Having issues getting Freedom to work on your Mac? We've created this document to provide some troubleshooting tips to get Freedom up and running on your computer.
1. Make sure the Freedom app is installed and logged in
First, make sure the Freedom app is installed on your computer and you are logged into the app using your Freedom account email address and password. If you do not have the app installed, you can download it from our Freedom downloads page.
Next, go to freedom.to/dashboard and log in. You should see your device listed under My Devices with a green circle next to it. Once you see that, you should be good to go.
If you need help getting Freedom installed and logged in on your computer, we've got detailed instructions here: How to install Freedom for Mac.
If Freedom is still not working, you might want to try quitting and restarting the app, or even doing the old faithful computer restart to clear out any bad data.
2. Make sure the app is running
The Freedom Mac app must be running on your computer in order to block apps and websites. Look for the butterfly icon in the Mac menu bar to access controls and check if it's running. It will look like this:
If it's not there, try relaunching the Freedom app by double-clicking the Freedom icon in your Applications folder. It should then appear.
Note: The menu bar on Mac can only display a limited number of app icons. If you do not see the Freedom butterfly in the Mac menu bar, please try unpinning some other apps.
3. Make sure you are running the latest version of the app
You can do this by clicking ‘Check for Updates’ in the Freedom app menu:
4. Make sure your security software isn't blocking Freedom
Over-zealous antivirus software may prevent Freedom from running.
To fix this, you can add Freedom to the allowed list on any security software you're running. A simple Google query will generally return instructions for how to add programs to the "allowed list" for your security software of choice.
5. Check to see if you’re using ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or another tunnel/VPN
Sometimes, VPNs can conflict with Freedom’s proxy and cause blocks not to work. Here are some VPNs you might be running (this is not an exhaustive list):
NordVPN
ExpressVPN
Proton VPN
Surfshark
TunnelBear
CyberGhost
Private Internet Access
Corporate/Work VPN (Cisco, etc.)
If you would like to run a VPN alongside Freedom but you're having trouble, it should help to run Freedom in non-proxy mode. Find information on how to do that here: Non-Proxy Mode for Mac.
To ensure that Freedom works with your browser-based VPN, you can install our browser extensions.
6. Ensure Freedom is active on the device
If your scheduled sessions don’t seem to be starting automatically on your Mac, please see Ensuring Freedom is active on Mac.
7. Check your session details
If Freedom is not working as expected, it's a good idea to check your session details to make sure they are correct. You can do this on your Freedom dashboard at www.freedom.to/dashboard.
Session details to check include the following:
Your block session is set to be active right now
Your session has the correct device(s) included
Your session has the correct blocklist(s) included
Your blocklist has the correct domains and/or filters included
Tip: If you login to Freedom with a new device, such as a new computer or phone, you'll need to edit your recurring sessions and add the device to those sessions.
Go to www.freedom.to/dashboard
Edit the session that's running by clicking "edit schedule" or "edit session"
Add the other device
Save the session
Sync Freedom on your Mac by clicking the "Sync Freedom" option in the Mac menu.
Important: Make sure your blocklist includes the websites and/or category filters you want to block on your Mac. If you originally created the blocklist on iOS and it only includes iOS apps, this will have no effect on your Mac.
8. Browser-Specific Troubleshooting
If Freedom doesn't work in Chrome:
If Freedom doesn't work in Chrome, we've found the most common cause is a browser-based VPN, or another extension that reads site data. Common examples of these include discount-finding and couponing extensions.
If you think one of your extensions is causing the issue, to help us troubleshoot, please open chrome://extensions/ and send us the list of your enabled Chrome extensions.
Another suggestion is to install our browser extension for Chrome, as this can help solve many issues.
If Freedom doesn't work in Firefox:
If websites are not blocked in Firefox, please make the following configuration change:
Open up Firefox Settings, and then go to General -> Network Settings and choose "Use System Proxy Settings." Once these changes are complete, restart Firefox. If Firefox continues to give you trouble, ensure that you're not running a browser-based VPN, and try adding the Firefox browser extension from our downloads page.
If Firefox won't open at all during sessions, this is likely because you are using the Non-Proxy Mode or Website Exceptions features, which are not compatible with this browser currently. For more information, please see Supported Browsers for Website Exceptions and Non-Proxy Mode on Mac.
9. Still having trouble?
If none of the troubleshooting steps above seem to help, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll be happy to help!
When you contact us, please include the following in your email to help us assist you:
Your Freedom account Email Address
A detailed description of the problem you are encountering.
Important: Let us know what type of device you're experiencing the problem on.
We are best able to help if you include a video demonstrating the problem. You can use the built-in screen recording ability on your device, or a free service like Loom.
Any steps you have taken to fix the issue, and how long ago the issue started.