How to Block Page Redirects

Easy to follow steps on blocking page redirects on multiple browsers

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: June 2, 2022 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to prevent clicked links on webpages from opening an unexpected ad page between you and the page which you requested. You can do this in different ways on Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari on desktop, but you cannot block page redirects on mobile versions of browsers. Keep in mind that while this will improve your browsers' redirect detection, your browsers still won't always catch page redirects in time.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Google Chrome

1
Open Google Chrome
. It's a blue, red, yellow, and green sphere icon.
2
Update Google Chrome. Click ⋮ in the top-right corner of the window, select Help, and click About Google Chrome to check for updates. If any are available, they will automatically be installed, after which point you'll be prompted to restart Chrome. ^{[1]
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As of Chrome version 65, page redirects of all kinds are automatically blocked in your Chrome browser; unless you purposefully turned off this protection, it's probably enabled for you.

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3
Click ⋮. It's in the top-right corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
4
Click Settings. You'll find this near the bottom of the drop-down menu.
5
Scroll down and click Advanced ▼. It's at the very bottom of the page. Clicking it brings up more options below.
6
Scroll down to the "Privacy and security" section. This is the first section below the Advanced button.
7
Click the grey "Protect you and your device from dangerous sites" switch
. The switch will turn blue
. This will enable Google Chrome's built-in anti-malware protection.
- If the switch is already blue, page redirects are being blocked in Chrome.
8
Use an extension. If you've enabled Chrome's anti-malware option and you're still encountering page redirects, you can use the "Skip Redirect" extension. To install it:
- Go to the Skip Redirect extension page.
- Click ADD TO CHROME
- Click Add extension when prompted.
9
Restart Google Chrome. Your extension should now work. Skip Redirect will simply ignore most page redirects and take you to the destination page.
- If the page redirect in question opens an ad in your current tab and opens your link or search result in another tab, Skip Redirect will ensure that the result tab is opened and that the ad tab remains in the background.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Firefox

1
Open Firefox. It resembles an orange fox wrapped around a blue globe.
2
Click ☰. You'll find this in the top-right corner of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
3
Click Options. It's in the drop-down menu.
- On a Mac, click Preferences instead.
4
Click Privacy & Security. This tab is either on the left side of the window (Windows) or at the top of the window (Mac).
5
Scroll down to the "Permissions" section. Skip this step on a Mac.
6
Check the "Block pop-up windows" box. Doing so will prevent Firefox from opening redirected pop-up windows.
- If this box is already checked, skip this step.
7
Scroll down to the "Security" section. Skip this step on a Mac as well.
8
Check the "Block dangerous and deceptive content" box. This feature prevents redirects harmful redirects, though some harmless redirects may still get through.
- If this box is already checked, skip this step.
9
Use an extension. If you have all the proper security measures in place and you're still encountering page redirects, you can use the "Skip Redirect" extension to block redirects for you. To install it:
- Go to the Skip Redirect extension page.
- Click Add to Firefox
- Click Add when prompted.
- Click Restart Now when prompted.
10
Use the Skip Redirect extension. With Firefox restarted, your extension should now work. Skip Redirect will simply ignore most page redirects and take you to the destination page.
- If the page redirect in question opens an ad in your current tab and opens your link or search result in another tab, Skip Redirect will ensure that the result tab is opened and that the ad tab remains in the background.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Microsoft Edge

1
Open Microsoft Edge. It's a dark-blue "e" icon.
2
Click ⋯. This option is in the top-right corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
3
Click Settings. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. This opens the Settings pop-out window on the right side of the page.
4
Scroll down and click View advanced settings. It's at the bottom of the pop-out window.
5
Scroll down to the bottom of the menu. This is where you'll find the option to block malicious content, including page redirects on harmful sites.
6
Click the grey "Help protect me from malicious sites and downloads" switch
. The switch will turn blue
which will enable Microsoft Edge's built-in antivirus protection.
- If this button is already blue, skip this step.
- This won't block all page redirects, but it will block harmful and potentially harmful ones.
7
Restart Microsoft Edge. Your changes will take effect once Microsoft Edge finishes restarting.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Internet Explorer

1
Open Internet Explorer. It's a light-blue "e" icon with a yellow band wrapped around it.
2
Open Internet Explorer Settings
. Click the gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
3
Click Internet options. It's near the bottom of the drop-down menu. The Internet Options window will open at this point.
4
Click the Advanced tab. You'll find this on the far-right side of the row of tabs at the top of the Internet Options window.
5
Scroll down to the bottom of the window. In the box in the middle of the Advanced page, scroll all the way down.
6
Check the "Use SSL 3.0" box. It's near the bottom of the "Security" group of options.
7
Click Apply. This option is at the bottom of the window.
8
Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will close the Internet Options window.
9
Restart Internet Explorer. Once it finishes restarting, your Internet Explorer browser will block both harmful and potentially harmful page redirects.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Safari

1
Open Safari. Click the Safari app icon, which resembles a blue compass, in your Mac's Dock.
2
Click Safari. This menu item is in the upper-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
3
Click Preferences…. It's near the top of the Safari drop-down menu.
4
Click the Security tab. You'll find this at the top of the Preferences window.
5
Check the "Warn when visiting a fraudulent website" box. It's near the top of the window.
- If this box is already checked, skip this step.
6
Check the "Block pop-up windows" box. You'll find this box a couple of lines down from the "Warn when visiting a fraudulent website" box.
- If this box is already checked, skip this step.
7
Restart Safari. Once Safari restarts, your settings will be implemented, and your browser will block the majority of page redirects.

Community Q&A

Question

Why, when I open my phone, does Chrome automatically open pages and redirect?

Community Answer

On your phone, go to Settings, Apps, Chrome, and Clear App Data. That will clear recently visited pages and bookmarks and should resolve the problem.