The Simulator feature of GoGuardian Admin allows users to take the guesswork out of how policies are being applied.

Admin > Filtering > Simulator

Here is the quick link for the Simulator: https://admin.goguardian.com/simulator

Using the new Simulator feature, admins can test websites to see if a policy is preventing access to a particular URL. 

In the example above, Spotify.com is blocked during the In School "High School" policy and allowed during Out of School mode.

Due to current product limitations, there are some instances where the Simulator can be misleading, so please be aware of the following situations if something appears to be incorrect:

• The simulator will read URL's differently if they contain or do not contain www. For example, google.com may be blocked in your policy, but if you simulate www.google.com, it will show as allowed. However, google.com will remain blocked regardless of what the simulator shows for www.google.com
• Due to the nature of YouTube URL's, YouTube simulation is currently unreliable and should not be used.
• The Simulator will always show results for At School and At Home. It should be noted that if Out of School Mode is disabled, only At School is relevant.
• The Simulator does not account for wildcards or global filter settings.
• Sites blocked by Category will read: This Custom Rule policy contains a matched blocked URL. Be sure to double check Category settings to resolve this.

Due to the many situations where the Simulator may be unreliable or misleading, it is always recommended to test allows and blocks on a test student account in the appropriate Organizational Unit.

Tip: To find a specific URL of a recently blocked site, please review the Activity Log of recent Blocked Attempts at https://admin.goguardian.com/activity/blocked