How to Block Ads on Microsoft Edge Browser

Welcome to our guide on using an ad blocker with Microsoft Edge.

In this article, we’ll show you how to effectively block ads while browsing with Microsoft Edge browser. Discover the benefits of using an ad blocker extension, learn how to install and configure it for optimal performance, and explore how to enhance your browsing experience by eliminating unwanted ads.

Whether you’re new to ad blockers or looking to optimize your browsing experience on Microsoft Edge, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know.

Types of Ads on Microsoft Edge

Right before we get to methods of blocking ads on Edge, it would be helpful to understand the “enemy”. Let’s figure out what types of ads are common for the browser and what users usually get to see when browsing.

First, come the pop-ups. These usually appear on the screen of a new tab or page and can be very annoying — apart from interrupting your viewing of the content, they oftentimes don’t have a “close ad” button or it’s so tiny and disguised, that clicking it can be quite challenging. 

Second, flashy banners. This type of commercial is as old as the Internet. Banners appear at the top, bottom, and both sides of the page. I’ for instance, find banners even more distracting than pop-ups — they’re large and motley, and they make it harder to focus on the content you’ve come for.

Third, autoplaying video commercials. These ads are bad in several ways: they’re extra annoying from a viewer’s perspective and they consume extra data to load and play. Some of them even come with sound (ear-piercing volume), which can be very frustrating.

All of the latter come either forced by Microsoft (generated and displayed by the company) or third-party companies that pay for placing their commercials. There’s also another way ads are getting delivered — they’re based on tracking users’ online behavior. These don’t have a fixed place to appear, they just follow you on the Internet because last month you were searching for a baby stroller to present your friend.

Third-party advertisements are particularly annoying and intrusive because they’re designed to blend in with the content on the page, oftentimes being disguised as a legit piece of the website.

Read also: How to get rid of ads in the bottom right corner of Windows 10

How to Block Pop-ups in 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.

First, let’s see how one can block popups via Edge settings.

For this, you should do the following:

• Go to (⋯)Settings => Cookies and site permissions;
• Select Pop-ups and redirects;
• Move the Block toggle to On.

Also, you should consider enabling the “Strict mode” for tracking prevention. This will help reduce the amount of commercial content based on your online activities — e.g. search, clicks, browsing, etc.

To enable the strict prevention, you should:

1. Go to (…) => Settings;
2. Click “Privacy, search, and services”;
3. Choose the “Strict” mode in the “Tracking prevention” section.

Please note, that these methods will not disable ads in Microsoft Edge but will help you significantly reduce their number.

Blocking or allowing a specific URL in Microsoft Edge

Sometimes, it’s necessary to allow a particular website to display popups for it to work correctly. By blocking everything everywhere via the “block popups” feature in Edge, some web apps won’t display login frames or payment popups, for instance. So, if you encounter such a problem, you should:

1. Go to Settings => Cookies and site permissions;
2. Select the “Pop-ups and redirects” option under the “All permissions”;
3. Locate the “Allow” option and select “Add”;
4. Type in the URL of the website you want to add in the format https://www.abcd.com and press “Add”.

The same goes with blocking a particular website but instead of “Allow”, you should choose the “Block” option.

Using AdLock for Blocking Microsoft Edge Ads

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. AdLock is one of the best adblockers available on the market — it works systemwide, blocks all types of ads all over the Internet in a snap, and is available for all major operating systems.

To remove ads from the Edge browser (and not only) you need to download and install the AdLock application. After the installation is over and AdLock is launched, it will automatically start to block advertisements. So if that’s what you were looking for, you can enjoy your ad-free online activities. Close the AdLock window and go web surfing with no more ads. 

But if you’re curious, you can adjust our ad blocker to meet your specific needs. AdLock settings are set up to hide all types of commercial content on browsers and applications yet you can set a list of exclusions. For example, if you want to shut off ad blocking on a certain website, but you don’t want to deactivate AdLock completely, then you add the URL of such a website to your list of exclusions. The list can contain both websites and applications. 

To do so:

• Go to the “Ad Blocking” tab in the application;
• Press the “Allow List” option;
• Click the “Add Item” option;
• Type/paste in a URL in this format: www.example.com;
• Press “Add” to save changes.

As soon as you do that, all websites except the one you’ve added will be ad-free.

Other Ad Blockers for Microsoft Edge

There are several ad blockers available for Microsoft Edge. However, not all of them may be as effective or feature-rich as some of the top-rated ad blockers. If you ask what’s better — an adblocking extension or a standalone application, we’d suggest you stick with a standalone ad blocker for Microsoft Edge. And while some of the extensions on the market offer somewhat decent adblocking, they won’t be as effective as applications. Ever. The reason for that is that there are strict operational limitations for any ad blocker in Edge browser.

It’s important to note that the effectiveness of ad blockers can vary based on factors such as the blocking rules they use, the frequency of updates, and the level of user customization available. For a more robust and reliable ad-blocking experience on Microsoft Edge, consider using popular and well-established ad blockers such as AdLock, Adblock Plus (which should not be confused with AdBlock mentioned above), or uBlock. These products have a good reputation for effectively blocking ads and providing a range of customization options for users. Always check user reviews, ratings, and recent updates to ensure you choose an ad blocker that suits your needs and preferences.

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 “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 the 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 none 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 started to block ads in Edge browser.

Final Thoughts

Blocking ads on Microsoft Edge browser is easy when you know what to do. To turn off ads in Microsoft Edge effectively, you should choose a reliable adblocker like AdLock. Not only does it provide top-notch adblocking (systemwide!), but top-tier privacy and security also. Our product does not collect any data from you and does not allow third-party trackers and scripts to do that.

On top of that, AdLock would also block any and all suspicious/unwanted requests, redirects, and malicious attacks including phishing. Get yourself AdLock and remove ads from Edge browser, opera, firefox, chrome — you name it in a snap.

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