Though irritating for most, ads are one of the biggest sources of revenue for websites. When not coming from a credible source, sometimes the ads are laden with malware such as adware or spyware, which are detrimental to your privacy. Also, the pop-up ads hamper with the viewing experience. For a large part, ads — especially on social media — have also become a source for propaganda campaigns promoted by various companies, countries and other entities.

Ads are present almost everywhere in this digital world. So, how will you find peace with a clutter-free internet surfing experience? Here we will explain how you can block ads in Google Chrome and enjoy surfing the internet.

Also Read: How to block websites in Google Chrome?

Using the DuckDuckGo extension for Chrome

DuckDuckGo is actually a browser, much like Chrome, but respects your privacy and blocking ads is one service among the list of service that it provides. If you want to remove the ads, we recommend you to install the DuckDuckGo extension for Google Chrome. You can download the app standalone DuckDuckGo browser app form the Play Store and Apple Store — it will take a few minutes to get around as the interface is different than Chrome’s but it gets the work done better than the latter.

If you are using Google Chrome on Windows, you can follow the steps given below to add DuckDuckGo extension.

Go to DuckDuckGo.com and you will see a drop-down menu.
Click on Add DuckDuckGo to Google Chrome.

Alternatively, you can also search for DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials on Chrome’s store.

In a new window, click on Add to Chrome.
Finally, confirm by clicking on Add Extension.

If you open a website from this search engine, you will notice that there is a grading system on each website, as you can see from the screenshot above. When you will click on the grade, it will show you how safe you are when visiting the site.

If you look above, you will see the top offenders list. Do some names look familiar?

This is an image of duckduckgocandidadss1 — *the area below the article on candid. Technology, as seen on google chrome*

Now, let us talk how this search engine fares on the ads front. As you can see from the above screenshot, there is an ad showing. Now, look at the screenshot below which I have taken after adding the DuckDuckGo extension. You will notice that the ad is gone and instead a blank space is shown.

This is an image of duckduckgocandidadss2 — *the area below the article on candid. Technology, as seen with duckduckgo’s extension activated on google chrome. Notice the lack of ads*

Also read: DuckDuckGo vs Google Chrome: Know the difference

Other methods

If DuckDuckGo doesn’t work out for you, we have other methods that you can try.

Block ads using Google Chrome settings on PC

You can block ads by going to the Google settings and clicking on a few options. The steps are as follows.

Go to Settings by clicking on the three-dot button.

On the left panel, click on Advanced.
Select Privacy and Security from the drop-down menu.
Go to Site Settings.

Scroll a bit and then click on Ads.
If the button is blue, then turn it off. When you turn it off, the ads will be blocked. By default, the button is off.

Then, go to the Pop-ups and redirects section and then turn off the blue-button there. (By default, it is off)

Block ads on Google Chrome for iOS and Android

Below is the screenshot of the same process on the Chrome app. Follow the same steps mentioned above for PC to block ads via the in-built settings on Chrome for Android and iOS.

Note: This method will block only some ads that are intrusive. You will continue to see most of the ads.

Also read: Top 7 Twitter video downloaders and How to use them?

Using AdBlock or Adblock Plus

You can add either of these extensions to Google Chrome. Follow the steps given below to add the extensions.

AdBlock

Follow the steps given below.

Go to AdBlock website.
Click on Get AdBlock now.

Click on Add to Chrome.
Confirm the process by clicking on Add extension.

Also read: How to find declassified CIA documents?

Adblock Plus

If you want to add this extension, below are the steps.

Go to Adblock Plus website.
Click on Get Adblock Plus for Chrome.

Click on Add to Chrome and then confirm by clicking on Add extension.

Note: With the free version of Adblock, it’s possible that you’ll see ads.

We recommend that you install the DuckDuckGo extension, as it protects your privacy and blocks all the ads without you having to potentially pay for blocking ads.

Hope this tutorial has helped in your quest for an ad-free internet experience! That said, please take a note of our request that you can find below the author bio here.

Also Read: Why is Cyber Security important? 5 tips to protect yourself