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How to Block NordVPN Popup?

Block NordVPN Popup

Advertisements are the bread and butter of many online services. In this digital age where “free” or “free trial” is the norm, users jump at every opportunity they deem worthy. But these free services are supported by ads. You can gauge the importance of advertisements by knowing that even VPNs rely on ads to generate revenue. Ads are one of the most common methods to insert malware into systems. By using malicious ads, an individual can learn everything about you. Ads are truly dangerous, especially if they are from an unknown source. But what if you are seeing an ad from a trusted VPN provider? Owing to its popularity, NordVPN faces the issue of malicious duplication from insurgents. They design ads with the same look as NordVPN, which confuses users. Before you fall victim to such a phishing strategy, here’s how to block NordVPN popup and get rid of other annoying ads in the process.

Block NordVPN popup on different platforms

One of the basic steps necessary to curb ads is to use your device’s inbuilt settings to do so. Users can go to their Settings menu and turn off notifications. If they get a popup afterward, they can verify that it didn’t originate from the provider and is thus harmful. To disable the NordVPN popup based on the platform, do this:

On Windows

Press the Windows key on your keyboard to launch the start menu. You can also use the mouse to click on the start banner in the bottom left corner of your desktop. Then:

  1. Find and click on settings.
  2. After that, go to the Systems menu and select Notifications & actions.
  3. On the right side of the screen, you will see a list of apps installed on your device.
  4. Then, scroll down the page and find NordVPN and toggle the button next to it.
  5. Now, you will no longer receive any notifications from NordVPN.

Note – This includes “connecting to” and “disconnecting from” popup too. If you only want to block the marketing notifications, kindly contact NordVPN Customer Care instead.

On Mac

First, click on the Apple icon to access the menu. Now:

  1. Navigate to system preferences to find the notification menu.
  2. Now the notification center will display.
  3. From the left side of the menu, locate NordVPN.
  4. Now, look at the other half of the menu, and you will find the option “Allow notifications from NordVPN” on the top.
  5. Toggle the button next to it, and you will no longer receive notifications from NordVPN.

For Android

Follow these steps on an Android device:

  1. Long-press the NordVPN icon on your screen.

You can also long-press the notification displayed on your screen (Android 8 or later) to access related settings. Moreover, you can open your phone’s Setting menu but it will take much longer.

  1. From the popup menu, touch App info.
  2. Now on the new screen, find and touch the notifications option.
  3. Toggle the button next to “Allow notifications.“

On iOS

First, go to your Apple device’s Setting menu, either by finding the setting icon or using the dropdown notification menu. Then:

  1. Scroll down the setting and locate the Notification tab.
  2. Tap on it to access a list of installed apps on your device.
  3. From this list, locate and touch the NordVPN tab.
  4. Now, toggle off the button next to “Allow notifications.“

Block NordVPN popup on browsers

If you follow the method above to the tee, you took care of the generic popup notifications from the NordVPN app. But what if you keep running into popups while using your device? Chances are, such popups are malicious, caused by your unsafe browsing habits, and originate from your browser. There are many ways to block such popups. Some are extreme, whereas others are too technical. We will stick with relatively simple and safe methods of blocking both ads and popups. Well, one of those includes tinkering with your browsers’ native settings. You can employ several techniques to do so:

  • Directly denying the notification permission to websites
  • Blocking popups and redirects
  • Disallowing JavaScript from running
  • Utilizing third-party browser extensions/add-ons

We’ll use the Google Chrome browser to demonstrate the entire procedure. These settings should be nearly identical on Chromium-based browsers and give you a good idea of where to look in browsers like Safari or Firefox.

Disallow sites to send notifications

First, go to your Chrome setting by clicking on the three dots in the top right corner. Then, do this:

  1. From the left side of the screen, locate and click on the Privacy & security tab.
  2. On the page, find the Site settings and click it.
  3. Scroll down to find the permissions segment of the page.
  4. You will find Notifications under this section. Click on it to access it.

Now you can either use the default settings to disallow notification across every website or customize it for your needs by adding the NordVPN website to the list.

Stop popups and redirects

Go to the settings and then:

  1. Open the Privacy & security tab.
  2. Then, click on Site settings.
  3. Keep scrolling until you reach the content segment of the menu.
  4. From this section, locate and click on “Popups and redirects.”
  5. From the menu, find the option of “Don’t allow sites to send popups or use redirects.“
  6. Check the box next to it. Now, no sites will display popups.

Note – You can also access the Ads tab from the additional content section and check the box next to “Block ads on sites that show intrusive or malicious ads.”

Disable JavaScript

If you have come to this stage, then it means the problem is severe. If a website still shows ads even after blocking so many settings, those ads are likely malicious. As such, one last remedy is to disallow JavaScript to run on your browser. JavaScript is a part of the browser that allows a website to display dynamic content. Since ads consist of audio, video, or forms of animation. Disabling JavaScript cuts off their access, and none will appear thereafter. Unfortunately, this will deactivate JavaScript coming from reputable websites, too. With that acknowledged, do the following:

  1. Go to the settings on your Chrome browser.
  2. Under Privacy & security, find Site settings.
  3. Click on the site settings and continue scrolling to find the content section of the menu.
  4. Now, locate JavaScript and click it.
  5. From the new menu, select “Don’t allow sites to use JavaScript.“

Use third-party extensions

You can find additional help in fighting against ads in the form of extensions. We prefer to use extensions along with in-built Chrome settings to support each other’s shortcomings. However, not all extensions are reliable. Since third-party applications are risky, only use extensions when necessary and from a trusted source. Here’s how:

  1. Go to the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Enter the name of the desired extension in the search tab.
  3. Tip. Some notable Ad blockers are AdBlock/Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin.
  4. Select the extensions you want and click on “Add this extension to Chrome.”

Note – If read our detailed review of NordVPN, you know it comes with an ad blocker named CyberSec. However, it’s counterintuitive, since we’re trying to block NordVPN popups. Also, it doesn’t work on all platforms and is probably redundant with third-party ad-blockers in place.

Use stand-alone software to block NordVPN popup

If everything else fails, it’s high time you recognize the severity of the issue. As such, you must get yourself good Anti-Virus/Anti Malware software if you don’t already. It will scan your devices and find the root of your problems i.e., what’s referred to as “adware”. Adware remains hidden in your system and makes ads appear all over the place, browser or not. The only way to eradicate it is through a high-quality Adware remover/cleaner.