Allow or Block Popups and Redirects in Edge on the Computer

A bank's sign-in window never opens, or a news site keeps bouncing you to an ad page. Both problems come from the same Edge setting.

Open Pop-ups and redirects under Site permissions, then decide whether to change the rule for every site or just the one you're dealing with.

In this guide, I have covered:

Where to find Edge’s pop-up and redirect settings

A sign-in window fails to open, or a site you barely know keeps bouncing you somewhere else. Both problems sit behind the same permission in Edge, and it takes about six clicks to reach.

The path is Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects.

1. Open Microsoft Edge on your computer.
2. Open the More menu.
3. Select Settings.
4. Select Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar.
5. Select Site permissions.
6. Select Pop-ups and redirects.

That page holds two things: the Blocked (recommended) switch, which sets the rule for every site, and the two lists underneath it that hold your exceptions.

Allow pop-ups and redirects for all websites

A trusted service needs a new window for payment or sign-in, and nothing on the page will work without it. You can drop the block for every site, though that is broader than most people need.

1. Open the Pop-ups and redirects page.
2. Turn off the Blocked (recommended) toggle.

Reload the affected page and repeat the action that failed. If the window opens this time, the permission was the problem.

Blank window or a sign-in that still fails? That usually points at cookies rather than pop-ups. Check how to block or allow browser cookies in Edge on the computer.

TIP: Turn the global switch back on once you’re done. Left off, it gives every site you visit permission to open windows, including sites you have never seen before.

Block pop-ups and redirects for all websites

Pop-ups keep appearing, or a tab jumps to a page you never clicked. Restoring the recommended setting is also the fastest way to undo a global change you made earlier.

1. Open the Pop-ups and redirects page.
2. Turn on the Blocked (recommended) toggle.

Reload the affected page and trigger the pop-up again. If the window stays shut, the block is doing its job. A site on your allow list can still open windows, so glance at that list if something still gets through.

Allow pop-ups and redirects for one website

A bank, a merchant, or a workplace portal needs a pop-up and nothing else does. Add that single site to the allow list and leave the global block on for everyone else.

1. Open the Pop-ups and redirects page.
2. Under Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects, select Add.
3. Enter the site’s domain or full web address.
4. Select Add to save the exception.

Reload the page and try the pop-up once more. The new entry lets that site open windows and redirect you while Blocked (recommended) stays on everywhere else.

Block pop-ups and redirects for one website

One site keeps firing pop-ups or bouncing you to ad pages, and you would rather not touch the global setting. Put that site on the block list instead.

1. Open the Pop-ups and redirects page.
2. Under Not allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects, select Add.
3. Enter the site’s domain or full web address.
4. Select Add to save the entry.

Entries here override the global switch: the site stays blocked even if you later turn Blocked (recommended) off. Remove the entry if the site earns your trust again.

Check a blocked pop-up in Edge

You allowed a site, reloaded, and the window still doesn’t appear. Edge shows a blocked-pop-up indicator in the address bar, and that indicator is quicker than walking the settings path again.

1. Return to the tab where Edge blocked the pop-up.
2. Select the blocked-pop-up indicator in the address bar.
3. Confirm that Pop-ups and redirects is allowed for the current site.
4. Reload the tab.

Still nothing? Pop-ups are usually opened by script, so a JavaScript block can stop the window before the pop-up permission ever matters. See how to block or allow JavaScript in Microsoft Edge on computer.

Working on a phone instead? You can block or allow the pop-up redirects in Edge on Android from the mobile settings.

Keep Edge’s safer default for untrusted sites

Edge blocks pop-ups and redirects by default for a reason: fake ads and phishing pages lean on them. Keep the global switch on and allow individual sites as the need comes up. You get the windows you want without handing the permission to everyone.

Want a site gone completely? That is a different control. Use block a website in Edge on the computer rather than a pop-up exception.

RELATED: Allow or Block Pop-ups and Redirects in Edge on iPhone