Why do sites ask you to turn off your ad blocker?
Because ads pay for many of them, so some run a script that checks whether ads actually loaded. If they did not, the script covers the page with a message asking you to switch your ad blocker off, allow the site, or subscribe. Some only nag; some hide the article until you answer.
How does AdFender deal with them?
It blocks many of the detection scripts themselves. AdFender’s Anti-Adblock list is one of the four lists that are on from the start. It names the scripts sites use to detect ad blockers and the overlays they put up, so on many sites the check never runs and the message never appears. The list is maintained as sites change their scripts, and AdFender keeps it up to date on its own.
What if a site still insists?
Exempt that one site, and keep the rest of the web filtered. Right-click the AdFender icon in the system tray, choose Exempt website from filtering… and paste the site’s address. You can exempt the whole site or a single page. Nothing else changes: every other site stays filtered.
Some sites check on their own servers rather than in the page, and no list can remove that kind of wall. You can try exempting the site there too; if it still asks for a subscription or another condition, filtering cannot remove that requirement.
Should you allow ads on sites you want to support?
That is your choice, and AdFender makes it easy either way. If a site you value relies on advertising, exempting it is a fair way to support it while AdFender keeps blocking everywhere else. The exemption lasts until you remove it: AdFender saves it as one of your own rules on the Filters page, where you can delete it.
Does an ad blocker detection message mean something is wrong?
Not necessarily. Usually it means the site noticed its ads did not load, which is AdFender doing its job rather than a fault. If a site is actually broken, with buttons that do nothing or video that will not play, that is a different problem, and fix a broken website shows how to tell.
Cookie banners and notification prompts can go too: how to block them.