In this article
Block Pages display when a user attempts to visit a domain restricted by the filtering policy assigned to a Site or Roaming Client.
From the DNSFilter dashboard, Block Pages can be customized to control appearance, behavior, and notifications. For troubleshooting and email notification configuration, see the Block Page administrator guide.
Block Page Types
Hosted Block Pages
- Fully customizable
- Can display organization information
- Include an embedded form for user notifications
- Support multiple languages based on the browser language, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Italian, Russian, French, Czech, German, and Hebrew
External Block Pages
- Redirect users with a 302 response to a defined URL
- Allow full customization of the Block Page appearance
- Include identifiers in the URL (IP address, blocked domain, filtering policy, categories)
- Can point to a local resource (e.g.,
http://office.local/block.html) or a public resource (e.g.,http://validdomain.com/block.html)
Block Page Prerequisites
To ensure Block Pages display correctly on HTTPS sites, install the SSL Certificate.
- The certificate installs automatically with Windows Roaming Client deployments
- Without the certificate, HTTPS sites return error pages but remain blocked
Add a Block Page
Block Page Notes
The Preview function becomes available once an Organization Name is assigned to the Block Page.
Assign Block Pages to the appropriate attribute after configuration (e.g., Site, User, Roaming Client, etc.). If not assigned, the default DNSFilter Block Page will display.
Create a Hosted Block Page
- From the DNSFilter dashboard, navigate to Policies and select Block Pages
- Select Add Block Page
- Enter the following details:
- Block Page Name: Internal identifier for the policy assigned to the Site
- Organization Name: Displayed name of the organization responsible for the block
- Notice Email: Address to receive user notifications. Leave blank to disable feedback
- Custom Logo: Upload a logo. Leave blank to display no logo
- Select Save Block Page
The Block Page is now available in the Assigned Block Page dropdown menu.
Create an External Block Page
- From the DNSFilter dashboard, navigate to Policies and select Block Pages
- Select Add Block Page
- Choose External Block Page
- Enter the External Block Page URL
- Select Save Block Page
The Block Page is now available in the Assigned Block Page dropdown menu.
Test a Block Page
After applying a Filtering Policy and Block Page to a Site, test the configuration:
- Use DNSFilter test domains
- Attempt to access a blocked category or a domain on the Block List
Related Resources
- Troubleshoot issues with Block Pages not loading in Chrome
- Adjust Ad and Tracker settings to prevent NODATA responses
- Why Block Pages display “network filtering policy” instead of a category
- Block Page admin settings and block notification errors
Comments
4 comments
Minetta Gould I am trying to use an external block page and while it goes to the correct page I am not seeing the parameters that should be passed of IP, domain, categories and policy. I have read where it is automatically passed but I do not see this data even used wireshark and burp suite to see if I could see it. Do you have any other guidance I could look at regarding this topic. It looks very straightforward and minimal information.
Thanks
Hi Jennifer Kendall , thanks for reaching out! It sounds like your external block page is redirecting correctly, but the expected parameters (IP, domain, categories, and policy) aren’t being passed. We’ve tested this setup in different configurations—both with a Roaming Client and a direct DNS/site configuration—and in both cases, the parameters were passed as expected.
A few things to check: Some security applications or browser settings might be blocking the URL redirect, flagging it as a potential security risk (e.g., cross-site scripting or phishing protection).
Though this article is framed around blocked DNS traffic, the same security applications could be blocking this info from passing through with your external block page, so it could be a helpful reference point. It’s also worth reviewing your block page configuration to ensure the external URL is set correctly and hasn’t been reverted.
If everything looks right on your end and the issue persists, we recommend reaching out to our support team for a deeper technical review. Hope this helps, and feel free to reach out anytime!
Hi Minetta Gould, thank you for the response. Yes, I figured based on your docs it should just show up. Maybe we are not creating the page correctly so the information has a place to land so to speak. I will see what I can do to test again since this is on an page created in Tines automation which is acting as the block page.
Anyway thanks for your response.
Of course! Sorry there wasn't a more clear answer on our end. I hope the tests are successful!
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