How to Allow Pop-Ups on Chrome (One Site or All Sites)

When Chrome stops a pop-up, it doesn't tell you with a message. It just puts a small Pop-up blocked icon in the address bar, which is easy to miss when a payment page, sign-in box or download simply doesn't appear. Here's how to let the sites you trust show pop-ups, without opening the door to every ad on the internet.

Allow pop-ups for the site you're on

1. Open the page that's trying to show a pop-up.
2. Look at the right end of the address bar for the Pop-up blocked icon, a small window with a red cross.
3. Click it and select Always allow pop-ups and redirects from that site.
4. Click Done and reload the page.

That's the method I'd use nine times out of ten. It changes the setting for one site only, so your blocker keeps working everywhere else. If you only need one pop-up this once, the same icon also lists the blocked pop-up, and clicking the link opens it without changing anything.

Change the pop-up setting for all sites

1. Click More, the three dots at the top right, then Settings.
2. Choose Privacy and security, then Site Settings.
3. Scroll to Pop-ups and redirects.
4. Choose whether sites can send pop-ups or not as your default.

On that same screen there's a section to add particular sites to an allowed list or a blocked list. Add the full web address of a site there if you want to set it up before you visit, such as a supplier portal you'll use at month end.

See which sites you've allowed

Every site you've let through is listed in Settings, under Privacy and security, Site Settings, then Pop-ups and redirects, in the section for sites allowed to send pop-ups. Have a look every few months. If there's a site in there you don't remember adding, click the three dots beside it and remove it, or move it to the blocked list. It's a quick way to undo an old click on a dodgy page.

Pop-ups and redirects are one setting

Chrome groups pop-ups with redirects, which is when a page sends you somewhere else on its own. That's why the option reads pop-ups and redirects rather than pop-ups alone. Allowing a site lets it do both. For a bank or booking site that's fine, but it's another reason not to allow every site by default, since automatic redirects are a favourite trick of spammy pages.

Pop-ups on Android and iPhone

On a phone, open Chrome, tap the three dots, then Settings. On Android, go to Site settings, then Pop-ups and redirects, and switch it on. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Content settings, then Block pop-ups, and switch it off. Phones don't make it easy to allow just one site, so switch the blocker back on when you're done.

Why legitimate sites use pop-ups

Google's own help points out that not every pop-up is an ad. Banks open statements in them, online forms use them for sign-in windows, and plenty of business tools open a payment step or a document preview in a new window. When something you clicked seems to do nothing, a blocked pop-up is the first thing to check.

Still seeing junk after you turned pop-ups off?

If unwanted boxes keep appearing even with the blocker on, they're often not pop-ups at all but notifications from a site you once allowed. To stop them:

1. Go to the site that sends them.
2. Click the icon to the left of the web address, called View site information.
3. Next to Notifications, choose Block.

If that doesn't explain it, Google suggests your device may have unwanted software. Check your Chrome extensions for anything you don't recognise, and consider a reset (see below).

When you can't change the setting

• On a work or school Chromebook or a managed browser, your administrator controls pop-ups and the option may be greyed out.
• An extension, such as an ad blocker, can block pop-ups even after you allow them in Chrome. Pause it for that site.
• If settings keep changing on their own, resetting Chrome puts pop-up and other content settings back to the default.

If a site still won't open its window after you've allowed it, try it once in a fresh window with your extensions paused, which quickly tells you whether Chrome or an add-on is the cause. If you're weighing up a different browser with stronger built-in blocking, my review of whether Brave browser is safe looks at how it handles ads and trackers.

My verdict

Never switch pop-ups on for every site just to fix one page. Use the Pop-up blocked icon in the address bar and allow that single site, which takes a few seconds and leaves your protection in place. And if you're still swamped after that, block the site's notifications rather than blaming the pop-up blocker. Worried about something nastier? Here's my verdict on Malwarebytes as a second check.

Frequently asked questions

How do I allow pop-ups on Chrome for one website?

Click the Pop-up blocked icon in the address bar and choose to always allow pop-ups and redirects from that site.

Where is the pop-up setting in Chrome?

Settings, then Privacy and security, Site Settings, then Pop-ups and redirects.

How do I allow pop-ups in Chrome on Android?

Open Chrome, tap the three dots, Settings, Site settings, then Pop-ups and redirects, and switch it on.

Why do I still get pop-ups when they're blocked?

They're often site notifications. Block notifications for that site from View site information.

Why can't I change the pop-up setting in Chrome?

On a managed work or school device, the administrator controls it.

Is it safe to allow pop-ups in Chrome?

For sites you trust, yes. Keep the blocker on for everything else.