How to block pop‑ups in Chrome and Edge

Chrome and Edge already ship a pop-up blocker. Here is how to make sure it is on, how to stop notification spam, and which pop-ups it was never designed to catch. Updated 31 October 2026.

1. Turn on the built-in blocker (desktop)

Chrome: open chrome://settings/content/popups (or Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Pop-ups and redirects) and choose Don’t allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects.
Edge: open edge://settings/content/popups (or Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Pop-ups and redirects) and switch Block on.
If a site you trust needs pop-ups (some banks and booking sites do), add it to the allowed list instead of turning the blocker off.

2. Chrome on Android

Tap the ⋮ menu → Settings → Site settings → Pop-ups and redirects.
Make sure the switch is off, so pop-ups and redirects are blocked.

Desktop extensions such as PhilterAds don’t run in Chrome on Android, so the built-in setting is what you have there.

3. Stop notification spam

Many “pop-ups” are really site notifications you once allowed by accident. They can appear even when the site is closed.

Open chrome://settings/content/notifications (Edge: edge://settings/content/notifications).
In the list of sites allowed to send notifications, remove any you don’t recognise.
If you never want to be asked again, choose the option that doesn’t allow sites to send notifications.

4. Why some pop-ups still get through

Click-triggered tabs. The built-in blocker stops windows a page opens on its own. Many ad scripts wait until you click anywhere on the page and open their tab then. Because you clicked, the browser lets it through.
In-page overlays. Newsletter boxes, cookie banners and “allow notifications?” prompts drawn inside the page aren’t browser pop-ups at all, so the setting doesn’t touch them.
Redirects from ads. An ad that sends the whole tab to another site is a redirect, and the setting only catches some of those.

5. What an extension adds

A content blocker can act on these cases because it knows which sites are ad networks. PhilterAds, for example, closes a new tab straight away when it is an ad or scam pop-up matched by EasyList’s pop-up rules. Tabs you open yourself, and new tabs on the same site, are left alone. Its Fanboy Cookie and Annoyance lists hide many cookie banners and overlay boxes. It’s free and open source, and it never lets ads through for money.

Get PhilterAds for Chrome and Edge

6. If a fake “virus found” alert won’t close

Don’t call any phone number or download anything it offers. Real browsers and real antivirus software never ask you to call.
Press Shift + Esc to open the browser’s task manager, select the tab, and choose End process.
Then check the notification list in step 3: scam alerts often come back through a notification permission.