Stop pop-up adverts using blocking tools

Firefox tools
Firefox includes a tool to block pop-up adverts. To switch it on or off, click Tools, then Options, then Content and you will see a tick box. Unlike Internet Explorer there is no way to adjust how effective it is.

For a thorough way to block pop-ups, Flash and in-text adverts, install the free Noscript add-on. Noscript uses a belt-and-braces approach to disable adverts by stopping all Flash and Javascript, so it can affect other web pages.

If a website does not work properly after Noscript is installed, click on the S! icon at the bottom-right of the Firefox browser window and select Allow all this page.

Simple image adverts are not blocked by Noscript. These are easy to ignore when surfing, but if you really want to remove them all you will need another add-on.

Adblock Plus claims to eliminate 99 per cent of adverts and worked well in our tests.

After installing the add-on you will need to select a free filtering service that supplies a list of known advertising tools and websites to block. The US-hosted service is the best match for UK surfers.

No advert blocker is 100 per cent accurate. Some non-advertisement pictures may be eliminated and some adverts could make their way through.

Adblock Plus adds a button, labelled ‘block’, to the browser ­ click this and it will hide additional items it may be unsure about.

Opera tools
If Firefox and Internet Explorer are not efficient at filtering adverts, then the free Opera browser is a good alternative.

Opera has a simple ad blocker included as standard. To use it right-click an empty spot on the page, choose Block content, then click on the adverts to block. Select Done and the adverts won’t appear on that web page again.

To remove in-text advertising you will have to disable Javascript: hit F12 and untick Enable Javascript. As with other browsers, you will have to re-enable this if websites don’t display properly.

After blocking adverts you should benefit from fewer distractions and a more responsive web browser.

If the steps above have not reduced the number of adverts on show, then scan your computer for spyware and viruses, as some pop-ups can be caused by malicious software.

The downside of blocking adverts
Blocking adverts can be useful, but there can be downsides. Adverts fund many free websites, so if a lot of people block them you might find sites start charging a subscription fee.

Website layouts can become ugly when adverts are blocked and it is also possible that other content will be filtered out by mistake.

Some techniques to block adverts, including Noscript, will also break legitimate websites such as the BBC iPlayer unless disabled.

Perhaps the best practice is to block adverts that obstruct surfing, such as pop-ups and Flash adverts, and ignore the rest – who knows, you could see something you decide to buy.