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Effectively block intrusive ads in your browser

Many people ask me how to effectively block intrusive ads in their browser. Despite installing an ad blocker, they still see ads. If you are one of these people, this article is for you.

Installing an ad blocker is a first essential step, and some browsers such as Brave [ brave.com ] already include one by default. However, the default configuration is often limited, whether for Brave, AdBlock [ getadblock.com ], AdBlock Plus [ adblockplus.org ], AdGuard [ adguard.com ], or uBlock Origin [ github.com ]. Here are some tips to optimize their effectiveness.

For optimal filtering, it is crucial to add additional filter lists. Below are some recommended sources. Of course, you are free to choose the ones that best suit your needs. Note that I did not include lists that block social networks, adult websites, etc.

Via browser extensions

Let’s start with “basic” filtering, meaning the built-in tool or browser extension, except for AdGuard which is also available as a desktop application. This method is effective but ONLY for one browser. If you use several browsers, you will need to configure each one separately, same thing if you have multiple PCs.

For Brave browser users, use ONLY Dandelion Sprout filters, as everything else is already included in the built-in blocker.

Ad-blocking filters

AdGuard [ adguard.com ]

Dandelion Sprout [ github.com ]

EasyList [ easylist.to ]

EasyList by language [ easylist.to ]

Fanboy [ secure.fanboy.co.nz ]

NoCoin [ github.com ]

Via a server-side application

This method is for “geeks” and should only be done once per household. It is more complex to set up, but all you need to do is install one of the programs below and configure it with the filter lists mentioned earlier:

Via a DNS change

This method is very quick and easy to set up, but I do not recommend it because you cannot configure anything (no custom lists, no ability to add or remove blocked elements), which may cause issues on some websites.

You can apply it either on each device (PC, console, etc.) or once for the whole household on your router. Simply go to the network settings of your device or router and set a custom DNS server. I recommend AdGuard DNS [ adguard-dns.io ].