For Windows web browsers, how do I enable or disable pop-ups?

On this page:

• Internet Explorer 7.0
• Internet Explorer 6.0
• Allowing pop-ups for a specific site in Firefox 2.x
• Firefox 1.5.0.2 and later
• Firefox 1.5
• Netscape 8.1
• Netscape 8.0

Internet Explorer 7.0

1. At the upper right, click Tools. From the menu that appears, select Pop-up Blocker.
   
   
2. Click to select either Turn Off Pop-up Blocker or Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

Note: If you have the toolbar enabled, you can access these options through the Tools menu as described below for Internet Explorer 6.0.

By default, Internet Explorer displays pop-ups that appear as a result of clicking a link or button. Pop-up Blocker blocks pop-ups that are displayed automatically (without you clicking a link or button). To allow a specific website to display automatic pop-ups:

1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, select Pop-up Blocker, and then click Pop-up Blocker Settings.
   
   
2. In the "Address of website to allow" box, type the address (or URL) of the website you want to see pop-ups from, and then click Add.
   
   
3. Repeat step 2 for every website you want to allow pop-ups from. When you are finished adding websites, click Close.

Internet Explorer 6.0

1. From the Tools menu, select Pop-up Blocker.
   
   
2. Click to select either Turn Off Pop-up Blocker or Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

Allowing pop-ups for a specific site in Firefox 2.x

When blocking a pop-up, Firefox displays an information bar, as well as an icon in the status bar. When you click either the Options button in the information bar or the icon in the status bar, a menu is displayed with the following choices:

• Allow/Block popups for this site
• Edit Popup Blocker Options
• Don't show this message (info message) when popups are blocked
• (show a blocked pop-up)

If you select Edit Popup Blocker Options, you can then click Exceptions next to "Block pop-up windows" and enter the URLs for any sites you wish to allow to display pop-ups.

Firefox 1.5.0.2 and later

1. From the Tools menu, select Options... .
   
   
2. Click Content (a globe icon at the top of the Options window).
   
   
3. Check or uncheck Block Popup Windows.

Firefox 1.5

1. From the Tools menu, select Options... .
   
   
2. Check or uncheck Block Popup Windows.

Netscape 8.1

One web site at a time

1. From the Tools menu, select Security Center. The Security Center window will open in the lower right corner. Click Popup Blocking to expand the menu.
   
   
2. Click the arrow to the right of For this Site. The Site Controls for ... window will open, where ... is the URL for the site you're viewing.
   
   
3. Ignore the settings on the Trust Settings tab; click the Advanced tab instead. Check or uncheck Allow unrequested pop-up windows.

   If you choose to allow pop-ups, check or uncheck Open requested pop-ups in new tab, depending on whether you want pop-ups to open in a new browser window or a tab within the current one.

Globally, for all web sites

Note: While this approach allows more flexibility in defining when pop-ups are allowed, configuring the browser is more difficult.

1. Make sure you're on a blank page, and not at a web site. The easiest way to do this is to temporarily set a blank home page, and then close and relaunch the browser. For instructions, see How do I change the home page for my web browser? If you don't start from a blank page, the following steps will configure pop-up settings only for the web site you're on.
   
   
2. From the Tools menu, select Security Center. The Security Center window will open in the bottom right corner. Click Popup Blocking to expand the menu.
   
   
3. Click the arrow to the right of Master Settings.
   
   
4. Under Master Settings, on the left, follow these steps to define what Netscape should do when a site is trustworthy:
   
   
   1. Select I Trust This Site.
   2. On the right, under "Web Features", check or uncheck Allow unrequested pop-up windows depending on your preference.
   3. If you do allow pop-ups, choose whether to open them in a new browser window or a new tab within the current window by checking or unchecking Open requested pop-ups in new tab.
   
   
5. Repeat step 4 for the settings I'm Not Sure and I Don't Trust This Site. Normally, you should be more restrictive for web sites you're not sure about trusting, and the most restrictive for web sites you know you do not trust.
   
   
6. Now that you have defined actions based on trustworthiness, you can define actions based on domain. (For example, you can choose to trust every iu.edu web site, e.g., webmail.iu.edu, oncourse.iu.edu, onestart.iu.edu.) It is not absolutely necessary to do this, but it is a good idea. You can skip to the next step if you prefer.

   To add a domain, follow these steps:

   1. Click the Add Site button to open the Add Site Settings window.
   2. In the "Domain" field, enter the domain you wish to add. For example, to include every iu.edu web site, enter iu.edu .
   3. To select the category you want to assign to the web site, use the Initial Trust Setting drop-down menu. For example, if you want to trust the iu.edu domain you defined, select I Trust This Site. If you are uncertain, or if you distrust the domain, select I'm Not Sure or I Don't Trust This Site.
   
   
7. Select the Global Settings tab. Make sure Use Netscape Trust Ratings for Site Controls is selected, and under that, select Automatically configure my Trust Setting according to Trust Ratings.
   
   
8. Under "Global Site Options", check or uncheck the following boxes to enable or disable the function:
   
   
   • Show number of Blocked Pop-ups in Toolbar Button
   • Play a Sound when a Pop-up is Blocked
   • Display Current Rendering Engine icon in the Status Bar
   
   
9. Click OK.

Netscape 8.0

1. From the Tools menu, select Options... .
   
   
2. Click Site Controls. Under "Web Features", select your desired pop-up options.

Also see:

• At IU, why am I having trouble accessing some services, and what can I do about it?
• About automatic download blocking in Internet Explorer