Ready-to-use, optimized blocklists for Pi-hole, regularly updated and categorized by threat type
Installation • The Lists • Statistics • Usage • Weekly Updates • FAQ
This repository contains regularly updated, optimized blocklists for use with Pi-hole, the popular DNS-level ad blocker. These lists have been processed with the Pi-hole Blocklist Optimizer to:
- Remove duplicates across all source lists
- Validate all domains for proper formatting
- Organize domains by category
- Pre-optimize for Pi-hole compatibility
- Remove false positives and problematic domains
These lists are updated on a regular basis to ensure they contain the latest threats while minimizing false positives.
Simply add these URLs to your Pi-hole's blocklist settings (Settings → Blocklists):
| Category | URL |
|---|---|
| All Domains | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/all_domains.txt |
| Advertising | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/advertising.txt |
| Tracking | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/tracking.txt |
| Malicious | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/malicious.txt |
| Suspicious | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/suspicious.txt |
| Comprehensive | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/comprehensive.txt |
| NSFW | https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/nsfw.txt |
After adding your desired lists, click "Save and update" to apply them to your Pi-hole.
If you prefer to download the lists manually:
# Download the lists to your Pi-hole
cd /etc/pihole/
sudo wget -O advertising.txt https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/zachlagden/Pi-hole-Optimized-Blocklists/refs/heads/main/lists/advertising.txt
# Download other lists as desired
sudo pihole restartdns reload| List | Description | Domains | Raw Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| all_domains.txt | Complete collection of all unique domains | 6,567,959 | Download |
| advertising.txt | Ad networks and services | 161,521 | Download |
| tracking.txt | Analytics and tracking services | 88,539 | Download |
| malicious.txt | Malware, phishing, and scams | 1,427,665 | Download |
| suspicious.txt | Potentially unwanted content | 178,086 | Download |
| comprehensive.txt | Well-maintained multi-category lists | 306,425 | Download |
| nsfw.txt | Adult content | 4,825,138 | Download |
- Balanced Protection: Use the
comprehensive.txtlist (excellent for most users) - Standard Protection: Use the
advertising.txtandtracking.txtlists - Enhanced Protection: Add the
malicious.txtlist - Complete Protection: Use
all_domains.txt(may require more powerful hardware) - Parental Controls: Add the
nsfw.txtlist
These lists are compiled from over 45 trusted sources, and the current version includes:
- 6.7+ million unique domains
- 47 source blocklists
- 6 categories
- ~419,942 duplicate domains removed
- Last updated: March 30, 2025
Some domains may need to be whitelisted to prevent interference with normal services. Common whitelist recommendations:
# Microsoft services
outlook.office365.com
products.office.com
c.s-microsoft.com
i.s-microsoft.com
# Google services
accounts.google.com
clients2.google.com
clients4.google.com
# Apple services
appleid.apple.com
token.safebrowsing.apple
# Other services
gravatar.com
s.shopify.com
api.github.com
Add these to your Pi-hole whitelist if you experience issues.
- Pi-hole can easily handle millions of domains on modern hardware (RPi 4+)
- For older devices (RPi 3 or earlier), consider using only specific category lists instead of all_domains.txt
- The impact on DNS query performance is minimal after initial loading
These blocklists are automatically updated every Sunday using GitHub Actions. The process:
- Downloads the latest blocklists from their original sources
- Processes and optimizes them using Pi-hole-Blocklist-Optimizer
- Removes duplicates and validates domains
- Updates the repository with changes
- Date: March 30, 2025
- Processing time: 80.24 seconds
- Total domains: 6,567,959
- Duplicates removed: 419,415
These lists are updated weekly, typically on Sunday. Check the last commit date for the most recent update.
Occasionally, legitimate domains may be included in blocklists. If you find a false positive, please:
- Add it to your whitelist in Pi-hole
- Open an issue with details so it can be reviewed
These lists are considerably more comprehensive than the default Pi-hole lists, offering broader protection across multiple categories.
Yes, these lists use the standard hosts format (0.0.0.0 domain.com) which is compatible with most DNS-based blocking tools.
No, you can choose which categories to use based on your needs. For most users, the comprehensive list provides excellent protection without requiring multiple lists.
These lists are compiled from numerous open-source blocklist projects. Full credit goes to the maintainers of these source lists who do the hard work of identifying and categorizing domains.
Created using the Pi-hole Blocklist Optimizer.
This repository is released under the Unlicense, placing these lists in the public domain.