Online Ad Blocking Guides — Block Annoying Ads Fast
Sick of popups, autoplay video, and banner ads when you just want to read? This page gives quick steps to block ads on desktop and mobile, plus one trick for the Times of India e-paper.
Quick fixes
First quick fix: use a good ad blocker. Install uBlock Origin on Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. It's free and blocks most ads out of the box. After installing, refresh the page and see if the problem is gone.
If ads still show on a specific site like the Times of India e-paper, try the element picker. Open uBlock, choose the element picker tool, click the irritating ad on the page, and create the rule. That blocks that exact element without breaking the rest of the site.
Some sites detect ad blockers and refuse to load. Two easy options: temporarily whitelist the site so it works, or use a reader mode to extract just the article text. Reader mode is built into most browsers and works great for long reads.
Advanced options
Mobile users: use browsers that support extensions, like Firefox for Android, and add uBlock Origin. On phones that don't allow extensions, try a system-level blocker like the AdGuard app or set a private DNS to an ad-blocking DNS. Both reduce ads across apps and browsers.
Want something more advanced? Try DNS or network-level blocking. Pi-hole and AdGuard Home run on a small device at home and stop ads for every device on your network. You can also add custom hosts file entries on your computer to block ad domains.
Custom filters are powerful. In uBlock you can add site-specific rules. For example, if an e-paper uses an iframe or a specific div class for ads, creating a cosmetic filter targeting that selector removes it. Use the element picker to get the selector and paste it into the 'My filters' tab.
If an ad delivers harmful scripts, enable script blocking while troubleshooting. Tools like uMatrix or the advanced mode in uBlock allow script control. But be careful—blocking scripts can break site features like navigation or paywalls.
One last tip: support sites you like. Ad blockers are great, but creators need revenue. If a site you trust offers an affordable subscription or a clean paid e-paper option, consider subscribing. When you must block, whitelist favorites to keep them running.
Try these steps and test the Times of India e-paper: install uBlock, use element picker on the troublesome banner, and if needed use reader mode. If you want more help, tell me what browser and device you use and I'll give specific, step-by-step rules.
Specific Times of India e-paper tip: sometimes ads load inside an iframe named 'epaper_ads' or use classes like 'advert' or 'promo'. Use the element picker to find the iframe or div, then create a cosmetic filter such as domain##iframe[name='epaper_ads'] or domain##.advert. If an ad keeps reappearing, add the rule to your global filters and reload. Tell me your browser and I'll craft exact rule.
