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# A complete guide: Block & Redirect rules

## Overview

**Block & Re-director** is where you decide who can reach your store. A rule in the **Blacklist** tab either shows a visitor the blocking page (**Block**) or sends them to another URL or Shopify Market (**Redirect**); a rule in the **Whitelist** tab always lets a visitor in, even when a Blacklist rule would stop them. This guide covers how the tabs work together, what you can block by, and how to create and manage rules; each rule type has its own article with the details.

## What you'll learn

* [Blacklist vs Whitelist](#2-blacklist-vs-whitelist)
* [Block vs Redirect](#2-block-vs-redirect)
* [Redirect destinations: External URL or Shopify Market](#2-redirect-destinations-external-url-or-shopify-market)
* [What can you block by?](#2-what-can-you-block-by)
* [How to create a rule?](#2-how-to-create-a-rule)
* [Rules Blockify adds for you](#2-rules-blockify-adds-for-you)
* [Import a list from CSV](#2-import-a-list-from-csv)
* [The order Blockify checks your country redirect rules](#2-the-order-blockify-checks-your-country-redirect-rules)
* [Manage your rules](#2-manage-your-rules)
* [Who can use this feature?](#2-who-can-use-this-feature)

## Blacklist vs Whitelist

The rule list has two tabs. **Blacklist** holds every Block and Redirect rule; **Whitelist** holds the exceptions. Blockify checks Whitelist rules before block rules, and known good bots, such as Google's, are always let in first.

| Category | Blacklist | Whitelist |
|---|---|---|
| Function | Visitors matching a rule are blocked or redirected | Visitors matching a rule always get in |
| Priority | Low | High |
| Exception | A visitor is not blocked if they also match a whitelist rule | A whitelisted visitor is still stopped by the **Proxy & VPN blocker** unless the rule has **Whitelist if these accesses use VPN** ticked |

Example: block Australia and whitelist one Australian IP address. Only that IP address gets in from Australia.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20250910-144020_106ke7b.png)

See [Create a whitelist rule](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/create-a-whitelist-rule-1cj5ay1/).

## Block vs Redirect

Both live in the **Blacklist** tab and use the same conditions; the difference is what happens to a matching visitor.

| Action | What the visitor sees | Extra fields |
|---|---|---|
| **Block** | Your blocking page (see [A complete guide: Customize your blocking page](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/a-complete-guide-customize-your-blocking-page-e7k9n7/)) | None |
| **Redirect** | Another page: an **External URL** or a **Shopify Market** (next section) | **Redirect to** and **Displayed name (optional)** |

## Redirect destinations: External URL or Shopify Market

Every Redirect rule has a **Redirect to** picker. **External URL**: type any full URL. **Shopify Market** sends visitors to one of your markets; the URL comes from Shopify, so there are no typos and it updates automatically when you change your markets. Each rule has its own destination.

| Destination | What you enter | Where visitors land |
|---|---|---|
| **External URL** | Any full URL | Exactly that URL |
| **Shopify Market** | A market from the dropdown, plus an optional **Path** | The market URL followed by the path (or the market homepage) |

### How to redirect to a Shopify Market?

Step 1: Go to **Block & Re-director > Blacklist**, click **Redirect** and pick the rule type you need.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/image_g52p0b.png)

Step 2: Under **Redirect to**, select **Shopify Market**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/imgv302123d042a245-e9dd-4879-b_55oip3.jpg)

Step 3: Open the **Pick a market…** dropdown and choose a market. The list shows every market in your Shopify admin with its name and URL; if it is empty, click **Shopify Market** once more to load your markets again.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/imgv302123d042a245-e9dd-4879-b_10z7cb8.jpg)

Step 4: Optional: in **Path**, enter the page to add after the market URL, for example `/collections/sale`. It must start with `/`; blank means the market homepage. With **Keep visitor's current page** on, the visitor lands on the same page in the new market and **Path** is ignored.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20260527-112010_o6swqm.png)

| Tip: Set a Path in almost every case. Without one, every matching visitor lands on the market homepage and loses the page they were trying to reach.

Step 5: Check the **Preview** card, fill in the rest of the rule (condition, **Displayed name (optional)**) and click **Save**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20260527-111840_xhq2z8.png)

After saving, the market name appears as a tag on the rule in the **Blacklist** tab.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20260528-093509_1mr3zdl.png)

### Market unavailable

If a market linked to a rule is disabled or deleted in Shopify, the rule gets a red **Market unavailable** tag and matching visitors are sent to the homepage of your primary market instead. Edit the rule and pick another market or switch to **External URL** to clear the tag.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20260527-114155_1letpco.png)

## What can you block by?

| Block by | Button under Block / Redirect | Options | Plan | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IP address (IPv4 and IPv6) | **Block IP Address** / **Redirect IP Address** | **Manual** list or **Upload CSV** | All plans (Free rule limit applies) | [IP address](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-ip-address-38tkhf/) |
| IP starts with | **Block IP Address** / **Redirect IP Address** | **Manual** or **Upload CSV** | All plans (Free rule limit applies) | [IP address](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-ip-address-38tkhf/) |
| IP range | **Block IP Address** / **Redirect IP Address** | **CIDR** (Manual or CSV) or **Range** (**Start IP** – **End IP**) | Enterprise and above | [IP address](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-ip-address-38tkhf/) |
| Country | **Block location** / **Redirect location** | **Block specific countries** or **Block all except**; **Redirect specific countries** or **Redirect all except**; predefined regions | All plans; **Block all except**: paid plans | [Country](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-country-8nw2ej/) |
| State, province or city | **Block location** / **Redirect location** | Country → state/province → optional city; **Block all except** | Premium and above | [State, province or city](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-state-province-or-city-e3hlza/) |
| Internet provider (ISP) | **Block ISP** / **Redirect ISP** | Country → ISP | Enterprise and above | [ISP](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-isp-1ozjnjb/) |
| Browser and device (user agent) | **Block user agent** / **Redirect user agent** | **Type**: **Browser**, **Substring** or **Regex** (with **Generate with AI**) | Premium and above | [User agent](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-user-agent-46zpit/) |
| Products, collections, pages, custom URL | **Block products** / **Block specific page** (and the Redirect equivalents) | Optional country and province scope | Premium and above | [Products, collections and pages](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-products-collections-and-specific-pages-6qve0c/) |
| Website the visitor came from (referrer URL) | **Block referrer URL** / **Redirect Referrer URL** | **Exact URL** or **URL Contains**; **Ref URL name** | Enterprise and above | [Referrer URL](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-referrer-url-18llii4/) |

## How to create a rule?

**Step 1:** Open **Block & Re-director > Blacklist** and choose **Block** or **Redirect**.

**Step 2:** Click the button for what you want to block by, for example **Block IP Address**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20250908-144752_vxq95o.png)

**Step 3:** Set the status. **Enable** makes the rule active as soon as you save; **Disable** stores it without applying it.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20250908-145307_150b2gi.png)

**Step 4:** Fill in the fields for that rule type (see its article), add a private note if you want one, then click **Save**.

### Private note and Quick templates

At the end of every rule form you can add a private note explaining why the rule exists; customers never see it. **Quick templates** insert a ready-made note such as **High chargeback rate region**, **Fraud spike - review monthly**, **Per CS team request** or **Temp block - review Q1**. Include a date or ticket number for easier tracking later.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/image_1qm8d1n.png)

After saving, the note appears in the rule list.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/image_1wvfiv2.png)

## Rules Blockify adds for you

When **Auto-block visitors placing fraud orders** catches a risky order, Blockify adds an IP block rule to the **Blacklist** tab. Its **Source** column reads **Auto-block** followed by the order number, which opens the order in Shopify. To see every rule from this source, set the **Source** filter to **Auto-block**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20260910-164606_p8vxgo.png)

These are ordinary rules: you can add a note, edit or delete them.

Rules added by **Auto-block IP from high-risk orders at checkout** go to **Block Checkout > Block checkout access** instead; see [Auto-block IP from high-risk orders at checkout](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/auto-block-ip-from-high-risk-orders-at-checkout-shopify-plus-h3cu7f/).

## Import a list from CSV

IP address, IP starts with and IP range (CIDR) rules accept **Upload CSV** instead of a **Manual** list; a sample file is linked in the form.

| Important: a CSV file must be at most 2 MB and 500 rows. Both limits apply; a larger file is rejected with "The file exceeds the maximum limit of 500 rows."

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/20250908-151340_1lepo8x.png)

## The order Blockify checks your country redirect rules

The **Blacklist** table has an **Evaluation order** column: the order Blockify checks your rules. Blockify checks each rule type separately, in the order shown, and the first rule a visitor matches wins. Blockify sets this order; you cannot change it by hand. When a country redirect rule's countries are all covered by an earlier rule, its **Description** shows a **Never reached** badge with the reason, for example "Rule 1 already redirects visitors from France, so they never reach this rule." A partial overlap shows a line such as "Visitors from Canada are redirected by rule 1 first." Only one **Redirect all except** rule can exist; if one is saved, Blockify asks you to edit it instead.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/block-or-redirect-by-country-0_1ylfs73.png)

See [Block or redirect by country](https://help.omegatheme.com/en/article/block-or-redirect-by-country-8nw2ej/).

## Manage your rules

The **Blacklist** table shows **Evaluation order**, **Criteria**, **Description**, **Block or redirect**, **Note**, **Source**, **Created at**, **Last updated** and **Action** for each rule. Country rules made with **Block all except** read "Country - Exclude: …", and Shopify Market redirects show the market tag (or a red **Market unavailable** tag).

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/image_p1madh.png)

### Search and filter

The search box (**Searching by IP, country, state/province, internet provider**) finds IP addresses, countries, states, cities and internet provider names. It does not search notes. Use the filters to narrow the list:

| Filter | Options | Tab |
|---|---|---|
| **Type** | All, **Block**, **Redirect** | Blacklist |
| **Criteria** | All, or one rule type | Blacklist and Whitelist |
| **Source** | All, **Manual**, **Auto-block** (added by Auto-block visitors placing fraud orders), **CSV** (imported from a file), **Shopify Flow** (added by a Flow action), **Unknown** (where the rule came from was not recorded) | Blacklist and Whitelist (Whitelist has no **Auto-block** option) |
| Per page | Number of rules per page | Blacklist and Whitelist |

### Bulk actions

Tick the rules you want, then choose **Turn on**, **Turn off** or **Delete**. Delete asks you to confirm before removing the selected rules. To change a single rule, use **Edit** in its row.

### Rule summary

While you create or edit a rule, the **Rule summary** card recaps the status, action (Block, Redirect or Allow), condition, destination, mode (**Block specific** or **Block all except**) and the values you entered. Check it before you click **Save**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/a-complete-guide-block-and-red_cr5ua4.png)

| Tip: there is no per-rule block counter. To count what a rule stopped, open **Analytics > Visitors**, filter by **Block reason** and set a date range.

## Who can use this feature?

Block, Redirect and Whitelist rules by IP address and country are available on all plans (Free plan: 2 active rules and visitor logs for your first 200 unique visitors). **Block all except** needs a paid plan; **IP start with** rules are available on all plans. State, province and city, user agent, and product, collection, page and custom URL rules need the **Premium** plan and above. IP range, ISP and Referrer URL rules need the **Enterprise** plan and above.

## FAQs

1. **What happens if I block and redirect the same IP address or country?**
The rule you created first applies. If you blocked country A and later added a redirect for country A, visitors from A see the blocking page.

2. **Does a whitelisted visitor get past the Proxy & VPN blocker?**
Only if the whitelist rule has **Whitelist if these accesses use VPN** ticked. Otherwise a whitelisted IP that is detected as a VPN or proxy is still stopped.

3. **I reached my rule limit on the Free plan. Does the extra rule still protect my store?**
No. A rule beyond the limit is not turned on and the rule list says so; visitors matching it can still access your store.

4. **Can I see who created or changed a rule?**
No. Use the private note to record the reason and the person or ticket behind a rule.

5. **How is a Shopify Market redirect different from Shopify's automatic market redirection?**
Shopify's redirection ([Settings > Markets > Preferences](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/international/automatic-redirection)) sends visitors to their own country's market on the same page. Blockify lets you choose the destination page and redirect on conditions Shopify does not handle: IP address, internet provider, browser or device, or the website a visitor came from.

6. **I have no Markets yet. What do I see under Redirect to?**
The **Shopify Market** option is disabled with a link to **Settings > Markets** in your Shopify admin. Use **External URL** meanwhile.