There are several extensions for Google Chrome that can block advertising banners, but AdBlock and Adblock Plus are by far the most used. Both are free and very effective. Despite having a similar name, these two extensions were created and run by different people. The choice of which one to use is simply a personal preference.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Use AdBlock
Step 1. Install AdBlock
To do this, select the following link using the Chrome browser. Then, hit the blue + FREE button. A new tab will appear which will quickly proceed to install the extension.
If that doesn't work, try installing AdBlock Plus by referring to the next section. These two extensions were created by two different people, but they turn out to be virtually identical except for the business model. AdBlock supports itself through voluntary donations and, by default, blocks all advertising on the visited page
Step 2. Select the AdBlock icon to access the main menu
On the Chrome interface, next to the address bar, a new icon in the shape of a red hexagon with a hand in the center will appear. Select it to access the controls described in the next steps.
The number displayed on the icon represents the number of ad banners blocked on the site currently displayed. You can disable this feature by unchecking the "Show on AdBlock button" checkbox located in the extension's main menu
Step 3. Block an ad that isn't blocked
Adblock is automatically activated on all pages you view, and is able to block most advertisements. If you should see an advertising banner, or if you want to block some element of a page to speed up their loading, you can do it manually by following these instructions:
- Select the Adblock icon and choose the option "Block an advertisement on this page", or select the advertising banner to be blocked with the right mouse button, then choose the "AdBlock" item from the context menu that appears and finally choose the "Block this advertisement" option.
- Move the mouse pointer over the advertisement in question to highlight it with the blue color, then press the left mouse button (unless you have already selected the advertisement banner).
- Move the slider until the banner ad disappears. This cursor is placed inside the pop-up window that appears. Move the window across the screen in case it obscures the advertising you want to block.
- When finished, press the "Okay" button to block the selected advertisement permanently.
Step 4. Change other options
Select the Adblock icon to access the main menu, then choose "Options" to open its tab. From here you can change various extension settings. Some are very intuitive, while the more complex are described below:
- To support a specific YouTube channel, turn on whitelisting. View any video from a YouTube channel, then select the AdBlock icon and choose the "Whitelist" option.
- Select the "I'm an advanced user, show me advanced options" checkbox to view all extension features that are not yet active. For example, the feature to bypass the detection of advertising filters by the Hulu.com site and the ability to synchronize your settings on other computers via Dropbox.
Step 5. Add more filters
If some advertisements are not automatically blocked, it is very likely that you will have to manually update your filters or the list of advertisements that are used by AdBlock to identify the content to be blocked. Select the Adblock icon, then choose "Options". Select the "Filter List" link at the top of the tab that appears. To use and update the recommended filters, press the "update now" button. Otherwise, select one of the filter lists in the "Other Filter Lists" section.
- Additional filters include the "Antisocial" filter list to block social media buttons, popup windows within the page and other unnecessary elements not related to advertising. Read the description associated with the filter list before enabling it, as it may block the display of a tool you use or slow down (slightly) normal browser operation.
- The "Customize" link at the top of the page allows you to customize the filter list, but wait until you have read the instructions for creating a filter that you find in the last section of this guide or in the tutorial. adblock plus (since it uses the same syntax).
Step 6. Enable advertising
Select the Adblock icon and choose the "Pause Adblock" option to temporarily disable the extension. To permanently enable the display of advertisements on a site you usually visit, select the item "Do not enable on this page" (in this case the filter is active on a specific URL) or "Do not activate on the pages of this domain" (in in this case the filter is active on all pages of the site in question).
Method 2 of 3: Use Adblock Plus
Step 1. Install Adblock Plus
To do this, select the following link using the Chrome browser. Then, hit the blue + FREE button.
Adblock Plus accepts payments from companies for displaying discreet advertisements, although you can disable this option. The service, for the rest, is practically identical to that provided by the Adblock extension
Step 2. Configure your settings
The completion of the Adblock Plus installation will be notified by opening a new tab. Scroll through the list that appeared to view other configuration options and enable the following additional protections:
- Malware Blocking. Blocks all domains known as sources of virus and / or malware attacks.
- Delete the Social Media Buttons. Removes from the page all buttons of social networks, such as those of Facebook, Twitter, etc., which are displayed on other websites.
- Turn off tracking. This function blocks the tracking of your navigation by the websites you visit, which is carried out precisely with the aim of offering you advertising targeted to your needs.
Step 3. Review other settings
Select the Adblock Plus icon located at the top right of the Google Chrome window. It features a red hexagon with the letters "ABP" in the center. All the next steps can be completed using this menu.
Step 4. Disable advertising
The first tab displayed in the Adblock Plus options menu is called "Filter Lists" and allows you to choose which list to use to determine the content to be blocked. By default, only the "EasyList" list is used, which should be able to block most advertisements. Here are the additional options that are most commonly used:
- Uncheck "Allow some inappropriate advertisements" to disable the display of small advertisements consisting of text only.
- Select the check button "Enable Adblock Warning Removal List" to prevent the display of banners and messages requesting the deactivation of the Adblock Plus extension.
- Click the "Add Subscription" button. Choose one of the subscriptions in the drop-down menu that appeared, relating to a language other than Italian. Then press the "+ Add" button.
Step 5. Block specific advertisements
If an advertisement passes the Adblock Plus filter, or if the loading of a page element slows down your browsing, you can block specific content by following these steps:
- Select the item in question with the right mouse button, then select the item "Lock Item" from the context menu that appeared. Alternatively, select the Adblock Plus icon at the top right of the page and choose "Block Item", then select the advertisement to block.
- Do not change the syntax of the filter present in the popup window that appears, before having carefully read the instructions in the next section of the guide or the official Adblock Plus tutorial.
- To block the selected advertisement, press the "Add" button or the Enter key on your keyboard. If you make a mistake, press the "Cancel" button or the Esc key.
Method 3 of 3: Write a Custom Filter
Step 1. Install one of the two extensions described in this guide
An advertising filter is nothing more than a URL that the installed extension examines to decide which content to block. Both AdBlock and Adblock Plus allow the user to write their own custom filters to be able to block advertising content that can evade normal filters, or to block content that is not interesting for the user.
The complete tutorial on creating a filter is available at this link, although the instructions below may be easier for a novice user
Step 2. Use a specific address to block a single item
If the content that bothers you is an image, video, or other specific element on the page, all you have to do is associate a URL with it. Select the item in question with the right mouse button, then choose the "Copy Image URL" or "Copy Video URL" option. In the case of other content, you can find out its URL using the "Block ad" command described in the respective section. This command should display a pop-up window where you can select an item and view its web address.
For example, if you want to add the filter https://www.website.com/top-banner/image-of-clowns.jpg, only the image specified in the URL will be blocked. If at a later time the same page contains the image "image-of-puppies.jpg" in place of the previous one, it will be displayed without problems.
Step 3. Use the * symbol to create a generalized filter
Replacing part of a URL with the symbol * (to type it on most English keyboards use the Shift + 8 keys) you will block all elements, of any type, contained in the indicated URL. Here are some examples of the use of this type of filter:
- https://www.website.com/top-banner/* this filter blocks all elements of the site www.website.com stored in its "top banner" folder, trusting to be able to block the display of any element in this portion of the page (note that not all URLs relating to elements of a page web are so obvious and descriptive).
- https://www.website.com/*/image-of-clowns.jpg this filter blocks the image "image-of-clowns.jpg" displayed on all pages of the website www.website.com.
- https://www.website.com/* this filter blocks the display of everything the content of the domain www.website.com. If the website you tried to remove advertising from using a custom filter now only displays a blank page, that means you most likely used a * in the wrong position.
Step 4. Look for delectable content within the address bar
Many URLs include strings of random letters and numbers to identify specific advertisements, their size, and other features. Delete these strings by replacing them with the symbol *.
Step 5. Prevent the filter from blocking useful content
Most often this will be the cause of using a * in the wrong position. If the content you want to view and the ad you block have a very similar URL, you can use one of the following techniques:
- Using the ^ symbol at the end of the filter limits its action range only to addresses ending in that point or followed by a "separator character". For example the filter website.com/ad^ blocks the contents of the URL "website.com/ad/anything-here" or "website.com/ad?=send-malware-yes", but does not block the contents from the URL "website.com/adventures-of- tintin ".
- Add the | symbol (normally located on the key above the Tab key) at the beginning or end of your filter to block only addresses that start or end at the indicated point. For example the filter swf blocks all addresses that contain the string "swf" (all Flash videos, but obviously also a whole series of contents that can be useful). Instead the "| swf" filter only blocks addresses starting with the string "swf" (not a very useful filter). The "swf |" block only addresses ending with the string "swf" (all Flash videos).
Advice
- To activate the extensions also in Incognito mode, access the main Chrome menu, select the item Other tools and then Extensions. Then select the check button "Allow incognito mode" placed under the name of the extension.
- All extensions, within the settings menu, have more configuration options than those described in this guide.
