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Learn how to enable pop-ups in your Windows browser
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Your browser's pop-up blocker keeps most sites from opening pop-ups while you browse the internet. This is great for keeping scammy or dangerous ads at bay, but it can cause problems with sites that rely on pop-ups. In this article, we'll teach you how to turn off the pop-up blocker in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer.
Note: Microsoft retired Internet Explorer in 2022. If you have an older computer, you might still have access to IE. Microsoft recommends switching to Microsoft Edge as IE is no longer getting updates, and is therefore no longer secure. [1] X Research source
Disabling the Pop-Up Blocker
To disable the pop-up blocker in Edge, open the menu and go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-up permissions , then toggle off Blocked (recommended) . In Internet Explorer, open the menu, go to Internet options > Privacy, and disable the pop-up blocker.
Steps
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Open Edge and click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner. It's next to your account avatar (which will be a gray icon of a person if you're not logged in) and the Copilot icon.
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Click Settings . It has an icon of a gear.Advertisement
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Click Cookies and site permissions > Pop-up permissions . You can also click All permissions > Pop-ups and redirects if you don't see the Pop-up permissions button.
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Toggle off the Blocked (recommended) toggle. To turn pop-up blocking back on, return to this menu and click this toggle again. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
- Alternatively, you can add specific sites to always block or always allow pop-up ads. If you frequent a site that requires unblocking pop-ups, consider adding it to the "Allow" list. To do this, click Add , type the site's URL, then click Add again.
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Open Internet Explorer. If you're using a Surface or Windows tablet, tap "Desktop" on the Start screen or in the All Apps list, and then click the Internet Explorer icon in the taskbar. [3] X Research source
- Depending on your version of Explorer, the icon probably looks like a little hamburger with three lines on it.
- Internet Explorer was retired in 2022. You should use Microsoft Edge instead. The steps below are retained for historical purposes.
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Click or tap the Gear button or Tools menu. If you don't see either, press the Alt key and click the Tools menu.
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Select Internet options . This will open the Internet Options window.
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Click or tap the Privacy tab.
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Uncheck the Turn on Pop-up Blocker box. Click or tap Apply to save the changes.
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Consider changing the blocking level instead of disabling the pop-up blocker. Click or tap the Settings button to open the pop-up blocker settings. Use the drop-down menu at the bottom of the window to change the settings to "Low". This should allow most pop-ups from legitimate sites while still blocking suspicious pop-ups. You can also add sites to the exceptions list so that they are always allowed to use pop-ups.
- Completely disabling the pop-up blocker can leave you vulnerable to malicious software and intrusive ads. It's recommended that you add sites you want to allow to your exceptions list and keep the pop-up blocker enabled.
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1Can I still use Internet Explorer? Older versions of Windows may still have access to Internet Explorer. However, Microsoft does not recommend using IE since it's no longer getting updates, so it's therefore no longer secure. If you can't use Microsoft Edge because it's not compatible with your operating system, consider updating to Windows 10 or 11. Just like IE, older versions of Windows are also not secure because they no longer receive security updates.
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2Why would I want to disable pop-up ads? Some sites utilize pop-ups to open new windows. If you have pop-ups blocked, it will block any new window a website tries to open, even if the pop-up isn't an ad.
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3How do I disable my ad blocker? While most browsers have built-in functionality to disable pop-up ads, they usually don't have an option to block all ads. If you have an ad blocker, it's likely an extension . To disable an extension in Microsoft Edge, click on the extensions button in your browser bar (it looks like a puzzle piece) and choose Manage extensions . You can then toggle off your ad block extension. [4] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I turn off the popup blocker for iPhone?Community Answer1. Open the “Settings” menu on your Home Screen. 2. Tap the “Safari” tab on the Settings page. The Safari preferences screen loads. 3. Scroll down the page to the Security section. 4. Slide the "Block Pop-Ups" switch to the "Off" position. 5. Press the "Home" button to return to your Home Screen.
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QuestionHow do I allow pop-ups from certain sites on Windows 10?Community AnswerThere's an app in the app store called" AdBlocker" -- it'll get rid of those extra ads with no cost. When it says that, it costs something, ignore it.
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QuestionHow do I turn off pop-up blockers on my smart phone?Community AnswerOpen your browser. Tap the three dots menu icon in the top right corner of your screen and tap Settings. Tap Advanced from the menu that appears. Look for the Block pop-ups setting and make sure it’s disabled.
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Tips
- If Pop-up Blocker is enabled and a pop-up is blocked, you'll be notified by a small information bar beneath the address bar. Clicking this bar will allow you to allow pop-ups temporarily, add the site to the exceptions list, or adjust your blocking settings.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about computer functions, check out our in-depth interview with Luigi Oppido .
References
- ↑ https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windows-itpro-blog/internet-explorer-11-desktop-app-retirement-faq/2366549
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/block-pop-ups-in-microsoft-edge-1d8ba4f8-f385-9a0b-e944-aa47339b6bb5
- ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-security-privacy-settings#ie=ie-11
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/add-turn-off-or-remove-extensions-in-microsoft-edge-9c0ec68c-2fbc-2f2c-9ff0-bdc76f46b026
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"The ads seem almost deliberately designed to fool us into thinking they are steps in the process, which is pretty awful. The article, though, was very helpful in knowing exactly what to choose in order to disable or make changes to the popup blocker."
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