There are many Google Chrome extensions that can block ads, but AdBlock and Adblock Plus are by far the most popular choices, and both are free and effective. Even though they both have similar and confusing names, these two programs are run by different people. Which program you want to use is up to your choice.
If the ads appear in popups or on every website, you may need to remove the adware that infected your computer.
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Method 1 of 3: Using AdBlock
Step 1. Install AdBlock
Click this link in your Chrome browser, then click the blue + FREE button to install AdBlock. A new tab will open and install the extension quickly.
If this doesn't work, you can try AdBlock Plus instead of the method below. These two services are created by different people, but share almost the same parts in terms of their business models. AdBlock is run entirely from donations, and blocks ads by default
Step 2. Click the AdBlock icon to open its controls
A new icon will appear to the right of Chrome's address bar: a red hexagon with a hand in the center. Click this icon to access the controls described in the steps below.
The number in the icon indicates how many ads were disabled on the site you're currently viewing. You can disable this in the options by unchecking the "Show on AdBlock button"
Step 3. Block escaped ads
Now Adblock will automatically activate on all pages, and will catch almost all ads. If you're still seeing ads, or want to block something on a page to speed up loading times, you can block them right away by following the instructions below:
- Click the icon and select "Block an ad on this page" or right-click the ad and select "AdBlock" → "Block this ad".
- Move the mouse until the ad is highlighted in blue, then click (unless you've selected a specific ad).
- Move the slider until the ad disappears. The slider appears in a pop-up window, which you can drag to an area around the screen if you want to see what's behind the window.
- Click "Looks good" to block the ad permanently.
Step 4. Change the various options
Click the icon to bring up the options menu again, then click "Options" to open a new tab. You can change some options from here. Some of these are self-explanatory, while other, more complex options are described below:
- To support a specific YouTube channel, enable the YouTube whitelist option, visit any video on that YouTube channel, then click the AdBlock icon, and select "Whitelist".
- Check "advanced options" for a list of features that aren't fully functional, such as bypassing ad-blocking detection on Hulu.com, and syncing your settings on other computers with Dropbox.
Step 5. Add another filter list
If a lot of ads are still getting through, you may need to update the filter or list of ads used by AdBlock to identify what to block. Click the icon and select "Options," then click "Filter Lists" at the top of the screen. You can click "update now" to use the suggested filters, or tick additional filters for "above and beyond" blocking.
- These additional filters include "Antisocial" to block social media buttons, "Fanboy's Annoyances" to block social media buttons, popups that appear within a page, and other "mess" that are not ads, and others. Check the filter list description before you use it, as these filters can block something you are using or (slightly) slow down your internet browsing.
- The "Customize" link at the top of the screen allows you to add your own filters. Don't do this before reading the instructions in the filter section, or reading the tutorial from adblock plus (which uses the same syntax).
Step 6. Allow ads
Click the icon and select "Pause AdBlock" to turn off this extension until you click the icon again. To permanently allow ads on sites you regularly visit, select "Don't run on this page" (for certain URLs) or "Don't run on pages in this domain" (for all web pages on the same site).
Method 2 of 3: Using Adblock Plus
Step 1. Install Adblock Plus
Click this link in the Google Chrome browser window, then click the blue + FREE button to install Adblock Plus.
Adblock Plus accepts payments from the company to show some non-intrusive ads, although you can still disable this option. This service is similar to the AdBlock extension described above
Step 2. Set your preferences in the tab that opens. Once you have installed Adblock Plus, a new tab will open telling you this
Scroll down to see more options, and enable these additional protections if you wish:
- Malware Blocking will block domains that have been identified as sources of viruses or other malware attacks.
- Remove Social Media Buttons will block buttons from Facebook, Twitter, etc. so as not to appear on other sites.
- Disable Tracking will prevent the sites you visit from tracking your web browsing, which usually aims to serve ads that match you.
Step 3. See other options
Click the Adblock Plus icon at the top right of the Google Chrome window. The icon looks like a red hexagon with "ABP" in the middle. All the steps below can be completed in this menu.
Step 4. Disable additional ads
The first tab in this options menu is called "Filter lists," and allows you to select the list of ads you want to use to determine which ads to block. By default, only "EasyList" is used, which will block almost all ads by itself. Below are some commonly used additional options:
- Uncheck "Allow some non-intrusive advertising" to disable small text-only ads.
- Check "Adblock Warning Removal List" to disable banners and messages asking you to turn off Adblock.
- Click "Add Filter Subscription", select a non-English language from the list, then click "Add" to disable ads in that language.
Step 5. Block individual ads
If an ad can get past the filter, or a large page element that you don't care about is slowing down web browsing, you can block ads like that:
- Right-click the ad, then click "Block Element". Or, click the Adblock Plus icon at the top right, click "Block element", then click the ad.
- Don't edit the filters that appear without reading the instructions at the bottom, or the official tutorial.
- Click "Add," or press enter on your keyboard to block the ad. If you make a mistake, click "Cancel" or press esc.
Method 3 of 3: Writing a Custom Ad Filter
Step 1. Install one of the extensions described above
Ad filters are URLs that ad blocker extensions look for when deciding what to block. Both AdBlock and Adblock Plus allow you to write your own filters, so you can catch ads that escape their default filters, or block non-advertising content that annoys you.
The full tutorial is available here, but the instructions below may be easier for beginners to follow
Step 2. Use the exact address to block only one element
If there's a particular image, video or webpage element you want to block, all you need is the associated web address. Right-click the element and click "Copy Image URL" or "Copy Video URL". For other types of content, you can find the address by using the "Block ad" command, which is described in their respective sections. This will open a pop-up window that you can use to select and find the address.
For example, if you add a filter https://www.website.com/top-banner/image-clown.jpg, then only certain images will be blocked (clown images). If you visit the same page in the future and the address becomes "puppy-picture.jpg" instead, then you can view the image.
Step 3. Use the asterisk to create a more general filter
Replacing part of the URL with the * symbol (Shift 8 on most English keyboards) will block the element containing anything that is where you put the asterisk. Some examples include:
- https://www.website.com/top-banner/* will block whatever website.com stores in their "top banner" folder, hoping to prevent you from seeing anything in that ad frame. (Note that not all sites use addresses so clearly as this.)
- https://www.website.com/*/image-clown.jpg will block the "clown-image.jpg" image on all website.com pages.
- https://www.website.com/* will block all content on website.com. If the site you want to remove ads from is now a blank page, you may have used an * in the wrong place.
Step 4. Look for replaceable content at the address
Many addresses include strings of random letters and numbers that represent specific ads, sizes, or other features. Remove this string and replace it with a single * symbol.
Step 5. Prevent filters from blocking useful content
This often happens because of using the * symbol in the wrong place. But if useful content and ads have very similar addresses, you can use one of these techniques:
- The ^ symbol at the end of a filter will restrict the filter to addresses that end there or are followed by a "separator character". For example filter website.com/ad^ will block "website.com/ad/anything-here" or "website.com/ad?=send-malware-yes" but will not block "website.com/adventures-of-tintin".
- Add symbol | (the vertical pipe, usually above the enter key) to start or end a filter only to block addresses that start or end at that point. For example, filter swf will block all addresses containing "swf" (all Flash videos, but also a lot of other content). "|swf" will only block addresses starting with "swf" (not a useful filter). "swf|" will only block addresses ending in "swf" (Flash videos only).
Tips
- To allow an extension in incognito mode, use the menu at the top of Chrome to go to Window → Extensions, and check the box next to "Allow in incognito" under the name of the extension.
- Both extensions have other options besides those described here, which you can read about in the options menu.
