Popups not blocked

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Mozilla browsers will block most pop-up and pop-under ads (this article treats these as the same thing) by default. If you are getting unwanted popups, try the following suggestions.

First steps

Your first step should be to make sure that the internal popup blocker is enabled in your browser and that you haven't "whitelisted" the sites that are giving you popups:

  • Firefox: "Tools -> Options -> Content (Web Features in Firefox 1.0.x)". Make sure the box "Block Popup Windows" is checkmarked. Click the "Allowed Sites" button to review the sites where popups are allowed and remove unwanted sites from the list.
  • Mozilla Suite and SeaMonkey: "Edit -> Preferences -> Privacy and Security -> Popup Windows". Make sure "Block unrequested popup windows" is checked. Review the "Allowed Sites" list as above.

JavaScript

Some popup windows opened through JavaScript are beyond the realm of the internal blocker [1] (at least for now). These can be blocked using the Popup Blocker Settings extension. (The "Block all" setting will block legitimate and unwanted pop-ups alike. You can allow sites to show pop-ups by entering them in "Allowed Sites".)

Alternatively, you can use the NoScript extension to allow only certain sites to use JavaScript, or the Adblock extension with filters applied.

Of course, you could disable JavaScript completely within the browser, but this will prevent many sites from functioning correctly.

Popups generated by other software

Sometimes other software that has nothing directly to do with Mozilla browsers can cause windows to pop up. Sources of such non-browser popups include the following:

Spyware (on Windows)

Pop-up ads may be caused by "spyware", a collective term for a type of malicious software that gathers information about the user. Spyware mainly affects Windows users and can be installed without your knowledge. Some recommended free spyware detectors and cleaners include:

Windows Messenger Service

In their initial state, Windows NT, 2000 and XP SP1 allow anyone on the Internet to initiate popup messages on your screen via the built-in Windows Messenger Service. The title of these popups is always "Messenger Service". It is recommended that you disable this service. (This service is disabled by default in Windows XP SP2.)

Firefox 1.0.x and Mozilla Suite considerations

Popups from plugins

Firefox 1.5 and SeaMonkey block popups from plugins (such as Flash) by default. You can enable this "hidden preference" to disable popups from plugins in Firefox 1.0.x and Mozilla Suite, as follows:

  • Type about:config in the address bar, press Enter.
  • Right-click anywhere, select New -> Integer, then enter the following information:
    • Preference name: privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins
    • Value: 2

See the article privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins for additional information.

Error alert popups

It is possible to block "error alert popups" (such as "The operation timed out..." and "The document contains no data") in Firefox 1.0.x or Mozilla Suite, and replace them with error pages. To do this you should set the preference browser.xul.error_pages.enabled to true. (This is the default setting in Firefox 1.5 and SeaMonkey.)

Test your blocker (all systems)

http://www.popuptest.com/

Related preferences