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How to Stop Pop-Ups in Your Web Browser

Tips and tools to reduce and eliminate pop-up advertising in your Web browser

By Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP Tony Bradley, CISSP-ISSAP Writer Community College of the Air Force Tony Bradley is a former Lifewire writer and tech journalist who specializes in network and internet security. He is a respected information security expert and prolific author. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 4, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

What to Know

Most new browsers like Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera come with their own pop-up blocking tools.Additional security extensions are available for browsers that can also control pop-ups.A firewall offers system-wide protection while controlling in/out internet traffic and blocking pop-ups. This article explains some of the tools you can use to stop pop-ups from appearing in your web browser.

Pop-up Ads

They just keep appearing. If you shut one down, sometimes many replace it. It seems that the “shadier” the website you are visiting, the more likely you are to encounter a seemingly endless cascade of pop-up web advertisements. But, even reputable sites like Weather.com or Lifewire.com might use pop-up ads as a marketing tool. So how do you stop pop-ups in your web browser? For computers not kept up to date with patches from the operating system and respective application vendors and machines that aren’t running current antivirus or firewall software, these pop-up windows could also pose a security risk. By using malicious code hidden within the HTML that makes up the web page, an attacker can wreak all sorts of havoc on an unprotected computer. Even something as simple as clicking on the ‘X’ on the pop-up window to shut it down can lead to installing a Trojan, worm, or other malware. Of course, if you don’t keep your machine patched and don’t protect yourself with some sort of firewall and antivirus software, it is probably only a matter of time before you have much more significant issues. You can’t block these ads by turning off a feature or service in the operating system, and you can’t prevent the port at the firewall because they are regular port 80 web traffic like the sites you want to visit. Blocking the port would also cut you off from the rest of the World Wide Web.

Built-in Pop-Up Blockers

Thankfully, there is a whole slew of tools and 3rd-party utilities to help you regain control over when and how pop-up or pop-under or any other ad appears on your screen. Current versions of MS Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and even some old versions of Internet Explorer contain built-in functionality to block pop-up / under ads. The list of available products is long and growing fast as users struggle with how to handle the onslaught of pop-up ads, and developers seek to capitalize on their frustration by releasing products to help the users deal with the invasion.

Firewall Blockers

If you want to kill two birds with one stone and get more protection for your whole system while blocking pop-up ads, check out a firewall. They also provide other features to help protect your privacy while surfing the web, which may help reduce the amount of spam email you receive. Of course, they also restrict or control traffic into and out of your computer as a firewall should.

Marketing Is Everywhere

Advertising on the Web is somewhat of a catch-22. The websites, whether reputable and legitimate or of a slightly lower moral character, have to make money. Advertising is one of the key revenue generators for most sites. But, because websites don’t take commercial breaks, they have to get your attention somehow. Nobody likes those little business reply cards that fall out of every other page of a magazine either, but they get your attention, so they keep doing it. Marketers will always come up with new and smarter ways to get their message in front of you. You just need to try and keep up and take back some control over how and when you choose to view their message. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Turn Off a Pop-Up Blocker on a Mac How to Allow Pop-Ups on a Mac How to Use the Pop-Up Blocker in Internet Explorer 11 How to Stop Pop-Up Ads on Android How to Allow Pop-Ups on Your PC 9 Best Free Firewall Programs (Updated October 2022) How to Block Pop-Up Ads in Your Web Browser Script Errors (What They Are and How to Fix Them) How to Fix a Connection-Is-Not Private Error The 9 Best Free Antivirus Software of 2022 The Top 10 Personalized Start Pages for Your Web Browser How to Install, Manage, and Delete Safari Extensions How Web Browsers and Web Servers Communicate Gmail Won't Load? How to Fix It How to Fix Roblox Not Updating on a Mac How to Fix It When Google Chrome Is Not Responding Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies

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How to Stop Pop Ups in Your Web Browser