Some time ago we discussed how one can surf the Internet privately using different options provided in web browsers. Today we are going to see methods to block ads that appear on websites on different browsers. Blocking ads has advantages. Needless to say, blocking ads with rich multimedia content can save loads of bandwidth and you can view the website’s content with much ease and simplicity, without getting distracted.

IE8:

Blocking ads in Internet Explorer 8 is darn easy. Just activate the InPrivate Filtering option (Shortcut key: Ctrl+Shift+F) as shown below.

Here, you will also find the ‘InPrivate Filtering Settings’ option using which you can customize the ad blocking options. I really like IE8’s ad blocking feature because it is almost automatic. Overtime, IE8’s InPrivate Filtering option will build a list of content to be blocked and eventually you will see reduced number of ads.

However, if you are really impatient and want to block ads right away, you can do that by importing a predefined XML ad list (created by me, thank you) that need to be blocked. Follow below mentioned steps.

1) First download this RAR file and extract the XML file contained within on your desktop: IE8 Ad List

1) Open ‘InPrivate Filtering Settings’ in IE8 and click ‘Advanced Settings’.

2) In the window that appears, click ‘Import’ and browse for the XML file you extracted. Click ‘Open’ and the list of ads that will be blocked from now on, will get populated. Click ‘Close’. Now ads will get blocked right away.

Chrome:

Blocking ads in Chrome got a lot easier with the support of extensions. So, fire up Google Chrome and go to this site: Adsweep.org and click ‘AdSweep.crx’ link and install the extension. More details can be found on the site itself.

Mozilla Firefox:

For Mozilla Firefox, a very well known ad blocking add-on is available which is by far the best: Ad Block Plus. Once you install it, follow these steps.

1) In the Add-ons window, click Adblock Plus ‘Options’ button.

2) In the window that appears, click ‘Filters’ >> ‘Add filter subscription…’

3) A new window will appear. Here, select ‘EasyList (USA)’ and click ‘Subscribe’ button and you’re done.

Opera:

Blocking ads in Opera is similar to that in Chrome. Go to AdSweep.org and download the ‘AdSweep.js’ file. Follow the steps mentioned over there on how to block ads in Opera.

Safari:

Ah Safari! How can we forget you! Well, blocking ads in Safari is also not much of a task.The makers of Adblock Plus also made an ad blocker utility for Safari – Safari Adblock. Download and install it for Safari browser.

Now that all major browsers has been covered, I am sure you can very well say a final goodbye to those pesky ads, eh? Enjoy ad-free browsing!