The two most annoying things you might experience while browsing the web are unwanted pop-ups and redirects. Nowadays, almost all browsers offer built-in support to allow or block pop-ups or redirects, and Firefox is no exception.
Pop-ups are small windows that can appear anytime during your browsing session. Not every pop-up or redirect is annoying, but most are disturbing. Especially when visiting malicious sites, the pop-ups, and redirects are bombarded.
While not every pop-up is terrible, since some banking and merch sites still rely on pop-ups, we should consider whitelisting only authentic sites.
Yesterday, my mother consulted me about the same problem since she was continuously distracted by annoying pop-up windows on the Firefox browser. So I decided to help her block these pop-ups permanently on all websites.
We prevent pop-ups and redirects on any site, and thankfully Firefox has configurable content settings that help us.
Enable Pop-up Blocker
Blocking pop-ups and redirects are enabled by default in most browsers. However, you can double-check the firefox settings or enable it.
Follow these steps to block pop-ups and redirects on Firefox:
- Launch the Mozilla Firefox browser on the computer.
- Click on More
to open the menu list. - Click on the Settings menu from the list.
- Switch to Privacy & Security tab in the left pane.
- Scroll down to the Permissions section.
- Enable the checkbox before Block pop-up windows.
This will help you block the pop-ups and redirects for all the websites. This will enhance your browsing experience.
Disable Pop-up Blocker
If you’re experiencing any website issues, it is best to allow pop-ups and redirects for that specific site. You can also disable the pop-up window blocker altogether, but I vigorously recommend not doing so.
Follow these steps to allow pop-up windows in Firefox:
- Launch the Mozilla Firefox browser on the computer.
- Click on More to open the menu list.
- Click on the Settings menu from the list.
- Switch to Privacy & Security tab in the left pane.
- Scroll to the Permissions section and enable the checkbox before Block pop-up windows.
- Click on the button.
This will open the exceptions window. - Enter the URL Address of the website and hit on the button.
- Finally, click on .
This will block pop-ups and redirects for all the websites except those added to the exceptions list.
You can add any number of websites to the exception list and use the Remove Website button to remove a selected website from the list. Hit on Remove All Websites to clear the exception list and block all pop-ups and redirects on Firefox.
If you want to disable the pop-up window blocker in Firefox altogether, then disable the checkbox that says Block pop-up windows.
Bottom Line: Firefox Pop-ups Blocker
The pop-up window blocker offered by Mozilla Firefox works great, and you no longer have to worry about those annoying pop-up window ads. However, if you see your browser misbehaving after blocking the pop-ups, it is suggested to allow specific sites instead of all.
Some websites, including banking and shopping, use pop-ups to inform users of important announcements. Blocking pop-ups and redirects for all websites will disable such features. So it is better to make exceptions for important websites.
After I thoroughly learned about all the steps, I could educate my mother on the same. Now, she knows how to block pop-ups or redirects for all the websites or a few.
Have you blocked the pop-ups and redirects for all the websites? Did you disable the pop-up window blocker for any sites?