Nowadays, advertising on the web is becoming more and more invasive, making it difficult to quickly identify the content you are looking for. Fortunately, this is a phenomenon that can be easily countered by installing an "ad-blocker" for Opera. This type of add-on filters the advertisements on the web pages you visit, preventing them from being displayed. During normal web browsing, if you are constantly pestered by pop-ups or redirected to unsolicited sites, it is very likely that your computer has been infected with an "adware" that you will need to remove as soon as possible.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Block Ads and Pop-up Windows
Step 1. Click on Opera's main menu by pressing the button of the same name, then select "Download new extensions"
A new tab will open within the browser window. By default Opera already has a built-in system to block certain pop-up windows from being displayed. Installing an "ad-blocker" extension will allow you to completely block advertising from websites you visit.
Blocking ads on the mobile version of Opera is a little more complicated. In such cases it is in fact necessary to install the "Adblock Plus" application, also modifying the network settings. See this article for more details on how to install this mobile app
Step 2. Search using the keyword "Adblock"
This is the most used term in reference to extensions capable of blocking advertising on the web. A large list of results will most likely be displayed.
Step 3. Choose the extension that has the highest rating from users
Chances are you will notice that some add-ons have a higher rating than others, they are the safest and most functional extensions, so choose the one that seems to you the most suitable for your needs. You only need to install such an extension. Here is a small list of the most famous ones:
- Adblock Plus
- AdBlock
- Adguard
Step 4. Click on the "Add to Opera" button on the page with detailed information about the chosen extension
After a few moments, a new icon will appear on the browser toolbar. When the installation of the chosen add-on is complete, you will receive a notification message.
After installing the extension, you will be able to freely browse the web without being pestered by advertisements
Step 5. Click on the extension icon you just installed, then choose "Options" from the drop-down menu that appeared
This way you can change its configuration settings. A new tab will be displayed from which you can configure the advanced options of the chosen ad-blocker.
Some add-ons of this type, such as "AdBlock", allow you to display advertisements from certain sources that are considered "unobtrusive". If you wish, you can disable this feature from the "Options" menu, so that all advertisements on the web pages you visit are blocked
Step 6. Allow advertising to be displayed on your favorite sites
Many websites base their financial resources, which are needed to stay online, on advertising revenue. In these cases, most likely, you will want to disable the installed "ad-blocker" extension to continue supporting your favorite sites through the advertising revenue generated by your visits.
Click on the extension icon located on the browser toolbar, then choose the option "Do not enable on this page". This way the program will remain active for all other websites you visit, except for the selected ones
Part 2 of 2: Uninstall an Adware
Step 1. Remove "adware" from your computer
If using Opera, the main pages of unknown search engines are loaded or if pop-up windows keep opening, despite having an "ad-blocker" extension installed, it is very likely that your computer has been infected with "adware". This happens when you install free software, downloaded from the web, without carefully reading all the instructions contained in the installation wizard screens.
Step 2. Go to the Windows "Control Panel"
You need to uninstall any extraneous software present in the system. To do this, you need to use the "Control Panel".
- Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8: Select the "Start" button with the right mouse button, then choose the "Control Panel" option.
- Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP: access the "Start" menu and choose the "Control Panel" item.
Step 3. Click on "Uninstall a program" or the "Programs and Features" category
This will display the list of programs installed on your computer.
Step 4. Click on the "Installed on" column header to sort the list by installation date
Sorting the items in the list in this way will make it easier to find the latest installed programs.
Step 5. Select all the programs you don't know the source of, then press the "Uninstall" button
If you are unsure of the nature of a particular software, do a Google search to find out what it is. Repeat the process for all programs on the list that you didn't install yourself.
Step 6. Reset Internet Explorer settings
Even if you normally use Opera exclusively as an internet browser, you need to restore the Internet Explorer configuration, since it is a component used by Windows to perform important functions.
- Click on the gear button from the Internet Explorer window, then choose "Internet Options".
- Go to the "Advanced" or "Advanced Settings" tab, then press the "Reset" button.
- Select the "Delete personal settings" checkbox, then press the "Reset" button.
Step 7. Restore Opera configuration
This step allows you to delete all add-ons installed in the browser, restoring the default configuration of the home page and the preferred search engine. At the end of this procedure, you will have to install the chosen "ad-blocker" extension again.
- Close the Opera window, then open the Command Prompt window from the "Start" menu.
- Type the% AppData% / Opera / Opera / operaprefs.ini command, then press the Enter key. This command restores the initial configuration of Opera.
Step 8. Download and run AdwCleaner
It is a free program that completely scans your computer for "adware" and then removes them.
- You can download AdwCleaner from toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/.
- Once the download is complete, run the program and press the "Scan" button. The system scan takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
- When the scan is complete, hit the "Clean" button to remove all "adware" found.
Step 9. Download and run Malwarebytes Antimalware
The free version of this program scans your computer for malware and viruses that AdwCleaner may not have detected.
- Download and install Antimalware from the malwarebytes.org site.
- Once the installation is complete, launch Antimalware and install any available updates.
- Start scanning your computer. This step takes about 20-30 minutes.
- Once the scan is complete, press the "Quarantine All" button. Any infected items found during the scan will be safely removed.
Step 10. Download and run BleepingComputer's Shortcut Cleaner
Some adware changes the Opera shortcut icon on the desktop or taskbar to open its web page. Shortcut Cleaner is a free program, created by a famous online community of programmers specializing in anti-malware software, able to restore the correct functioning of the shortcut icons.
- You can download the Shortcut Cleaner installation file from
- Run the "sc-cleaner.exe" file and, if prompted by Windows, confirm your action.
- After the scan is complete, check the log file created on your desktop to find out which shortcuts have been fixed.
