Block Pop-up Windows with Internet Explorer

Many legitimate advertisers on the Internet use windows that pop up in the middle of your screen to display a message. They might also open when you click a link or button on a Web site, and they might open either over or under the window you wish to view. Some pop-ups are helpful. For example, if you click an image to see a larger version, it might open in a pop-up window. Unfortunately, some pop-up windows can contain inappropriate content or can be a way for you to accidentally download dangerous software (called spyware or adware) onto your computer.

With Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Internet Explorer allows you to prevent most pop-up windows from appearing over pages you want to view while you're using the Internet.

Using Pop-up Blocker

When you install SP2, Pop-up Blocker is turned on in Internet Explorer and set to the medium setting, which means it will block most automatic pop-ups. The default settings for the pop-up blocker allow you to see pop-ups that are opened when you click a link or button on a Web site. Pop-up Blocker will also play a sound and show the Information Bar when a pop-up is blocked. You can adjust these settings so that Pop-up Blocker works the way you want it to.

To change Pop-up Blocker settings

1.	Open Internet Explorer.
2.	On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Pop-up Blocker Settings.

If you want to see pop-up windows from a specific Web site, type the address (or URL) of the site in the Address of Web site to allow box, and then click Add.

Tip To temporarily allow a site to display pop-ups, click the Information Bar when it notifies you that a pop-up has been blocked. Then click Temporarily Allow Pop-ups.

To block pop-ups even if they are launched when you click a link or button on a Web site

1.	Open Internet Explorer.
2.	On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Pop-up Blocker Settings.
3.	Select the High setting in the box near the bottom of the dialog box.

Note If you want to see pop-ups that are blocked when you have this setting turned on, hold down the CTRL key while the window opens.

Troubleshooting Pop-Up Blocker

If you've installed SP2 and you still see pop-ups in Internet Explorer, try the possible solutions below.

•	Make sure Pop-up Blocker is turned on: Pop-up Blocker is turned on by default, but someone may have turned it off.

To turn on Pop-up Blocker

1.	On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker.
2.	Click Turn on Pop-up Blocker.

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Rid your system of spyware: If you get similar pop-up windows no matter what sites you visit or even if you're not on the Web at all, you could have spyware, adware, or other software on your computer that's launching pop-ups. To stop these pop-ups, you will have to identify the software, then remove it or change its settings to stop it from launching pop-ups. To learn more about this read How to Protect Your Computer from Spyware and Adware.

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Some windows are not blocked: Pop-up Blocker is smart enough to not block pop-up windows that you open deliberately by clicking a link—for example, if you were on a travel reservation site and you clicked a link to open a pop-up window containing your confirmation details, this pop-up window would not be blocked because you opened it intentionally. Also, Pop-up Blocker will not block some pop-ups with certain types of animated content or pop-ups from Web sites that are in two Web content zones: Local intranet or Trusted sites. To learn more about security zones, see Working with Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings.