Microsoft Edge is just as crowded with annoying advertising as any other browser. As modern advertisers have no morals they can easily cover 70% percent of the web page with their commercials and even hide it completely. And if you start browsing how to block ads on Edge and find this article, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Look no further, we’ve got you.
- New Microsoft Edge Based on Chromium Source Code
- How to Block Pop-ups in New Microsoft Edge
- How to Block Ads on Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 Using AdLock
- Open and adjust AdLock
- How to Disable Ads on Edge via HOSTS File
- How to Stop Ads on Edge by Adjusting Your Browser Settings
- Extra Advice if the Pop-Up Blocker is not Working
New Microsoft Edge Based on Chromium Source Code
Back in January, Microsoft announced the launch of its newest version of the Edge browser based on the Chromium open-source project. Microsoft Corporation started its work on updating the Edge back in December 2018, when it was decided to stop any development of their own engine to the good of Chromium codebase. You can download the new Edge for Windows and Mac here.
It’s said that Windows 10 users will be receiving the new Edge as an update in the next few months.
The updated Microsoft Edge synchronizes settings, preferences, favorites, and passwords across devices and has a comprehensive set of tools. Despite the obvious improvements, the problem of obtrusive advertisement is still there, and it can’t be solved by switching the codebases and engines. So, the question of how to block pop-ups in new Microsoft Edge is on the front burner. Let’s make things clear.
Read also: How to get rid of ads in the bottom right corner of Windows 10
How to Block Pop-ups in New Microsoft Edge
Please note, that this section and instructions are for the new Edge only. You will find our guide for the legacy version in further blocks of the article.
To cope with pop-ups in the new Edge:
- Go to Settings and more > Settings > Site permissions;
- Select Pop-ups and redirects;
- Move the Block toggle to On.
How to Block Ads on Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 Using AdLock
We say it over and over again: the most efficient way to get rid of any type of advertisement is to get a specialized adblocker. Of course, we promote our product. Take into account, that we are internet users just like you — we love watching series and streams, listening to our favorite music, and all that good stuff. Just like you, we hate ads. That’s why we, fed up with commercials, decided to develop a quite new adblocker that would remove all adverts with no exceptions. By working hard on our brainchild, we introduced a row of products that helps PC and smartphone users to have the most pleasurable internet experience without ads and malicious attacks.
So, to remove ads from the Edge browser (and not only) you need to download and install our application. You can use unlimited AdLock for a 14-day trial free of charge and with no strings attached. AdLock will disable ads in your Windows 10 apps just as well, we hope you’ll enjoy it.
Open and adjust AdLock
From the moment AdLock is launched it will automatically start to block advertisements. So if that’s what you were looking for you can skip this step close the AdLock window and go enjoy web surfing with no more ads. But if you’re curious, you can adjust our ad blocker for your special needs. AdLock settings are set up by default to hide all types of commercial content on browsers and applications though you can set a list of exclusions. For example, you want to shut off an ad blocking on a certain website, but you don’t want to deactivate AdLock completely then you add the URL of such website to your list of exclusions. The list can contain both websites and applications. To do so open an Ad Blocking tab in the application, choose Allow List, click Add Item, and type a URL in this format: www.example.com. Since then all websites will have no ads except that one.
How to Disable Ads on Edge via HOSTS File
This method to stop adverts on Edge is the most simple, yet effective. You don’t let your browser get the information from the server where the ads are located. To make it work, you will need to download the hosts file from here the downloading will start automatically, and then edit your hosts file. Follow the next instructions to know how to block ads on Microsoft Edge using the hosts file.
- Unzip the hosts.zip and open file HOSTS with a notepad. Copy everything below line # [Misc A – Z].
- In a notepad window press CTRL key and press O to open Open File dialog, type the following path C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc in the breadcrumb trail, and choose All Files in the File Type drop-down menu in the right bottom corner of the window, choose the Hosts file and click Open.
- Paste after line # ::1 localhost text you copied in the first step. Save changes and exit the notepad.
- Restart your computer for changes to take effect.
How to Stop Ads on Edge by Adjusting Your Browser Settings
Microsoft offers you an option to block pop-up ads on Edge browser, and even though this option is yet to be working well, it won’t harm to use it anyway.
- Launch Edge, click the three-dots more actions button in the upper right corner, and choose Settings.
- Scroll down and click View advanced settings. Find there Block pop-ups toggle and switch it on.
This method doesn’t provide you Microsoft Edge with no ads though it cuts down a good number of unwanted pop-ups.
Extra Advice if the Pop-Up Blocker is not Working
It may happen that the recently enabled pop-up blocker doesn’t work or shows mixed results. Reasons for the malfunctions may vary so here you’ll get instructions for making your popup blocker work.
Make sure Microsoft Edge is up to date
Yep, the first thing you should do is to check for updates. Oftentimes, older versions do not support newer scripts or algorithms hence interfering with the intended operation.
To check for updates, you should:
- Proceed to Settings and more;
- Select Settings and then About Microsoft Edge;
- If there’s an update for your browser, you may apply it and restart Microsoft Edge.
Scan your PC for malware
Malicious software may cause a bunch of problems including the malfunction of browsers. Untimely defender/antivirus updates result in security breaches, so some sneaky-sneaky virus may lurk somewhere and steer up trouble. If you have a standalone antivirus program, then you should check for antivirus base updates and then scan your system using the “Deep scanning” or whatever it is called in your software option. Upon completion, delete viruses if any, and restart your PC.
In case you don’t use any third-party antiviruses, then you should make sure that in-built Windows Defender is enabled and up to date. To adjust and customize how your PC is protected with Windows Security features:
- Press Start;
- Proceed to Settings;
- Then select Update & Security and go to Windows Security;
- There you will find a bunch of options to tune, so go ahead.
Clear your browser cache
Clearing your browsing data may also help. Basically, the pop-up blocker may be enabled and working, but the reason you see those pesky popups is that they’re cached.
So, here’s what you should do:
- Go to Settings and more, select Settings, and then Privacy, search, and services;
- Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear;
- Choose a time range from the Time range drop-down menu;
- Select Clear cached files;
- Press Clear now.
Try switching on/off your extensions
It also may happen that some of your extensions are getting in the way. You may try switching them all off and then switch them on one by one while checking if pop-ups still appear.
To do so:
- Go to Settings and more;
- Select Extensions and press Manage extension;
- Switch to the right of each extension to disable them.
- If pop-ups are being blocked after this, re-enable them one at a time to determine which one is getting in the way.
If nothing of the above helped you, you may also try resetting your Microsoft Edge to defaults. And then re-enable the pop-up blocker to check if it works.
