Learn how to block adverts and stop pop-ups in Chrome

Browsing the web is always a trade-off between accessing content for free and having to deal with the adverts that pay for that content. However, too often excessive ads make websites almost unusable. Preloading videos, animated adverts, and intrusive pop-ups fill the screen and slow down page loading. The good news is you can block those adverts and pop-ups.

In this article, we’ll show you how to stop pop-ups on Chrome and give you some recommendations on managing extensions that act as Chrome ads or pop-up blockers.

What is a pop-up?

Before we begin, let’s be clear about what we mean by advert and pop-up. It can be anything that exist for the purposes of promoting something other than the page you are visiting. That could be adverts for a completely different product or service or a bunch of viral stories from another website. Or it could be a pop-up inviting you to sign up for a newsletter.

How to ensure privacy when using Chrome?

If you’re concerned about privacy when using Chrome, there are a number of things you can do to improve it. These include: deleting your browsing history, cookies, downloads, saved passwords etc. Of course it could take a while to pull off. That’s why I prefer to get help from CleanMyMac X to get these things done in just few clicks.

This app has dedicated Privacy module that works with most common browsers: Chrome, Safari and Firefox. You can try it for free here, no obligations!

How to stop pop-ups in Chrome settings on Mac

There is a relatively simple way to stop adverts and pop-ups in Chrome using its own settings. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work perfectly. But here’s how to use it:

1. In Chrome, click on the three dots on the right in the address bar and choose Settings. Or paste this in the address bar: chrome://settings.
2. Click on Security and Privacy > Site Settings.
3. Scroll down to Pop-ups and redirects and check the box next to ‘Don’t allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects’

How to block ads in Chrome on iOS

Likewise, you can block pop-ups in Chrome on an iPhone or iPad. Follow the instructions below.

1. Launch Chrome and tap the three dots next to the address bar. Choose Settings.
2. Scroll to Content Settings and tap it.
3. Click Block pop-ups, then toggle the switch to the on position.

How to allow pop-ups from specific sites

Using the method above blocks all pop-ups in Chrome, not just those used for adverts or newsletter sign-ups. But truthfully, some pop-ups are useful. For instance, those that offer free resources or templates. Here’s how to allow pop-ups from specific sites of your choice:

1. Go to Settings in Chrome.
2. Choose Security and Privacy, and Site Settings.
3. Click Pop-ups and redirects.
4. Look for the section ‘Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects’ and click Add.
5. Type the URL of the site and click Add. Repeat for all the sites you want to allow pop-ups on.

How to use a pop-blocker with Chrome

If the steps above don’t block all pop-ups or adverts, try to use an ad-blocker. It’s an extension that runs in Chrome to remove irritating ads and pop-ups. There are lots of such blockers available so it’s best to try few and decide which one works for you. It’s important to mention that some websites won’t work properly when ad-blocker is on. Usually, you’ll receive a notice asking you to turn the ad-blocker off for website to function accurately.

According to latest reviews, top extensions to block ads are AdBlock (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and AdBlock Plus (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Android, iOS). But if you want to test other options, search for needed extensions following these steps:

1. Launch Chrome, and paste this address into the address bar: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions.
2. Type a search query, like ‘ad blocker’ or ‘pop-up blocker’ in the search box.
3. You’ll see three extensions listed, to see more, click ‘More extensions’.
4. Review the list of extensions, read their details and reviews, and once you’ve found the one you want to test, click Add to Chrome.
5. Once it’s installed, click the three dots next to the address bar and choose Settings > Extensions.
6. Locate the extension you’ve just installed, click Details and turn it on.

Try using the extension you’ve just installed for some time to see if it works. And Keep using it if you like it. If not, go back to Settings > Extensions and switch the ad-blocker off. Repeat the process above to find and install another ad-blocker.

Tip

Once you’ve settled on an ad-blocker, it’s worth running CleanMyMac X to get rid of any files left behind by previous blockers you’ve tried. Just use its System Junk tool to clear out files you don’t need to free up space and improve your privacy. Or use any other cleaning app, your choice.

We’re done here! To wrap it up: there are enough ways to block pop-ups and ads in Chrome that you can try. You can do it right in Chrome basic settings or if that doesn’t work, download additional ad-blocker extensions to find the one that fits your needs.