6 Easy Ways to Close Internet Pop-ups

Getting pop-up ads while browsing the internet can be incredibly annoying. Luckily, you can usually close pop-up ads pretty easily. Most modern web browsers have the capability to block pop-up ads built in. If pop-up ads are being persistent or stubborn, there are a few other steps you can take. This wikiHow article teaches you how to close and prevent pop-up ads on the internet.

Easy Ways to Close a Pop-Up

Click the "X" at the top-right corner of the pop-up. If you don't see one, look for a button that says “close,” “no thanks,” “dismiss,” “leave the page,” or similar.
Close the whole browser tab or window if the pop-up won't go away.
Turn on your web browser's pop-up blocker to prevent excessive pop-up ads.

Section 1 of 6:

Finding the Close Button

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1
Look for a small “X” at the top corner of the pop-up. Some pop-up ads do a good job of hiding close buttons and links in busy images, so you may not notice it at first.
- It may be more difficult to find a close button on devices with smaller screens.
- If you see a message that says “Don’t show more alerts for this webpage” (or something similar), place a check into the box provided. This should stop pop-ups from recurring.^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
2
Try clicking a link or button that says “close,” “no thanks,” “dismiss,” or “leave page.” If you didn’t see an “X” to close the pop-up, there may be a link like this elsewhere on the pop-up.
- Try not to click anywhere else on the pop-up. Clicking through a pop-up ad could bring you to an unsafe website.
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If an image on a pop-up doesn’t load, your browser may display a small placeholder square where the image would be. Try clicking that box to close the window.

Section 2 of 6:

Closing the Browser Tab

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You can see all your tabs at the top of your browser. This should close the tab and any pop-ups that came from it.
2
Swipe the tab away on mobile. If you’re using Android or iOS and can’t find a close button, you’ll need to close the browser tab or window that launched the pop-up. Closing a single tab should not affect other open tabs in your browser.
- iPhone/iPad: Tap the tab icon at the bottom right corner of Safari. When the tabs appear, swipe the one that contains the popup ad to the left.
- Android: Press the square button at the bottom right corner of the screen, then swipe the tab containing the ad to the left or right.
This is the keyboard shortcut to close a browser tab. This works in Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and most other browsers.^{[2]
X
Research source} This keyboard shortcut should close the tab that’s currently active on your computer.

Section 3 of 6:

Force-Closing Your Browser

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If a pop-up doesn't have a "Close" button and doesn't let you close the tab, you may need to close the entire web browser. Both Windows and Mac have a button you can click to exit out of an application. On Windows, it's the "X" button in the upper-right corner. On Mac, it's the red button with the "X" button in the upper-left corner.
This is the keyboard shortcut to close your entire web browser on Windows and Mac. This works with Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Opera.
3
Force-close the web browser. If you’ve been unable to close the tab, you’ll need to close the whole web browser. You will lose anything you were working on in other tabs, so only do this step if nothing else has helped.
- Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and select Task Manager. Select your web browser and click End Task.
- Mac: Press Command + Option + Esc, select your web browser, and click Force Quit. ^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
- Android: Tap the button with three lines at the bottom of the screen. Swipe left and right to scroll through your open apps until you locate your web browser, then swipe it off the screen.
- iPhone: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Scroll left and right until you find your web browser, then swipe up to close it.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

Section 4 of 6:

How to Block Pop-ups on Your Computer

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Turn on the pop-up blocker in Google Chrome. Google Chrome has a built-in pop-up blocker.
- Click the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner.
- Click Settings.
- Click Privacy & security in the menu to the left.
- Click Site settings.
- Click Pop-ups and redirects.
- Click the radio option next to "Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects."
2
Turn on the pop-up block on Safari for Mac.
- Click Safari in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Settings.
- Click the Website tab.
- Select Block or Block & notify next to "When visiting other websites."
- Select Block or Block & notify next to all websites listed in the window.
3
Turn on the pop-up block in Microsoft Edge. Use the following steps to enable the pop-up blocker in Microsoft Edge:
- Click the icon with three dots (⋯) in the upper-right corner.
- Click Settings.
- Click Cookies and site permissions.
- Click Pop-ups and redirects.
- Ensure the toggle switch next to "Blocked" is on.
4
Turn on the pop-up block for Firefox.
- Click the icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-right corner.
- Click Settings.
- Click Privacy & Security in the menu to the left.
- Scroll down and click the checkbox next to "Block Pop-up Windows" below "Permissions."
5
Turn on the pop-up blocker in Opera.
- Open Opera.
- Click the "Easy Setup" icon which resembles 3 tuner bars in the upper-right corner.
- Scroll down and click Go to full web browser settings.
- Click Privacy & security in the menu to the left.
- Click Site settings.
- Click Pop-ups and redirects.
- Click the radio option next to "Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects."

Section 5 of 6:

How to Block Pop-ups on Mobile

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1
Turn on the pop-up blocker on Google Chrome for Android.
- Tap the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Site Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Pop-ups and redirects.
- Ensure the toggle switch next to "Pop-ups and redirects" is turned off.
2
Turn on the pop-up block on Google Chrome for iPhone and iPad.
- Tap the icon with three dots (⋯) in the upper-right corner.
- Scroll right and tap Settings.
- Tap Content Settings.
- Tap Block Pop-ups.
- Ensure the toggle switch is turned on.
3
Turn on the pop-up blocker for Safari on iPhone and iPad.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Safari.
- Ensure the toggle switch next to "Block pop-ups" is on.
4
Turn on the pop-up blocker on Firefox for Android. Use the following steps to enable the pop-up blocker on Firefox for Android:
- Tap icon with three dots (⋮) in the lower-right corner.
- Tap Enhanced Tracking Protection.
- Ensure the toggle switch next to "Enhanced Tracking Protection" is turned on.
- Set Enhanced Tracking Protection to "Strict."
5
Turn on the pop-up blocker on Firefox for iPhone and iPad.
- Open Firefox.
- Tap the icon with three lines (☰).
- Tap Settings.
- Ensure the toggle switch next to "Block Pop-up Windows" is on.

Section 6 of 6:

Troubleshooting

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Restart your device if it's frozen. If you are unable to close a pop-up ad or close your web browser, your computer or mobile device may be frozen.
- Windows: Press and hold the Power button on your computer until your computer shuts off, then turn it back on.
- Mac: Press and hold Control + Command + Power until your Mac shuts off, then turn it back on.
- Android: Press and hold the Power + Volume Down until your device restarts.
- iPhone: Press the Volume Up button, then the Volume Down button, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
If pop-up ads are becoming a problem on your device, it's possible you may have downloaded some malware or adware. Download a reputable antivirus program on your device and scan for viruses and malware.
If your web browser's built-in pop-up blocker isn't doing a good job of blocking pop-ups, you can download a third-party pop-up blocker and an ad blocker. You can download them as a web browser extension on your desktop web browser or as a standalone app from the digital store on your device. Some examples include AdBlock Plus and uBlock.

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How can I close a pop-up on my Kindle Fire HD without an "X" to close it?

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Close the tab or press "back" until you return to the page you were before the pop-up showed.

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On Firefox there is a pop-up that does not close even using all of these tips. It does not close even when I restart my computer and enter the browser. Can you help?

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Open Task Manager by holding Ctrl + Shift + Esc, and right-click on Firefox and stop the process. Open Firefox again and navigate to Settings, and under Content Settings, clear website cache, history, etc. Then restart your PC.

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How do I close my unnecessary tabs?

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There is an X on each tab you can click on to close it. If you have too many tabs open, you may not be able to see the X until you click on the tab to activate it.

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Tips

If you accidentally click a pop-up ad, close the site and the popup immediately.

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Do not click links that lead to unknown websites.

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Try your best not to click on pop-up ads. They may link to malware sites or survey scams.

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