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How to Block Ads on Chrome? | The Ultimate Ad-Block Guide for Chrome

by Chelsea Bruhl on Jul 16, 2024

How to Block Ads on Chrome? | The Ultimate Ad-Block Guide for Chrome

Irritated with the ads on Chrome? Check out how to block ads on Chrome in this article.

Are you tired of those unwanted pop-ups and advertisements that keep appearing on almost every webpage you visit on Chrome?

You’re not alone, in recent years Ads have become the bane of the internet and they drive us crazy every day. While there are some people who deal with them, not everyone has the patience to sit and close tabs or pop-ups with every single website they visit.

Ads on Chrome are fairly common depending on the type of website you visit and they invade the site in the form of banners, pop-ups, new tabs, and so on...

Pop-up Ads on Chrome are by far the most annoying form of advertising as not only does the ad appear but it also opens in a new tab altogether and that really hampers your overall browsing experience.

Fortunately, Google Chrome permits you to block Ads across devices in a couple of ways, and over the course of this article, I’ll take you through how you can successfully block Ads on Google Chrome.

What we will cover is, how you can:

  • Block Ads on Chrome Desktop using the In-built Settings
  • Block Ads on Chrome Desktop using AdBlock
  • Block Ads on Chrome Desktop using AdBlock Plus
  • Block Pop-Ups and Ads on Chrome for Android/iOS

Related: How to Block Ads in Safari

How to Block Ads on Chrome

Google Chrome is the world's most used browser with over 60% market share worldwide as of last month but we’re still faced with annoying Ads every single day. You can say that it’s become a part of our lives.

This is the method by which companies advertise their products nowadays and like it or not, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Whether it’s Facebook, YouTube, an e-commerce site, or even a site to read books, you’d find Ads in one form or the other.

Considering Google is the world’s largest search engine and Chrome was developed by them, Google has thought about how Ads can affect overall user experience and decided to let users block Ads on their browsers. 

All that is well and good, but how do you actually block ads on browsers like Chrome?

The best part about Google Chrome is that it has the ability to block ads on its own. All you will have to do is access the built-in settings tab and access Advanced settings followed by Ads.
Disabling ads from here will drastically reduce the total number of pop-ups and other ads you see on a daily basis.
If you're not satisfied with Chrome's built-in capabilities then you can resort to downloading an Adblocker for Chrome and use this third-party app instead.

Why should you Block Ads in Chrome?

It's inevitable to deal with adverts in browsers. These types of advertisements, whether consumers like them or not, are how businesses currently market to consumers. Having said that, you can definitely disable advertisements in Google Chrome to make using the browser a smoother, less grating experience.

Popup ads are by far the most obnoxious of all the advertisements that are shown in Chrome, and removing them would result in a far more pleasant browsing experience. One of the more irritating aspects of online browsing might be pop-up advertisements.

First of all, they lack aesthetic appeal. I haven't seen any award-winning advertisements in the wild, so I don't know where they are going. Most of the time, we are left with poorly designed marketplace advertising, irrelevant gaming footage, and unintelligible deals.

Second, despite compiling user activity from throughout the internet, advertisers continue to struggle to pinpoint their demographic. Consider all the pointless commercials you must endure, especially ones that come before YouTube videos.

Thirdly, some ad networks may deliver malware disguised as advertisements.

Fourth, some areas still view internet traffic as a luxury. Why would you waste precious megabytes on something that makes you angry? I think you could add to this list quite successfully with your own arguments, but why bother? You're looking for advice on how to disable advertisements in Chrome, and I'm here to help.

Let's take an in-depth look at how to block ads on Chrome.

Block Ads on Chrome Desktop using the In-built Settings

How to Block Ads on Chrome

As I had mentioned before, Google permits you to block Ads from their browser by modifying a couple of settings in the back end. This process is easy to carry out and you can follow these steps to block Ads on Chrome using the in-built settings.

  •  Start by launching Google Chrome on your desktop/laptop.
  • Proceed to click the three-dot icon located in the top right-hand corner of the browser.
  • Find the Settings option within the drop-down menu and click it.
  • Once the Settings page opens on the browser, scroll down to the end of the page and click on Advanced.
  • The page will reveal additional settings where you can find the Ads section.
How to Block Ads on Chrome
  • Click on Ads when you locate the option and open it up. Here you’d find the setting “Blocked on sites that show intrusive or misleading Ads” and enable the feature by clicking on the toggle switch.

Now that you have enabled this option you have successfully blocked Ads on Google Chrome. 

If you’re looking to block Pop-ups on Chrome as well then you can follow the same steps laid out above and rather than clicking on Ads, you can select the option named Pop-ups and redirects.

When you open the option you will have to enable the Blocked setting by tapping on the toggle switch to stop receiving pop-ups when you browse.

If you think that you’re still receiving Ads on Chrome while visiting pages then you can try using an Ad Blocker extension or Add-On.

Block Ads on Chrome Desktop using AdBlock

How to Block Ads on Chrome

AdBlock is by far one of the most popular ad-blocking services for browsers (desktop and mobile) that does a rather great job at actually limiting the number of Ads you view on Chrome.

To get AdBlock for Chrome, you’d have to follow these steps:

  • Start by opening the Chrome Browser on your desktop.
  • When the webpage loads, click on the big blue button that says “Get AdBlock Now”. Doing so will take you to the AdBlock extension page.
How to Block Ads on Chrome
  • Here you will have to click on the Add Extension prompt that appears at the top of the page. Now, wait until the extension installs on Chrome.
  • The AdBlock icon will be found in the toolbar at the right, it resembles a red stop sign with a white hand in the middle. Click on the icon when located.
  • The drop-down will list out a couple of options like Block all Ads on this page, Pause on this Site, and so on, scroll till you find Options, and click it.
  • When the Options page loads on Chrome, select Filter List from the top lineup of page options. Here you will find an Acceptable Ads check box, make sure to uncheck the box. Doing so will increase the number of Ads blocked on each webpage.

You can also check the additional options such as Other Filter Lists where you will be able to filter out other types of Ads that will run on Chrome such as

  • AdBlock Warning Removal List - This takes down the warnings which appear on websites while AdBlock is running.
  • Antisocial Filter List - This removes social media buttons such as the Facebook Like button. 
  • Easy Privacy - Blocks trackers and improves your internet privacy.
  • Fanboy’s Annoyances - Limits annoyances on websites.
  • Malware Protection - Automatically blocks sites that have been flagged for Malware.

Now, all you have to do is close the Settings page and begin browsing, you will begin to notice a drastic drop in the number of Ads displayed on Chrome. 

However, after a point, there may be some sites that still host Ads and this could be due to the fact that AdBlocker is unable to recognize that particular Ad.

What you can do here is either update the AdBlocker by downloading a newer version and following the steps mentioned above, or you can try pausing the AdBlock extension on the particular web page and restarting it. This teaches AdBlock to recognize the Ad and block it the next time you open that website.

Block Ads on Chrome Desktop using AdBlock Plus

AdBlock Plus is in no relation to AdBlock for Chrome and is two completely different extensions that you can use. Considered one of the best AdBlocker apps for Chrome browsers, AdBlock Plus can be downloaded as an extension and installed on Chrome to automatically block every Ad.

You can do this by following these steps:

  • Start by opening the Chrome Browser on your desktop.
  • When the webpage loads, click on the big green button that says “Agree and Install for Chrome”. Doing so will take you to the AdBlock Plus extension page.
  • Here you will have to click on the Add Extension prompt that appears on the top of the page. Now, wait until the extension installs on Chrome.
  • The AdBlock Plus icon will be found in the toolbar at the right, it resembles a red stop sign with a white ABP in the middle. Click on the icon when located.
  • Proceed to tap on the Gear icon under the ABP logo to open the Options drop-down.
  • Now you will have to uncheck the Allow Acceptable Ads checkbox.

Since this option allows some Ads to appear, unchecking the box will block as many Ads as possible.

Close the AdBlock Plus Options tab and reload the web pages you were on. You will see that your Chrome browser is almost completely Ad free.

Block Pop-Ups and Ads on Chrome for Android/iOS

How to Block Ads on Chrome

Those of you on the move will prefer using Chrome on your smartphone as it’s easier to access. But, easy access does not necessarily mean no Ads or pop-ups. 

Unfortunately, even our smartphones are prone to Ads and pop-ups on browsers like Chrome but you can try toggling the settings within the browser to disable Ads and Pop-ups.

When it comes to Chrome there’s no option to add extensions or add-ons so ultimately you will see Ads while surfing the web. To reduce the total number of Ads you see on Chrome, you can try this out.

Block Ads/Pop-ups using Settings on Chrome for Mobile

  • Start by launching the Chrome App on your Smartphone.
  • On the top right-hand corner, click the three dots button to open the Browser Options
How to Block Ads on Chrome
  • Tap on Settings and scroll down to Site Settings (Android), Content Settings (iOS)
  • At the middle of the page you’d find Ads, click on it to open the Ads Settings for Chrome
  • Disable the Ads option by tapping on the toggle switch.
  • Now that you have disabled Ads on your Chrome browser proceed to go back to the previous page and then tap on Pop-ups and redirects located above Ads.
  • Disable the Pop-ups and redirects option by clicking on the toggle switch to stop pop-ups from opening on Chrome.

And you’re done! However, since there is no permanent way to stop Ads on Chrome for mobile, you will still be able to see a couple of Ads here and there.

How to Block Ads on Specific Websites

You may have looked for ways to stop ads on some websites if you tolerate adverts generally but there are those that drive even people like you crazy. As we've already established, Chrome allows advertising by default, but you have the option to block them on specific websites. Setting up the list of exceptions is all that is required. Here's how to go about it.

Go to a certain website and click the padlock ("Secure") icon in the URL bar after deciding whether or not you wish to see advertisements there. Click Settings from the dropdown menu that appears. Locate the Ads entry, then select a desirable choice from the menu.

If you have a Google account, you can skip doing all of the aforementioned procedures on every single device. If you are approved, Google Chrome on your smartphone will display adverts in accordance with the same preferences as the desktop version of the browser. 

As opposed to the desktop version of Google Chrome, which will block pop-up windows, huge sticky ads, ads with auto playing video and music, and countdown banner ads, the mobile version will also block animated flash banners, full-page scroll over ads, and densely packed advertising.

How to Block Ads on Chrome - Takeaway

Advertisements are here to stay and there’s nothing we can do about them. Disabling the Ad settings within the browser can only do so much for your experience. It all boils down to downloading the right Ad Blocker for Chrome to do the job for you.

The Ad Blockers listed are two of the most popular blockers you can download for free. They’ve been tried and tested and I must say, they do a remarkable job.

So what are you waiting for, go ahead and download an Ad Blocker today and have a genuine Ad-Free experience?

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