Blocking WhatsApp Web on macOS with Hexnode and checking browser historySolved

For macOS, Hexnode can deploy and execute custom scripts, but Hexnode does not provide prebuilt application-specific scripts, including scripts specifically for blocking WhatsApp Web.

If the goal is to prevent access to WhatsApp Web, the recommended approach is to use a Web Content Filtering policy rather than relying only on a custom script. You can configure the web filter to block the required WhatsApp Web URLs, such as the browser-based WhatsApp domain, and associate the policy with the target Mac devices.

Regarding script deployment, the Execute Script option is available under the deployment workflow/settings rather than a general settings page. Once the script is added, it can be deployed to the required macOS devices from there.

For web activity or browser history on macOS, MDM providers cannot directly retrieve a user’s private browser history because of Apple’s privacy restrictions. Hexnode can enforce web filtering rules, but it cannot pull complete Safari/Chrome browsing history from managed Macs.

That makes sense. So for Macs, it’s better to block the WhatsApp Web URL with Web Content Filtering instead of trying to find a ready-made WhatsApp script?

Yes. A script may work for some custom blocking methods depending on how it is written, but it would be something you create and maintain yourself. Web Content Filtering is the cleaner MDM-supported method for blocking or allowing specific URLs on macOS.

A typical setup would be:

1. Create or edit a macOS policy in Hexnode.
2. Go to the Web Content Filtering section.
3. Add the WhatsApp Web URL/domain to the blocked list.
4. Save the policy and associate it with the required devices or device groups.
5. Test on a managed Mac to confirm the site is restricted in the expected browsers.

If your requirement is auditing visited websites rather than blocking websites, macOS does not allow Hexnode to extract the user’s browser history directly.

One additional note: on Android, web history tracking is available only in specific workflows, such as when using Hexnode Browser in a kiosk environment. That does not apply to regular macOS browser history, where the limitation is enforced by the OS privacy model.