How AdFender connects
AdFender filters in one of two ways, and you can see which on the dashboard under Operating mode:
- App-level, the recommended way and the one AdFender starts with. It attaches to your browsers and the other apps you choose, and does not change any Windows-wide network setting.
- Network-level. AdFender sets itself as the Windows proxy, and still filters only the apps you have switched on in Apps. It is there for the rare PC where app-level filtering does not work.
To switch, open Settings and choose under Network. AdFender restarts itself to apply the change.
If AdFender ever cannot start app-level filtering, it offers to switch to network-level filtering for the rest of that session so that ads stay blocked, and goes back to app-level the next time it starts.
With a VPN
A VPN normally needs nothing from you. AdFender does its filtering on your PC, before your traffic leaves it; the VPN then carries that traffic wherever it goes. Blocking, HTTPS filtering and the Privacy switches normally work as usual. If filtering or your connection stops working with the VPN on, the checks below are the place to start.
“Another app changed your system proxy”
You can only see this in network-level mode. Some VPNs and other connection tools set themselves as the Windows proxy, which is the same setting AdFender is using, and only one program can hold it at a time. AdFender notices, and asks what you want:
- Restore AdFender takes the setting back, and blocking carries on.
- Let the other app manage it leaves it with the other program. AdFender stops blocking ads until you turn it back on.
If you want both running, switch AdFender to App-level. That mode does not use the Windows proxy setting at all, which avoids this conflict.
A proxy at work or school
If your network requires its own proxy, AdFender can pass its filtered traffic on to it. In Settings, under Network, open Show advanced network options, turn on Use a next-hop proxy, and enter the proxy’s address as your network administrator gave it to you, such as 10.0.0.5:3128. AdFender never passes traffic on to another proxy unless you name it here, in either mode, and in Network-level mode it also takes over the Windows proxy setting, so a proxy set there before is not used.
With security software
AdFender is designed to run alongside antivirus and internet-security software. Two things are worth knowing.
- Some security software checks secure web pages itself. Usually the two get on without trouble. If your browser starts showing certificate warnings after you install or update security software, open HTTPS filtering on AdFender’s dashboard and click Renew root certificate. If one particular site still complains, adding it to the HTTPS exclusion list lets its traffic through without AdFender decrypting it — HTTPS filtering and the certificate shows how.
- Some security software is wary of how AdFender works. To filter a browser, AdFender attaches to it, and a cautious scanner may quarantine the file that does that. AdFender then will not start and reports a module version mismatch. AdFender won’t open or start explains how to get it back.
Telling which one is the cause
If a site stops working and you are not sure whether AdFender is involved, pause AdFender for a minute from the tray icon and reload the page. Fix a broken website takes it from there.