diff --git a/searx/query.py b/searx/query.py
index 567c49e92..e79e760a3 100644
--- a/searx/query.py
+++ b/searx/query.py
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ class Query(object):
                     self.engines.extend({'category': prefix,
                                          'name': engine.name}
                                         for engine in categories[prefix]
-                                        if engine not in self.blocked_engines)
+                                        if (engine.name, prefix) not in self.blocked_engines)
 
             if query_part[0] == '!':
                 self.specific = True
diff --git a/searx/search.py b/searx/search.py
index c16346f45..1b16ee02f 100644
--- a/searx/search.py
+++ b/searx/search.py
@@ -411,9 +411,9 @@ class Search(object):
             # declared under the specific categories
             for categ in self.categories:
                 self.engines.extend({'category': categ,
-                                     'name': x.name}
-                                    for x in categories[categ]
-                                    if x.name not in self.blocked_engines)
+                                     'name': engine.name}
+                                    for engine in categories[categ]
+                                    if (engine.name, categ) not in self.blocked_engines)
 
     # do search-request
     def search(self, request):
diff --git a/searx/templates/courgette/preferences.html b/searx/templates/courgette/preferences.html
index 64da3fd1c..198bc7ead 100644
--- a/searx/templates/courgette/preferences.html
+++ b/searx/templates/courgette/preferences.html
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
                     <td>{{ search_engine.name }} ({{ shortcuts[search_engine.name] }})</td>
                     <td>{{ _(categ) }}</td>
                     <td class="engine_checkbox">
-                        <input type="checkbox" id="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}" name="engine_{{ search_engine.name }}"{% if search_engine.name in blocked_engines %} checked="checked"{% endif %} />
+                        <input type="checkbox" id="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}" name="engine_{{ search_engine.name }}__{{ categ }}"{% if (search_engine.name, categ) in blocked_engines %} checked="checked"{% endif %} />
                         <label class="allow" for="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}">{{ _('Allow') }}</label>
                         <label class="deny" for="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}">{{ _('Block') }}</label>
                     </td>
diff --git a/searx/templates/default/preferences.html b/searx/templates/default/preferences.html
index 1fa8d88b7..112849c3d 100644
--- a/searx/templates/default/preferences.html
+++ b/searx/templates/default/preferences.html
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
                 <td>{{ search_engine.name }} ({{ shortcuts[search_engine.name] }})</td>
                 <td>{{ _(categ) }}</td>
                 <td class="engine_checkbox">
-                    <input type="checkbox" id="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}" name="engine_{{ search_engine.name }}"{% if search_engine.name in blocked_engines %} checked="checked"{% endif %} />
+                    <input type="checkbox" id="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}" name="engine_{{ search_engine.name }}__{{ categ }}"{% if (search_engine.name, categ) in blocked_engines %} checked="checked"{% endif %} />
                     <label class="allow" for="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}">{{ _('Allow') }}</label>
                     <label class="deny" for="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}">{{ _('Block') }}</label>
                 </td>
diff --git a/searx/templates/oscar/preferences.html b/searx/templates/oscar/preferences.html
index f6f14501e..41656463c 100644
--- a/searx/templates/oscar/preferences.html
+++ b/searx/templates/oscar/preferences.html
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
                                 <div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-4 col-md-4">{{ search_engine.name }} ({{ shortcuts[search_engine.name] }})</div>
                                 <div class="col-xs-6 col-sm-4 col-md-4">
                                     <div class="checkbox">
-                                    <input class="hidden" type="checkbox" id="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}" name="engine_{{ search_engine.name }}"{% if search_engine.name in blocked_engines %} checked="checked"{% endif %} />
+                                    <input class="hidden" type="checkbox" id="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}" name="engine_{{ search_engine.name }}__{{ categ }}"{% if (search_engine.name, categ) in blocked_engines %} checked="checked"{% endif %} />
                                     <label class="btn btn-success label_hide_if_checked" for="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}">{{ _('Block') }}</label>
                                     <label class="btn btn-danger label_hide_if_not_checked" for="engine_{{ categ|replace(' ', '_') }}_{{ search_engine.name|replace(' ', '_') }}">{{ _('Allow') }}</label>
                                     </div>
diff --git a/searx/utils.py b/searx/utils.py
index c0afc94cb..a42458829 100644
--- a/searx/utils.py
+++ b/searx/utils.py
@@ -231,7 +231,21 @@ def prettify_url(url):
 
 def get_blocked_engines(engines, cookies):
     if 'blocked_engines' not in cookies:
-        return [engine for engine in engines if engines[engine].disabled]
+        return [(engine, category) for engine in engines for category in engines.category if engines[engine].disabled]
 
-    return [engine for engine in cookies.get('blocked_engines', '').split(',')
-            if engine in engines]
+    blocked_engine_strings = cookies.get('blocked_engines', '').split(',')
+    blocked_engines = []
+
+    if not blocked_engine_strings:
+        return blocked_engines
+
+    for engine_string in blocked_engine_strings:
+        if engine_string.find('__') > -1:
+            engine, category = engine_string.split('__', 1)
+            if engine in engines and category in engines[engine].categories:
+                blocked_engines.append((engine, category))
+        elif engine_string in engines:
+            for category in engines[engine_string].categories:
+                blocked_engines.append((engine_string, category))
+
+    return blocked_engines
diff --git a/searx/webapp.py b/searx/webapp.py
index d92302b69..79af5c905 100644
--- a/searx/webapp.py
+++ b/searx/webapp.py
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import os
 import hashlib
 
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
-from itertools import chain
 from urllib import urlencode
 from flask import (
     Flask, request, render_template, url_for, Response, make_response,
@@ -234,11 +233,9 @@ def render(template_name, override_theme=None, **kwargs):
     if autocomplete not in autocomplete_backends:
         autocomplete = None
 
-    nonblocked_categories = (engines[e].categories
-                             for e in engines
-                             if e not in blocked_engines)
-
-    nonblocked_categories = set(chain.from_iterable(nonblocked_categories))
+    nonblocked_categories = set(category for engine_name in engines
+                                for category in engines[engine_name].categories
+                                if (engine_name, category) not in blocked_engines)
 
     if 'categories' not in kwargs:
         kwargs['categories'] = ['general']
@@ -492,21 +489,19 @@ def preferences():
             elif pd_name == 'method':
                 method = pd
             elif pd_name.startswith('engine_'):
-                engine_name = pd_name.replace('engine_', '', 1)
-                if engine_name in engines:
-                    blocked_engines.append(engine_name)
+                if pd_name.find('__') > -1:
+                    engine_name, category = pd_name.replace('engine_', '', 1).split('__', 1)
+                    if engine_name in engines and category in engines[engine_name].categories:
+                        blocked_engines.append((engine_name, category))
             elif pd_name == 'theme':
                 theme = pd if pd in themes else default_theme
             else:
                 resp.set_cookie(pd_name, pd, max_age=cookie_max_age)
 
-        user_blocked_engines = request.cookies.get('blocked_engines', '').split(',')  # noqa
-
-        if sorted(blocked_engines) != sorted(user_blocked_engines):
-            resp.set_cookie(
-                'blocked_engines', ','.join(blocked_engines),
-                max_age=cookie_max_age
-            )
+        resp.set_cookie(
+            'blocked_engines', ','.join('__'.join(e) for e in blocked_engines),
+            max_age=cookie_max_age
+        )
 
         if locale:
             resp.set_cookie(