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Ad blocking

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

How this was put together

If you only read a few

  1. If a site blocks you due to ad blocking, go back to the search results and select the cached version of the page.

    This lets you view the content without triggering the block.

    • Some sites now deny traffic specifically to incognito browsing.

    3 people, independently

  2. Seek data from alternative sources instead of turning off your ad blocker if a website demands it.

    Such sites focus on ad income over the correctness of their content.

    3 people, independently

    • Skip websites that require disabling adblockers and find alternative sources.2

  3. Do not feel guilty about using ad blockers because they are legal and you control what runs on your computer.

    Adblockers are legal and the website is a guest on your PC.

    one person who lived it

  4. Consider that ads fund media operations, so disabling them may impact the quality or existence of free content.

    Ads pay for the websites you browse; media does not do its job as a hobby.

    2 people, independently

  5. Allow ads to load on sites with good content and non-intrusive ads.

    It supports their revenue and employment so they can continue providing content.

    one person who lived it

  1. Combine blocking JavaScript with incognito mode.

    This prevents websites from tracking you and limiting your page views per month before a subscription is required.

    one person who lived it

  2. Remove the specific ID specification from your ad blocker's blocking rule if a site generates a random ID for its warning object.

    This is an easily solvable fix for such issues.

    one person who lived it

  3. Do not rely on using two different ad blocker extensions simultaneously to bypass anti-adblock measures.

    They test for blocked elements rather than whether an extension is turned off, so this approach does not work consistently.

    • That's not how it works.

    one person who lived it

  4. Expect that disabling JavaScript will break essential website functionality, such as menus and tabs, on nearly all modern sites.

    Every website uses JavaScript now.

    2 people, independently

5 more on this

  1. Block distracting sidebar content and comment sections using an ad blocker's element blocking feature to reduce time wasted on clickbait or irrelevant discussions.

    It gets rid of annoying clickbait and time-wasting distractions.

    one person who lived it

  2. Use a deregifier tool to convert adblock filter lists into plain text for simple routers.

    Simple routers cannot understand complicated regular expressions.

    one person who lived it

  3. Whitelist websites you genuinely want to support to help keep them online, rather than forcing them to start aggressive anti-adblock measures.

    Whitelisting helps you pay for their service and keeps them online.

    one person who lived it

    • Never whitelist sites in AdBlock Plus.1

  4. Recognize that some sites serve blank pages to ad-block users to artificially boost view counts and increase leverage with advertisers.

    Higher view numbers increase their leverage with advertisers.

    one person who lived it

  5. Avoid visiting websites that force you to disable ad blockers, choosing instead to go to other sites or take a stand against their practices.

    3 people, independently

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