Popup Blocker (strict) A reliable restrict popup blocking add-on with history
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The "Popup Blocker (strict)" extension provides a reliable popup blocker for your browser. Whenever a website attempts to open a popup, it will be automatically blocked, while a notification containing the popup's link will appear in the upper right corner of the browser window. The primary purpose of this extension is to prevent the opening of new tabs or windows, rather than blocking floating in-page popups. Adblock extensions are more effective at blocking such floating popups. You have the option to either allow or decline the popup request. The popup will be displayed as usual if you choose to allow it.

Features

FAQs

  1. What is "Popup Blocker (strict)" extension and how does it work?

    The "Popup Blocker (strict)" extension is a robust popup-blocking extension compatible with Chrome, Edge, Opera, and Firefox web browsers. It effectively prevents various forms of external window openings, ensuring your uninterrupted browsing experience. When a window opening is triggered, the extension displays a desktop notification, which remains visible for 30 seconds (customizable option). During this time, you can preview the link and make an informed decision to either grant or decline the request. If you choose to accept the request, the popup window from the webpage will proceed as intended.

  2. What is the meaning of the colors used on the action button?

    The "red" color indicates that the blocker is inactive, while the "blue" color signifies the protection is on. The background window represents the overall or global state, while the foreground window represents the state specific to the current window.

    • state 1 blocker is globally enabled, and protects this tab
    • state 2 blocker is globally enabled, but does not protect this tab
    • state 3 blocker is globally disabled, and does not protect this tab
    • state 4 blocker is globally disabled, but protects this tab

  3. What happens if more than one popup is requested to be displayed by the current window?

    The Popup Blocker (strict) extension will show a list of all the requests. If a particular URL is requested multiple times, a badge number appears in the notification box. By default, each notification remains visible for 30 seconds, providing you with the opportunity to either approve or decline the popup requests.

  4. Can I modify the notification timeout duration?

    Yes, you can change the notification timeout period. If the default 30-second timeout doesn't suit your preferences, navigate to the extension's options page and adjust the duration. Please be aware that the time unit used is seconds.

  5. What's new in this version?

    Please check the Logs section.

  6. Can I adjust the maximum number of notifications shown for a single webpage?

    The "Popup Blocker (strict)" extension exclusively exhibits the most recent five distinct popup requests made by each webpage. If you require the extension to showcase additional notifications, access the options page and modify the number accordingly.

  7. Where can I test the effectiveness of this tool?

    You can evaluate the efficiency of this tool by visiting the webbrowsertools.com/popup-blocker page and conducting various tests. If you happen to identify any additional tests that are not covered on this page, please don't hesitate to reach out to me, and I will include the new test. You are also encouraged to contribute by submitting a pull request to the test page repository.

  8. Why is the popup blocker not working in my Chrome browser while I'm in incognito mode (private mode)?

    In Chromium-based browsers, you must manually enable an extension to permit it to operate within incognito tabs or windows. To do so, navigate to "chrome://extensions/" and ensure that "Allow in incognito" is selected for this specific extension.

  9. What does the "redirect" button in the popup notification box mean? Can you explain its purpose?

    The "redirect" button serves a specific purpose when certain websites open links in new tabs. This functionality is handy to examine the new page without switching to a new tab or window. By clicking the "redirect" button, you override the default behavior of opening the page in a new tab and instead load the linked page within the current tab, effectively redirecting the current tab to the new destination indicated by the link. It's advisable to use this option only when you are sure you no longer need the current page. Additionally, even after redirection, you can always use your browser's back button to return to the original page if necessary.

  10. What is the purpose of the "background" button found in the popup notification box?

    The "background" button opens popup requests in tabs that operate in the background, positioned next to the current tab. For example, when you're engaged in reading an article, and a website prompts a new popup request, you can use this option to have the request open in a background tab. This helps minimize distractions and allows you to continue focusing on your current task without interruption.

  11. How can I stop my browser's internal popup blocker from obstructing popups that are permitted by this extension?

    The extension presents up to four buttons within the popup notification box. The "allow" option resumes the popup request, but there is still a possibility that your browser's internal popup blocker interfere with it. In contrast, the "redirect" and "background" options are managed exclusively by the extension, eliminating any concerns about internal popup blockage. It is advisable to use these two options whenever they are applicable to ensure a seamless experience without interference from your browser's built-in popup blocker.

  12. What do the "Please Wait..." notifications mean when this extension is active (on certain pages after the popup is blocked)?

    These notifications originate from some advertising scripts attempting various methods to display their popups. For example, they may use the internal PDF viewer to open links, and it's even possible for them to trigger alert messages within these PDF documents.

    Typically, you wouldn't encounter these alerts when the initial popup request is executed successfully. There's no need for these scripts to resort to alternative methods. However, with this popup blocker in place, since the popup is already blocked, these scripts may turn to methods like the PDF approach, leading to these notifications.

    A straightforward way to prevent these notifications is by disabling Chrome's PDF viewer entirely. You can achieve this by navigating to chrome://plugins/ in a browser tab. It's important to note that disabling this plugin will result in no embedded PDFs being rendered by your browser.

  13. How can I stop certain websites from redirecting to ad pages when popup openings fail?

    A new feature has been introduced to prevent page redirection for a brief period of 2 seconds when a popup request is made (starting from version 0.2.7). Essentially, the extension installs an unbeforeunload listener for this short duration, which effectively halts any page redirections during this time without requiring user consent.

    It's important to be aware that your browser will display a warning alert stating "Changes you made may not be saved." This message cannot be modified for security reasons. Due to this potentially confusing alert message, this option is not enabled by default.

  14. In case, a website overlays an invisible div across the entire page causing notification buttons like "Allow" or "Deny" to be inaccessible, how can I take action?

    Two new buttons have been introduced in the popup interface of the action button (starting from version 0.3.0). You can now allow or deny the most recent action directly from this interface, even when the notification buttons are obscured or inaccessible due to an invisible overlay div on the page.

  15. Is there a method to prevent the popup notification from appearing at all?

    A new feature has been introduced in the extension's options page (starting from version 0.3.0), allowing you to execute the predefined action without displaying the notification popup. While it is not recommended, you do have the option to activate it.

    When this option is active, the default action will be executed without showing the notification box for popups containing valid destination links (links with HTTP or HTTPS schemes). Consequently, for each new popup domain, you will receive the notification only once, and for all subsequent requests, the action that has been previously recorded will be carried out without displaying the notification.

  16. Could you explain the recently added feature "Use Shadow" placed in the popup interface of the action button?

    The "Open shadow window on popup request" feature, introduced in version 0.3.3, addresses two common challenges related to popup requests.

    Firstly, when a webpage requests a popup, this extension returns a standard JavaScript object instead of the actual window object. It then records all the actions invoked within this returned object. Some malicious scripts validate the returned window object and, if it's not an authentic window, they repeatedly request new popups, causing an unending loop. This loop prevents users from accessing the webpage content until a popup is displayed. To combat this issue, version 0.3.3 includes this new feature. It allows you to return an actual window object when a script refuses to release the loop. However, this action is not recommended in general.

    Secondly, there's a common tactic used to restrict users from accessing input elements like text areas. This involves injecting invisible elements on top of these input elements. When users attempt to click on the input, the invisible element intercepts the click. By enabling this option, the extension bypasses these invisible elements, ensuring users can interact with input elements without disruption.

  17. Is it possible to configure the extension to block popups without any notifications?

    While it's generally not advisable, it is possible to configure the extension to block popups without displaying any notifications. However, please be aware that doing so means there will be no visible indications on the webpage when a user's click triggers a popup. If you are certain about this, you can achieve it by configuring two preferences:

    1. Set "Default action when a popup is requested" to "deny request."
    2. Enable the "Ignore popup notification when possible (not recommended)" option.

    Remember to save your preferences. With these settings, the only visual notification you will receive is the badge number on the browser action.

  18. Could you clarify the purpose of the "Do not block any popup on these pages" section found on the options page (version 0.8.0)?

    The "Do not block any popup on these pages" list comprises domains for which the popup blocker is deactivated. Essentially, any hostname within this list is permitted to generate popups on the associated pages. It's important to note that not only the specified domain but also all of its subdomains are taken into account when determining which popups to block or allow.

  19. What is the meaning of the "Do not block popups from these origins" list on the options page (version 0.8.0)?

    This list includes the list of hostnames that can issue popups on any webpage. If you trust a hostname, include it in this list to make sure the popups are not being interrupted.

  20. What is the meaning of the "Do not block these protocols" list on the options page (version 0.8.0)?

    By default, the extension blocks any URL. If there are some protocols that you trust and would like the extension to ignore, add them to this list. For instance, add 'magnet:' to allow torrent links to be opened in a browser tab.

  21. Is it possible to only allow the extension to work on selected pages? I don't need the extension to block popups on all websites.

    If you are on a Chromium browser, right-click on the action button and limit the access to particular websites from the built-in "This can read and change site data" context menu item.

  22. Some websites issue too many spam popups. I don't want to see the popup notification for these websites. Is it possible?

    You can use the "Mute notifications on these hostnames" on the options page to include the hostnames. When a hostname is listed, the extension silently blocks all popups. Use this option with caution since there is no visual indication that a popup is blocked, and you might think something is broken.

  23. What is the meaning of the "Allow page redirection to the following origins" list on the options page (version 0.8.0)?

    The extension prevents page redirection when the "Prevent page redirection for 2 seconds after a popup is requested" option is checked. This list contains the destination hostnames that you would like the extension to ignore (not block) when page redirection is requested.

  24. Can I request this extension to immediately respond to specific popups with predefined actions?

    Starting from version 0.8.2, there's a newly added section on the options page that allows users to define rules. If a rule key matches a popup request, the extension will carry out the specified action. The rule key can take the form of URLPattern (must start with p:), RegExp (must start with r:), or an exact URL. The currently supported actions for these keys are allow, deny, background, redirect, and close. Here are some examples:

    To close a popup referring to "https://example.com/test/2" using exact match method use:

    {
      "https://example.com/test/2": "close"
    }

    In this example, we are going to use the URLPattern matching to open popups in the background tab if they are in the "https://example.com/test/[number]" format:

    {
      "p:/test/:page(\d+)": "background"
    }

    If you want to explicitly define the base URL, append "|||" and then the base URL:

    {
      "p:/test/:page(\d+)|||https://example.com": "background"
    }

    Perform the same matching with a regular expression rule:

    {
      "r:/test/\\d+": "background"
    }

    Starting from version 0.8.3, you can now use the letter o to match against the page URL instead of the destination popup URL. This means that you can use rules like or: or ro: to match the page address using regular expressions. Additionally, rules like po: and op: can be used to match the page address with URL pattern matching.

    To redirect startpage.com to the destination address, use (startpage opens links in new tab by default):

    {
      "ro:startpage\\.com\\/": "redirect"
    }

    The extension applies these rules exclusively when a popup possesses a valid URL. If the popup uses "about:blank," the rules are disregarded. Additionally, these rules act only if there isn't a similar popup already visible (in this case, the extension updates the badge to signal a new popup request). Also, note that you need to refresh the current page if you want to try new rules.

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What's new in this version

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    Editorial Review

    When browsing the web, different unwanted popups coming on the screens can become very annoying. Not only they makes the user frustrated but also slows down the internet speed. This problem is causing a lot of problems to people around the world but thanks to Popup Blocker (strict), users can enjoy fast paced browsing without seeing annoying and unwanted popups.

    Popup Blocker (strict) is a lite WebExtension to prevent websites from opening popup windows and show unwanted links to different websites. This add-on suspends all types of window opening requests for user attention. You can either deny or accept a request. Multiple unique requests are shown in an array. If a websites requests a single URL more than once, a badge number will be shown indicating the total number of requests to this particular URL signifying you about the number of times the same URL is requesting to open in a popup window.

    Popup Blocker (strict) is becoming a preferred choice for blocking popups in Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Some features of this add-on are:

    Browsing hassle free and smoothly was never this easy. Popup Blocker (strict) is an absolutely amazing solution for unwanted popup blocking and the results are wonderful so far. Firefox have some other add-ons of the same nature but most of them are not as accurate and efficient as the Popup Blocker (strict). If you want to get rid of annoying popup windows, Popup Blocker (strict) is for you to strictly deal with the ads. One best thing about this add-on is: This add-on doesn't even let popups to create a new tab / window, instead it just notifies you that it has silently blocked (paused) them for your attention.

    Permissions are explained

    PermissionDescription
    storageTo store extension preferences such as custom black- and white-lists
    tabsTo open links in background tabs or to refresh the current tab with the requested popup URL
    <all_urls>To access to the URL of browser tabs for all hostnames
    contextMenusTo add right-click context-menu items over the toolbar button

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