How to Block Pop-ups in Google Chrome

There are few things more annoying on the internet than clicking a link and suddenly having three new browser windows pop up on your screen, yelling at you about winning a free iPhone or warning you about a fake virus.

By default, Google Chrome is pretty good at blocking these pop-ups and redirects automatically. However, if a malicious website has managed to trick your browser, or if you accidentally changed a setting, you might need to manually ensure that Chrome’s pop-up blocker is fully engaged.

How to Turn On the Pop-up Blocker

Enabling the pop-up blocker takes just a few clicks in the Chrome settings menu.

1. Open Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
5. Click on Site settings.
6. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click on Pop-ups and redirects.
7. Under the “Default behavior” section, ensure that the bubble next to Don’t allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects is selected.

That is it. Chrome will now aggressively terminate any secondary windows that websites attempt to open without your explicit permission.

How to Allow Pop-ups for Specific Websites

While 99% of pop-ups are annoying advertisements, some legitimate websites still rely on them. For example, your bank might use a pop-up window to display a monthly PDF statement, or a university portal might use one for a login screen.

If Chrome’s blocker is turned on, these legitimate pop-ups will break. You can fix this by adding those specific safe websites to your “Allow” list.

Method 1: The Fast Way (When a pop-up is blocked)
When you are on your bank’s website and Chrome blocks the statement pop-up, look at the far right side of your address bar. You will see a tiny icon that looks like a browser window with a red X.

1. Click that red X icon.
2. Select the option that says Always allow pop-ups and redirects from [website name].
3. Click Done.

Method 2: The Manual Way (Via Settings)

1. Go back to the exact same settings page as before: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects.
2. Scroll down to the Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects section.
3. Click the Add button.
4. Type the web address of the safe site (e.g., citibank.com).
5. Click Add.

Chrome will now block pop-ups everywhere on the internet, except on the specific websites you trust.