Controlling Popups

What are Popups?

Pop-up windows, or popups, are windows that appear automatically and without your permission. They vary in size, but usually don't cover the whole screen. Some popups open on top of the current browser window, thus popping up, while others appear underneath the browser (popunders).

&brandShortName; allows you to control both popups and popunders through the Popup Windows preferences panel. Since popup blocking is turned off by default, you must enable it to prevent popups from appearing in the browser.

When blocking a popup, &brandShortName; can be set up to play a sound or display an icon in the status bar or a notification bar at the top of the website content area, or any combination of the above. You can use the icon or the bar to add a website you're viewing to an exceptions list so that the website is allowed to again display popups.

Blocking popups may interfere with some websites: Some websites, including some banking sites, use popups for important features. Blocking all popups disables such features. To allow specific websites to use popups, while blocking all others, you can add specific websites to the list of allowed websites. For more information, see Privacy & Security Preferences - Popup Windows.

Blocking popups doesn't always work: Although &brandShortName; blocks most popups, some websites, even when blocked, may use other methods to show popups.

Allowing popups from certain websites: After you've enabled popup blocking, you can still allow specific websites to display popups. Browse to the website, and then from the Tools menu, choose Popup Manager, and then choose Allow Popups From This Website.

The next section describes how to control popups through preferences and through the popup control icon.

Privacy & Security Preferences - Popup Windows

This section describes how to use the Popup Windows preferences panel. If you're not already viewing it, follow these steps:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Privacy & Security Preferences category, click Popup Windows. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Privacy & Security to expand the list.)

• Block unrequested popup windows: Select this to prevent popups from appearing in the browser.
• Allowed Websites: Click this to view and edit the list of websites that you want to allow to display popups.
  • Allowed Websites - Popups: The list of allowed websites appears when you click Allowed Sites. You can add or remove websites that should be allowed to show popups.
  • Allow: Click this after typing in a website that you want to add to the list.
  • Remove Website: Click this to remove a selected website.
  • Remove All Websites: Click this to remove all of the websites in the current list.

When a popup window has been blocked

• Play a sound: If you want a sound to play each time the browser blocks a popup, select this option and choose System beep or Custom sound file. Selecting Custom sound file enables the following two buttons:
  • Browse: Click this to choose a sound file.
  • Play: Click this to listen to the chosen sound.
• Display an icon in the browser status bar: Select this to display an icon in the browser status bar to indicate that a popup is blocked.

  Note: After the popup control icon appears, it remains visible until you visit another website.

• Display a notification bar at the top of the content area: Select this to display a notification bar above the website content area whenever a popup is blocked. In the bar, use the Preferences button to choose how to handle popups from that website.

Using the popup control icon or notification bar to add allowed websites: You can use the popup control icon or notification bar to quickly add a website to the list of allowed websites. Click the icon to open the list of allowed websites. The current website is already filled in. Click Allow and then click OK to confirm your addition. Similarly you can use the notification bar to allow popups from the current website or open the list of allowed websites through Manage Popups. Just click the Preferences button at the right end of the notification bar.

Note: Blocking popups may not always work and may interfere with some websites. For more information about blocking popups, see Controlling Popups.