How to Block Popups in Google Chrome

Seeing multiple ads pop up every time while visiting websites doesn’t add up to a smooth browsing experience. You might’ve tried blocking ads on Chrome. But it’s usually not enough. If you’re still seeing ads, it’s because you have pop-ups enabled on your browser. This is because ads can also display in the form of pop-ups.

Chrome allows you to block pop-ups on both the web version as well as your phone. Here are simple steps on how you can do it. 

On PC

1. In top-right corner, click on three dots to open the menu. 
2. Navigate to Settings. 
3. Select Privacy and Security from the panel on the left and then click on Site Settings from the list of options. 
   
4. Check the Content section and then select the Pop-ups and redirects option. 
   
5. Right under the Default behavior section, click on the option called Don’t allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects. 
   

If you’re regularly getting pop-ups from specific websites, you can manually add these to your Chrome’s Block Pop-ups list. Here’s how you to do it:

1. Follow the above steps from step 1 to step 4. 
2. In the Pop-ups and redirects page, check the Customized Behaviors section. Here, you can manually add certain websites that you don’t want to get pop-ups on.
3. Right beside the ‘Not allowed to send pop-ups or use redirects’ option, click on the Add option. 
   
4. In a new window, enter the URL of a specific website and again click on Add.
   

On Android

1. On the Chrome app, tap on three dots in the top-right corner. 
2. Select Settings. Scroll to the bottom and then go to Site Settings. 
   
3. Select Pop-ups and redirects. 
   
4. Slide the toggle back to turn off pop-ups. You’ll also see a tiny message underneath that says Blocked. 
   

On iPhone

1. Launch the Chrome app and check three dots in the bottom-right corner. 
2. Then, select Settings. 
3. Tap on Content Settings.
   
4. Then, go to Block Pop-ups. Slide the toggle to turn it on. It should turn blue. 
   
5. Go back and tap on Done to exit. 

Still Getting Pop-ups on Chrome? 

Even after following the above methods to block pop-ups, you might still see them on several websites due to a few reasons. This abnormal behavior usually denotes that there are viruses or malware present in your computer and Chrome is not at fault for it. In such cases, the malware can make authorized changes on your computer and cause your browser to misbehave as well. 

Meanwhile, there can be fake websites as well that forcefully spam you with ads, pop-ups, or notifications. Nevertheless, you can resort to some of the solutions below: 

Block Notifications for Specific Websites 

Aside from the pop-ups, blocking notifications can also be effective in blocking additional ads or pop-ups. It’s a quick method you can apply on specific websites individually. 

1. On your Chrome browser, visit the website on which you want to block notifications.
2. Check the URL address bar and click on the lock icon. If you hover over it, you can see that it says View Site Information. Click on it to open its menu. 
   
3. From the drop-down list, go to Site Settings. 
4. Scroll down and click on the option next to Notifications. Change it to Block.
   

Reset Chrome Settings and Clean Up Chrome 

If you suspect that there are viruses on your PC, Chrome has a few features that allow you to get rid of such dangerous files. One way is to reset Chrome’s settings to default. This is helpful in cases where a few altered settings make your browser more vulnerable. Secondly, you can also clean up suspicious files or bugs directly from Chrome.

1. Launch Chrome and then go to Settings by clicking on the More option. 
2. From the left panel, click on Reset and Clean Up. 
3. Click on Restore Settings to their original defaults. 
   
4. Click on Reset Settings to proceed. 
   
5. You might need to restart your computer. 
6. Similarly, go back to the Reset and clean up page and then click on the Clean up computer option. 
   
7. Click on Find next to Find Harmful Software. You can also check the box to report details to Google regarding the cleanup. 
   
8. Next, Google will start looking for malicious software. After a while, Chrome will present you with its findings. If there is no such software, Chrome will display a message that says No harmful software found. 

If Chrome detects some suspicious apps, you can take further steps to make sure your PC is safe. First, you can run a Full Scan or an MS Windows Defender Antivirus scan and then uninstall the listed apps.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy and Security.
2. Then, Click on Windows Security.
   
3. Select Virus & Threat Protection. Click on Scan Options and select Full Scan or Microsoft Defender Antivirus if the Full Scan isn’t working.
   
4. Next, go to Control Panel > Uninstall a Program.
   
5. Look for the specific apps and then hit right-click. Select Uninstall/Change.