- Can an ad blocker protect you from malicious ads?Yes, it cuts off a route malicious ads use to reach your PC. Malvertising is malware, scams and fake download buttons delivered through ad networks, often on reputable sites. AdFender blocks requests to known ad servers before anything loads, in all your supported browsers, so an ad that never arrives cannot do harm. It is not antivirus: keep your security software too.
- How much data does an ad blocker save?On ad-heavy pages, often a large share, though it varies from page to page. Ads, autoplay video ads and the tracking scripts that come with them all have to be downloaded. When AdFender blocks a request before it downloads, that content costs no data, and AdFender’s dashboard keeps a running estimate of the data saved, for this session and for all time.
- Do ad blockers make web pages load faster?Often, yes, on ad-supported sites. Each ad brings scripts that load more scripts, auctions and trackers. AdFender blocks those requests before your browser has to fetch or run them, so there is less for the page to download and process. How much you notice varies by page and PC: turn AdFender off for a minute, reload a busy page, and compare.
- How do you stop websites tracking you?Block the trackers, and stop your browser giving away more than it must. Much tracking is done by third-party code riding along on the sites you visit. AdFender’s anti-tracking list, on from the start, blocks the trackers it names in all your supported browsers, and its Privacy page can strip tracking codes from links and send a Do Not Sell or Share signal.
- How do you block cookie banners and “allow notifications” pop-ups?Use filter lists made for them. AdFender has optional annoyance lists that hide cookie-consent banners, block “allow notifications” prompts and remove social share widgets. Add them from Optional lists on the Filters page and they work in all your supported browsers at once, with no extension and nothing to set up site by site.
- How do you stop “please turn off your ad blocker” messages?Block the scripts that detect your ad blocker. Many sites run one that covers the page with a request to switch yours off. AdFender’s Anti-Adblock list, on from the start, blocks many of those scripts. When a site still insists, you can exempt just that site from the tray icon and keep the rest of the web filtered.
- How do you block ads in all your browsers at once?Use a system-wide ad blocker instead of an extension in each browser. AdFender filters Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and other supported browsers on your Windows PC from one install, with nothing to set up in each one, and can also filter other desktop programs you add that show ads, such as a mail or chat app.
- Is it safe for an ad blocker to filter HTTPS pages?Yes, with the safeguards AdFender builds in. To remove ads inside secure pages, AdFender installs, once you agree, a private root certificate created on your PC and unique to it. Its key stays on your PC, banks, payment services and other sensitive sites on its exclusion list pass through without being decrypted, and you can turn HTTPS filtering off or remove the certificate at any time.
Questions about AdFender itself are in the FAQ and the help center.