened when you tried to remove the block manually using the built-in button?
  • Are you using a VPN/proxy (including partial VPN like Cisco AnyConnect or Junos Pulse)? Any other special system configuration?

SelfControl doesn't show a block running, but sites are still blocked

  1. Make sure there's nothing else that would be blocking the site (e.g. corporate firewall), and make sure the site is accessible from another device (it isn't just down everywhere or inaccessible from your network).

  2. Clear your browser caches, then restart your computer (this is the most common fix for this issue).

  3. Try running another short SelfControl block (e.g. 1 minute) and wait for it to expire. After the new block expires, restart your computer and see if the sites are accessible then.

If it's still not working after the above troubleshooting steps, email Charlie ([email protected]) and he can help you debug further. Make sure to include the following info:

  • What SelfControl and macOS versions are you using?
  • When did you start the block?
  • When was the block supposed to end?
  • What does SelfControl show when you open it right now?
  • Are websites actually still blocked (you can't access them in your browser)?
  • Are you using a VPN/proxy (including partial VPN like Cisco AnyConnect or Junos Pulse)? Any other special system configuration?

Timer is stuck on "00:00" (SelfControl 1.x)

If you are running a pre-2.0 release of SelfControl, follow these instructions, then upgrade to a modern version of SelfControl because your copy was 5+ years out of date!

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