How to Block Pop-Ups in Chrome

Chrome blocks pop-ups by default, but the setting can be switched off by an extension, a shared profile, or a stray click on an Allow prompt. Here is how to check the setting, block pop-ups everywhere, and make an exception for a site that needs them.

Open the pop-up settings

Click the three-dot menu at the top right, then choose Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, Pop-ups and redirects. Or paste this into the address bar and press Enter:

chrome://settings/content/popups

Select the blocking option

Under Default behavior, select Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects. This is Chrome's default and applies to every site that does not have its own exception.

Clear out sites that are allowed to show pop-ups

Scroll to the Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects list. Any site listed there can open pop-ups no matter what the default says. Click the three-dot icon next to a site you do not recognize and choose Remove.

Allow pop-ups for one site you trust

Some banking, school, and printing sites open their content in a pop-up. To allow only that site, click Add next to Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects, type the site's address, and click Add.

You can also do this on the spot. When Chrome blocks a pop-up, an icon with a small red X appears at the right end of the address bar. Click it, select Always allow pop-ups and redirects from followed by the site's address, and click Done. To open the blocked pop-up just once without changing anything, click its link in the same bubble.

If pop-ups keep appearing. A normal website cannot get around this setting. Pop-ups that show up in new windows, on every site, or in the corner of the desktop almost always come from an extension or from malware. Open the three-dot menu, then Extensions, Manage Extensions, and remove anything you did not install on purpose. Then go to Settings, Privacy and security, and run Safety Check, which flags harmful extensions and unsafe settings.

On a phone. The Chrome app blocks pop-ups by default too. On Android, open the three-dot menu, then Settings, Site settings, Pop-ups and redirects. On iPhone, open Settings, Content Settings, and turn on Block Pop-ups.