Digital Habits: Focus
Hide distractions on any site
Free
Hide distractions on any website (YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, etc.), and take back control of your attention online! Open-source and research-backed.
*NOTE: WORKS WITHIN SAFARI, NOT THE APPS*: This app lets you control how YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. appears in the Safari browser. It does NOT change the apps, as this is not possible.
To make using e.g. Instagram in the browser as convenient as the app, create an icon on your home screen to take you directly to the site in the browser. You can find instructions for how to do so when you open the app.
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Digital Habits: Focus (formerly known as 'ReDD Focus', 'Viking Focus' and 'MindShield') is a browser extension for Safari we built to help ourselves be less distracted online.
It primarily lets you hide distracting elements on any website, with ready-made options for YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, Google Search, and WhatsApp Web. For example, on YouTube you might want to hide recommended videos, on Facebook you might hide the newsfeed, and on Google Search you might want to hide AI summaries.
You have full control over what is hidden. Simply click the extension icon in the browser toolbar to select elements to hide, and save your preferred settings. To help hold yourself accountable, you can also add a delay time to change the settings.
You can also delay opening of distracting websites, make any website greyscale to reduce its allure, and set up redirects from one website to somewhere else to keep your online use intentional.
Everywhere you go on the internet, something tries to grab your attention. This extension gives you back control. Enjoy!
- Ulrik, Konrad, Tiago, and the Centre for Digital Habits Team (see what we're up to at digitalhabits.org)
NOTE: the extension is open source and collects zero user data. See the source code, flag bugs, or submit suggestions for improvement at https://github.com/ulyngs/digital-habits-focus
more I found this app via always excellent Macrumors as I was looking for a way to hide Google’s AI Overview. The app lets the user hide distracting elements on webpages, on both Mac and iPhone. It’s very easy to do by simply selecting the undesired elements on a page. In the latest update one can even more easily hide Google’s AI Overview by ticking the dedicated box in the settings. I had contact with the developer Ulrik Lyngs about the possibility to hide the AI Overview and was very happy about how responsive he and the team behind the app were to make this possible. It should be noted that there’s science behind the app’s functionality in terms of removing distractions online. It’s an app that can make a real difference to one’s digital life and I highly recommend it.
I found this app via always excellent Macrumors as I was looking for a way to hide Google’s AI Overview. The app lets the user hide distracting elements on webpages, on both Mac and iPhone. It’s very easy to do by simply selecting the undesired elements on a page. In the latest update one can even more easily hide Google’s AI Overview by ticking the dedicated box in the settings. I had contact with the developer Ulrik Lyngs about the possibility to hide the AI Overview and was very happy about how responsive he and the team behind the app were to make this possible. It should be noted that there’s science behind the app’s functionality in terms of removing distractions online. It’s an app that can make a real difference to one’s digital life and I highly recommend it.
I found this app via always excellent Macrumors as I was looking for a way to hide Google’s AI Overview. The app lets the user hide distracting elements on webpages, on both Mac and iPhone. It’s very easy to do by simply selecting the undesired elements on a page. In the latest update one can even more easily hide Google’s AI Overview by ticking the dedicated box in the settings. I had contact with the developer Ulrik Lyngs about the possibility to hide the AI Overview and was very happy about how responsive he and the team behind the app were to make this possible. It should be noted that there’s science behind the app’s functionality in terms of removing distractions online. It’s an app that can make a real difference to one’s digital life and I highly recommend it.
I found this app via always excellent Macrumors as I was looking for a way to hide Google’s AI Overview. The app lets the user hide distracting elements on webpages, on both Mac and iPhone. It’s very easy to do by simply selecting the undesired elements on a page. In the latest update one can even more easily hide Google’s AI Overview by ticking the dedicated box in the settings. I had contact with the developer Ulrik Lyngs about the possibility to hide the AI Overview and was very happy about how responsive he and the team behind the app were to make this possible. It should be noted that there’s science behind the app’s functionality in terms of removing distractions online. It’s an app that can make a real difference to one’s digital life and I highly recommend it.
So much important content (unfortunately) ends up on social media (like answers to technical questions) or arbitrated by it (like creating an account via Facebook) and so outright blocking those sites isn’t realistic any more. The solution is to gut every algorithmic element to them, every infinite feed, every story carousel so they no longer pose a threat to your time. This app succeeds where I failed with some slapped together css selectors. My only wishes would be in depth configurations for Reddit and the ability to block Twitter replies.And it’s open source, if you thought it couldn’t get any better! Maybe I’ll just make a PR with the features I want.
So much important content (unfortunately) ends up on social media (like answers to technical questions) or arbitrated by it (like creating an account via Facebook) and so outright blocking those sites isn’t realistic any more. The solution is to gut every algorithmic element to them, every infinite feed, every story carousel so they no longer pose a threat to your time. This app succeeds where I failed with some slapped together css selectors. My only wishes would be in depth configurations for Reddit and the ability to block Twitter replies.And it’s open source, if you thought it couldn’t get any better! Maybe I’ll just make a PR with the features I want.
Was looking for a robust blocker on my MacBook since I mainly use Safari on it. Works great, would love to see a more robust Reddit implementation.
Was looking for a robust blocker on my MacBook since I mainly use Safari on it. Works great, would love to see a more robust Reddit implementation.
Hi folks,
This update comes with some helpful improvements!
- Meet Digital Habits: Focus! Renamed from ReDD Focus (also formerly Viking Focus / MindShield) as part of the move from the Reduce Digital Distraction (ReDD) Project to Centre for Digital Habits (digitalhabits.org).
- "Digital Habits: Blocker": In-app references to the companion desktop blocker now use its new Digital Habits: Blocker name.
- "digitalhabits.org protected": The Centre for Digital Habits site is treated as a protected host so Focus does not hide or redirect it.
Please keep suggesting improvements to the app - you can do so at https://github.com/ulyngs/digital-habits-focus
We hope you're enjoying Digital Habits: Focus!
- Ulrik, Tiago, & the Centre for Digital Habits Team
(digitalhabits.org)
6.9.1 3d ago
Hi folks,
This update comes with some exciting new features and helpful improvements!
Delay opening distracting websites:
- "Delay before a site opens": Take a breath and consider your intention online by choosing to delay opening certain websites. Toggle it per site from the Custom section.
- "Configurable delay length": Choose a delay between 5 and 600 seconds (default 10).
- "Shared unlock / delay message": The Settings “Unlock / delay message” appears on both the unlock countdown and the delay screen (default: “What's your intention?”).
Redirects to another page / website
- "Redirects when you open a website": Redirect yourself to either another page on the website via a relative link (e.g. /feed/subscriptions) or to another website (e.g. wikipedia.org). Toggle and add a redirect for the current website from the Custom section.
- "Redirects at a glance": See active redirects to your current page. Edit or delete them as you wish.
- "Infinite redirect protection": Redirects from site A to site B will not be allowed if there is already a redirect from site B to site A.
Other improvements:
- "Accessibility improvements": Extension-wide improvements for keyboard-only users.
- "Collapsible Custom section": Custom collapses by default on sites that already have pre-configured hide options, and expands by default on other sites; the open/closed state is remembered per site.
- "Custom section chrome": Eyebrow and chevron alignment cleaned up for the collapsible Custom header.
- "Theme (was Appearance)": Settings rename Appearance → Theme, with a chevron control and a tighter hit target on the selector.
- "UK greyscale spelling": Greyscale uses the UK spelling consistently.
- "Secondary text spacing": Line spacing and size for helper copy (e.g. YouTube preview tips) are easier to read when text wraps.
- "Numeric keyboard for number fields": Delay and similar numeric inputs use the numeric keyboard where appropriate.
- "Sheet no longer jumps to full height": Typing in popup inputs no longer forces the iOS sheet to expand to its maximum height.
Please keep suggesting improvements to the app - you can do so at https://github.com/ulyngs/reddfocus-open-source
We hope you're enjoying ReDD Focus!
- Ulrik, Tiago, & the Centre for Digital Habits Team
(digitalhabits.org)
6.8.0 Jul 28
Hi folks,
This update comes with some key improvements:
- fixed the footer design in the extension popup
- restored and improved scroll behaviour when selectors have visual overflow
- improved design of the popup throughout
- "Leave a review" now correctly opens up the App Store
- when installing the app, initialisation opens YouTube in Safari instead of opening the YouTube app
Remember ReDD Focus is open source - keep the feedback coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/redd-focus-web
Cheers,
Ulrik, Tiago, & the Centre for Digital Habits Team (digitalhabits.org)
6.7.0 Jul 22
Hi folks,
This update comes with some exciting new features and improvements:
- Settings lock is now available on any website, not just predefined platforms
- Redesigned the lock confirmation and improved functionality
- Fixed misleading "needs to initialise" copy on unsupported pages (e.g. chrome://) — the popup now shows a clear message instead
Remember ReDD Focus is open source -- keep the feedback coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/redd-focus-web
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReDD Team
6.6.0 Jul 16
Hi folks,
This update comes with some exciting new features and improvements:
- Grayscale: on any website, there is now a button to turn that website into grayscale, reducing its allure and how distracting it can be
- 'Lock' mode: instead of having a delay to hold you accountable when opening the extension, you can now 'Lock' a website's settings. This means that any elements hidden will not be able to be shown again unless 'unlocking', which requires waiting for the customisable accountability delay to end.
- Several design improvements on iOS
- Improvements to how hiding custom elements work on iOS, making it more stable
Remember ReDD Focus is open source -- keep the feedback coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/redd-focus-web
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReDD Team
6.5.0 Jul 8
Hi folks,
This update comes with some design improvements and styling tweaks!
Remember ReDD Focus is open source -- keep the feedback coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/redd-focus-web
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReD Team
6.1.5 May 19
Hi folks,
time for a spring update! This version does three things:
- gives the extension a style refresh -- we hope you like the new look!
- fixes a number of things that had broken due to website changes (e.g., LinkedIn now works again)
- makes it possible for the extension to work in tandem with our blocking tool ReDD Block in the future, for website blocking - more on this soon! :)
Cheers from all of us,
Ulrik and the ReDD Team
5.4 Apr 28
Hi folks,
happy new year! To celebrate the beginning of new year, we've painstakingly worked through as many of your GitHub requests and other feedback to fix the million little things the app needed.
Below you'll find the full list of updates.
Please enjoy and keep the ideas coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/reddfocus-open-source/issues or email us at team@reddfocus.org
New features:
1. added dark mode!
2. redesigned custom-selector, button, and progressive feedback on hidden elements
3. make google ads highlighting colour more red and account for dark mode on browsers
4. YouTube: add ability to hide the "You" section in the menu bar
5. YouTube: thumbnail styling now includes ads and sponsored posts
6. Facebook: add ability to hide "People you may know" on the feed
7. Facebook: add ability to hide "Contacts" on right sidebar on desktop
8. Instagram: add ability to hide suggested posts
9. Instagram: add ability to hide notification badges
10. X/Twitter: add ability to hide "Explore" section
11. WhatsApp Web: add ability to hide "Status", "Channels", and "Communities" tabs
12. WhatsApp Web: add ability to hide chat profile pictures
13. Reddit: add ability to hide left and right sidebars on desktop
14. Reddit: add ability to hide AI Related Answers/Posts sections on mobile
Bug fixes and improvements:
1. fixed all functionalities
2. element hiding, reappearing, and renaming works fluidly across all states (session-only, saving as default, auto-save ON)
3. Instagram: renamed "instagramSuggestions" as "instagramSuggestedFollows" and fixed functionality
4. YouTube: hiding "Subscriptions" now hides all subscribed-to channels and all buttons related to the Subscriptions
5. YouTube: fixed issue where "Explore" section wasn't being hidden
6. YouTube: removed "Entire right sidebar" as functionality replaced by Cinema mode
7. YouTube: view numbers now hides everywhere
7. Facebook: rename "Chat" to "Group chats" to mirror functionality and add "Community chats" to it
8. Facebook: separate "Stories" and "Reels" into their own toggles and fix functionality
9. Instagram: "Reels" now hides Reels in feeds ## perhaps look to separate out "Reels in feed" and "Reels tabs" ## can remove if people find this to be too much
10. LinkedIn: feed is now hidden everywhere except when viewing a specific post
11. Reddit: "Feed" now only targets home feed and not community/popular feeds
12. Reddit: rename "Popular communities" to "Best of Reddit" to mirror functionality and hide entire "Best" section in sidebar
Cheers,
Ulrik, Tiago, Konrad, and the Reduce Digital Distraction Project (reddfocus.org)
5.3 Jan 18
Hi folks,
this update brings some quality-of-life improvements:
1. **Clearer instructions**: When you first open ReDD Focus, we have made some visual instructions that hopefully will you get you instantly up and running with the extension!
2. **Name & edit your custom selectors**: Custom elements previously was only shown with whatever mysterious CSS selector was used to hide them. You can now provide your own name to any hidden element (e.g. 'Instagram Reels') and it'll be shown instead of the CSS. You can also make direct adjustments to the CSS if you're a power user!
3. **Various minor improvements**: The google ads background highlighting is now nicer to look at.
Please note that in this update we've also deprecated the direct ability to hide ads on Google --- this app is not meant to undermine developers' business models, it is only meant to help you hide elements that does not work for your attentional vulnerabilities. If you look up how to inspect the elements on a web page, you can still make any modifications you would like, using the new ability to edit CSS selectors directly.
- Cheers from Ulrik, Konrad, Tiago, and the Reduce Digital Distraction Team (see what we're up to at reddfocus.org)
P.S: Keep the suggestions for improvement coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source
5.1 11/10/2025
Hi folks,
this update... drumroll ... changes the name to 'ReDD Focus' and gives it an even cooler ship icon! ('ReDD' stands for 'Reduce Digital Distraction)
Also, fixes a number of pieces of functionality that had broken over time, due to various website changes.
As always, remember that the extension is open source. Keep your suggestions coming at: https://github.com/ulyngs/reddfocus-open-source
Enjoy!
- Ulrik, Konrad, Tiago, and the Reduce Digital Distraction Team (see what we're up to at redd-project.org)
5.0 11/01/2025
Hi folks,
this update introduces site-specific accountability features. What does *that* mean? Well it means that you can e.g. add delay to change settings on YouTube.com, without adding delay to change settings on google.com.
# NEW ACCOUNTABILITY FEATURES
## Site-specific accountability
The settings for delay or auto-saving settings are now site-specific, so your settings for e.g. YouTube.com can be different from google.com.
## Makes it possible to show/hide features without it becoming the default
By default, the extension automatically saves your settings when you change them.
However, you might want to temporarily show e.g. recommended videos on YouTube without that becoming your new default.
This is now possible: In settings you can now disable auto-saving of settings. If you do, you will need to explicitly click 'Save settings' before settings are saved.
MINOR IMPROVEMENTS & BUG FIXES
- YouTube: auto-playing previews are now (finally!) automatically disabled if you hide recommended videos
- LinkedIn: hiding the feed now (finally) only hides it on the landing page
- Settings popup: added a 'close' button to the settings popup for more intuitive navigation
- On/off switches: these have been removed as they serve little purpose in practice
- Nicer styling of delay timer settings
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReDD Team
redd-project.org
4.0 09/15/2025
Hi folks,
this update makes it possible to hide google's AI Overview.
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReDD Team
3.3 08/19/2025
Hi folks,
this minor update makes design tweaks to the new app icon.
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReDD Team
3.2 08/18/2025
Hi folks,
this version... *drumroll*... changes the name! Welcome to... VikingFocus! :D
Also a number of bug fixes:
- you can now again blur / black out video thumbnails on YouTube
- improves FB newsfeed selector on mobile
Cheers,
Ulrik & the ReDD Team
3.1 08/15/2025
Hi folks,
this update improves the app's usability and brings important code improvements that improves the reliability of the app (the under-the-hood improvements are so big that we're calling this 3.0 even though you might notice much difference... :) All praise @kasnder!).
Enjoy!
- Ulrik & the ReDD Team
3.0 08/13/2025
Hi folks,
this update adds a much-requested feature and fixes a few things that were broken by changes on the Instagram and LinkedIn website structure:
- NEW: on Instagram's Search page you can now hide the distracting content grid
- FIXED: Instagram feed & story-hiding now works again; LinkedIn feed & notification count hiding now works again
Remember that the extension is open source -- keep the suggestions coming on https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source
Enjoy!
- Ulrik
2.8 06/16/2025
Hi folks,
this update
1. adds a help button with FAQs, including what to do if the extension becomes irresponsive.
2. fixes a few bugs, including ensuring that the checkboxes with pre-configured options are only shown on the correct URLs, and removing the superfluous refresh button for custom selectors (the list is updated automatically).
Enjoy!
- Ulrik
2.7 06/14/2025
Hi folks,
this update
- fixes a bug that caused the extension to sometimes become unresponsive
- adds the ability to temporarily show a custom element you've hidden, so it's easy to see what effects your custom hiding has
Enjoy!
Best,
Ulrik
2.6 06/10/2025
Hi folks,
two minor improvements in this update:
- comments-hiding on YouTube now works again!
- adds a prompt that if the settings aren't loading, MindShield needs to initialise by closing down Safari fully and re-opening it
Keep the feedback coming on the open-source GitHub repo: https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source
Enjoy,
Ulrik
2.5 06/02/2025
Hi everyone,
this update
1. fixes a critical bug where the extension sometimes did not work until you closed and re-opened Safari
2. makes it possible to exit selection mode for hiding custom elements by simply clicking the selection button one more time.
Remember the extension is open source - flag issues & submit suggestions for improvement here: https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source/issues
Enjoy!
- Ulrik
2.4.1 05/30/2025
Hi folks,
this update makes it easier to select custom elements to hide: you can now hide multiple elements one after another, easily undo, and simply mark 'done' when you're done. :)
Also improves font size in the delay message.
Enjoy!
- Ulrik
2.4 05/04/2025
Hi folks,
this update fixes a bug which could cut off part of the displayed YouTube window.
Keep the feedback coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source
Cheers,
Ulrik
2.2 04/28/2025
Hi folks,
follow-up update that fixes a few bugs introduced in version 2.0. Also updates the extension description shown in settings.
If a website is not immediately responding to the upgraded version, just refresh the page and it should work! (Version 2.0+ manages the hiding functionality slightly differently, so a page you're already using may require a refresh the first time you use the new version of MindShield. Any trouble, let me know on the GitHub repo or at ulrik@redd-project.org)
Cheers,
Ulrik
2.1 04/24/2025
Hi everyone,
I am INCREDIBLY excited to release this version, because it introduces two features I've been meaning to add for a long time:
1: HIDE ANYTHING: You can now hide any webpage elements you want by simply clicking the 'Hide custom elements' button and then clicking on the element you'd like to get rid off.
2: WORKS ON ANY WEBSITE: You can now use MindShield on ANY website, not just on the few special ones I originally built it for.
There's bound to be some wrinkles to iron out before this works really well -- so please submit your feedback and suggestions for improvement at the open-source GitHub repository https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source
I've also fixed some bugs here and there.
Enjoy!
- Ulrik
2.0 04/24/2025
Hi folks,
this update adds instructions for how to create a custom icon on the home screen that goes directly to your chosen platform in Safari.
That is, it shows how you can e.g., delete the ordinary Instagram app and add your own homescreen icon to open it directly in Safari with MindShield's modifications.
As always, remember that the app is open source - keep the suggestions coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/mindshield-open-source
Enjoy!
- Ulrik
1.22 10/12/2024
Hi folks,
This update comes with some helpful improvements!
- Meet Digital Habits: Focus! Renamed from ReDD Focus (also formerly Viking Focus / MindShield) as part of the move from the Reduce Digital Distraction (ReDD) Project to Centre for Digital Habits (digitalhabits.org).
- "Digital Habits: Blocker": In-app references to the companion desktop blocker now use its new Digital Habits: Blocker name.
- "digitalhabits.org protected": The Centre for Digital Habits site is treated as a protected host so Focus does not hide or redirect it.
Please keep suggesting improvements to the app - you can do so at https://github.com/ulyngs/digital-habits-focus
We hope you're enjoying Digital Habits: Focus!
- Ulrik, Tiago, & the Centre for Digital Habits Team
(digitalhabits.org)
more Version 6.9.1 3d ago
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.
