How to Disable the Windows Pop-Up Blocker

Built-in pop-up blockers may interfere with Internet browsing.

Pop-up blockers generally are seen as being useful, as they prohibit unwanted advertisements from appearing on your computer screen. Pop-up blockers sometimes can be a nuisance, especially when they block pages the user wishes to view. Disable the built-in Windows pop-up blocker in a few steps to allow those Web pages that were previously blocked to be viewed.

Things You'll Need

• Internet Explorer

Instructions

1. Launch Internet Explorer. Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop or locate the program under the "Start" menu.

2. Click on "Tools" and select "Options" on the Internet Explorer toolbar.

3. Click on the "Privacy" tab. Uncheck the box that enables the pop-up blocker. Depending on the version on Internet Explorer, you may need to click on the "Content" tab instead of "Privacy" to access this setting.

4. Click "OK."

Tips & Warnings

• The steps will be different if you are running a computer utilizing Windows XP Service Pack 2. After initiating Internet Explorer, click on "Tools" and hover your mouse over "Pop-up blocker." Click on "Turn off pop-up blocker." This will disable the pop-up blocker.

References

• Yeshiva University: How to Disable Common Pop-up Blockers
• University of Texas: Disabling the Windows Pop-up Blocker
• Microsoft: Block Pop-up Windows with Internet Explorer
• University of Saint Augustine: How to disable popup-blockers.