Semalt Explains How To Block Pop-Up Adds In Windows

Since it's 2017, it's fair to say that technology has taken over our lives for quite some time now. The internet is now connecting more and more devices every second, and the amount of information that passes through it is extremely huge. According to Lisa Mitchell, the Semalt Customer Success Manager, this fact brings a lot of possibilities and advantages, but also comes with a few issues, one of which is frequently annoying for users: dealing with pop-up ads!

If you're running Windows on your PC, you have undoubtedly encountered this problem in your life. After installing a system, everything is running smooth, and there are no issues with pop-ups, which start to appear after a few usage sessions. After this time, the problem becomes increasingly painful to deal with, although almost none of these ads are associated with Windows itself. In this article, we'd like to present a few methods of solving one of the most significant problems of web browsing: how to block pop-ups ads.

Before we get started with the cleaning, we'd like to take a moment to explain where these pop-ups come from. Since they don't come from Windows, their origin usually lies in websites which install malware, adware or even PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs). Lots of programs are prone to producing pop-ups of their own, which is another part of the problem. Regardless of their origin, blocking pop-ups is a two-stage process: first, clean your computer of any malware or adware, and then use browser extensions to block pop-ups in their tracks.

Here are few things you can do:

1. Clean up your windows system. Usually, running a standard anti-virus program like AVG is not enough. You'll need special, professional care, such as the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, a piece of software specifically designed to get rid of any malware it finds on your computer. Similarly, you can use a program such as AdwCleaner to remove Adware. These programs are both free to use and very useful, just be mindful when using them, as you don't want to delete something important by accident or by being too restrictive.

2. Install browser add-ons. Most add-ons work on multiple browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera or Safari. These add-ons specialize in analyzing traffic and blocking any pop-ups they find. The setting can be found under the "Content" menu in the browser's options, and sounds something along the lines of "Do not allow any site to show pop-ups" – this example is from Chrome. Although browsers come with their own pop-up blocker, we do recommend installing an additional one such as Ghostery, uBlock Origin or AdBlock plus.

3. Stop foistware and Windows ads. There are legitimate websites that like to use pop-ups, like Ask, Microsoft Bing or Google. These will often install PUPs by default if you choose the express version of installing any one of their products. Either be mindful of what you check or don't check during the installation process, or use a smart program called Unchecky, which can do this for you even after you install the software.

Furthermore, Windows 10 even has pop-ups now. Not as annoying as others, of course, but it does give "suggested apps" in the start menu. To remove those, right click on the tile and select "remove all suggestions."

We hope our guidelines on how to get rid of add-ons will significantly improve your browsing and web surfing experience. Pop-ups are one of the most annoying issues to deal with in this time, and no-one should have to suffer more than it's necessary.