How to Block Ads on Google Chrome

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: July 28, 2022 Tested

Changing Settings on a Computer

|

Changing Settings on Mobile

|

Using AdBlock

|

Using Adblock Plus

|

Q&A

|

Tips

|

Warnings

This wikiHow teaches you how to block pop-ups in Google Chrome on both desktop and mobile, as well as how to block ads in the Google Chrome desktop browser by using the AdBlock and Adblock Plus extensions. Unfortunately, while using ad-blocking extensions will remove embedded ads such as the ones found on Facebook, you cannot use ad-blocking extensions to hide ads in Chrome on mobile.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Changing Settings on a Computer

1
Open
Google Chrome. Its app icon resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
2
Click ⋮. It's in the top-right corner of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.

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3
Click Settings. You'll find this option near the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Settings page.
4
Scroll down and click Advanced ▼. It's at the very bottom of the page. Clicking it opens a new section of options.
5
Scroll down and click Content Settings …. You'll find this at the bottom of the "Privacy and security" section.
6
Click Ads. This is near the bottom of the page.
7
Click the blue "Allowed" switch
. It's at the top of the page. Doing so causes the switch to turn grey
, signifying that Chrome will no longer show obtrusive ads on most sites.
- If you see the phrase "Blocked on sites that tend to show intrusive ads (recommended)" and a grey switch here, Chrome is already blocking obtrusive ads.
8
Click the "Back"
button. This is in the upper-left side of the browser window.
9
Click Popups. It's in the Content Settings menu.
10
Click the blue "Allowed" switch
. It's at the top of the page. Again, this will cause the switch to turn grey, which means that you've successfully disabled pop-up ads in your Chrome browser.
- If you see "Blocked (recommended)" and a grey switch here, Chrome is already blocking pop-up ads.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Changing Settings on Mobile

1
Open
Google Chrome. This app is a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere. While you can't block embedded ads in the Google Chrome mobile browser, you can prevent pop-ups from appearing and taking over your screen.
2
Tap ⋮. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. Doing so invokes a drop-down menu.
3
Tap Settings. You'll find this option near the bottom of the drop-down menu.
4
Tap Content Settings (iPhone) or Site settings (Android). It's near the bottom of the page.
5
Tap Block Pop-ups (iPhone) or Pop-ups (Android). You'll find this option near the top of the screen (iPhone) or near the bottom of the screen (Android).
6
Disable pop-ups. This will vary slightly depending on whether you're using an iPhone or an Android:
- iPhone — Tap the grey "Block Pop-ups" switch
  to turn on pop-up blocking. The switch will turn blue.
- Android — Tap the blue "Pop-ups" switch
  to turn on pop-up blocking. The switch will turn grey
  .

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using AdBlock

1
Open
Google Chrome. It's the red, yellow, green, and blue sphere icon.
2
Go to the AdBlock site. Go to https://getadblock.com/ in Chrome's address bar.
3
Click GET ADBLOCK NOW. This blue button is in the middle of the page. Doing so will take you to your browser's respective extension installation page.
4
Click Add extension when prompted. Chrome will refresh the page when the AdBlock extension finishes installing.
5
Click the AdBlock icon. It resembles a red stop sign with a white hand in the top-right side of the Chrome window.
6
Click Options. This button is in the middle of the AdBlock drop-down menu.
7
Click the FILTER LISTS tab. It's near the top of the page.
8
Uncheck the "Acceptable Ads" box. This option is near the top of the FILTER LISTS page. Doing so will increase the number of ads that AdBlock blocks.
- If this box is already unchecked, skip this step.
9
Check additional ad-blocking options. Your options for further ad-blocking include the following:
- Adblock Warning Removal list - This will remove warnings on websites about running AdBlock.
- Antisocial filter list - This will remove the Facebook “Like” button along with all other social media buttons.
- EasyPrivacy - Helps to protect your privacy by blocking tracking.
- Fanboy's Annoyances - Removes a variety of small annoyances around the web.
- Malware protection - Blocks sites that have known malware issues.
10
Close the AdBlock tab. Your Google Chrome browser should now be almost completely ad-free.

EXPERT TIP

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

If you're still seeing ads after you install an ad blocker: Since ads and websites are constantly changing, your ad blocker might not always recognize an ad, especially if the blocker isn't updated. If you do see an ad, right-click your ad blocker to pause or turn off the ad. That will teach the ad blocker to recognize that ad, so you shouldn't see it again.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Adblock Plus

1
Open
Google Chrome. It's the red, yellow, green, and blue sphere icon.
2
Go to the Adblock Plus site. Go to https://adblockplus.org/ in Chrome's address bar.
- Adblock Plus has no relation to AdBlock.
3
Click Agree and Install for Chrome. It's a green button on the right side of the page. Doing so will take you to your browser's respective extension installation page.
- This button will also have your browser's name in it.
4
Click Add extension when prompted. This option is in the upper-right corner of the extension window. Adblock Plus will begin installing to your browser.
- Chrome will refresh the page when the Adblock Plus extension finishes installing.
5
Click the Adblock Plus icon. It's a red stop sign with "ABP" written in white that's in the top-right side of the Chrome window.
6
Click Options. This option is in the drop-down menu below the ABP icon.
7
Uncheck the "Allow Acceptable Ads" box. It's in the "Acceptable Ads" section near the top of the page. This option allows some ads to display, so unchecking it will ensure that as many ads as possible are blocked.
- If this box is already unchecked, Adblock Plus isn't allowing non-intrusive advertising.
- If you don't see this option, make sure you're on the Filter lists tab of options.
8
Close the Adblock Plus tab. Your Google Chrome browser should now be almost completely ad-free.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I stop ads from Google Chrome from popping up once I click on something?

Community Answer

Adblock usually does the job for you, as does Google Chrome's setting that blocks pop-ups. But some ads still will pass through.
Question

How do I remove ads that appear when I watch YouTube?

Community Answer

They should be automatically gone. If not, try installing different ad blockers.
Question

How do I download an ad blocker?

Community Answer

If you're on Chrome, just go to the Chrome web store and search up adblockers and download the one you want.

Warnings

Some sites will be inaccessible while using an ad-blocker. To access these sites, you'll need to whitelist them by opening your ad-blocker's Options page, selecting the Whitelist option, and entering the websites' URLs.

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