# Do pop-ups blockers block all creation of new windows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323 "2003-09-23T14:32:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/1 "2003-09-23T14:32:44Z")
I maintain a couple of web sites that have links that open new windows using JavaScript commands. Are these considered pop-ups by the pop-up blocker programs? Or are the only things blocked windows that are not brought up by the user’s request? I need to know if I should switch from opening a new window to reusing the current window for these links. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/2 "2003-09-23T14:40:13Z")
Most popup blockers would block new browser windows not opened by the user. Some block ALL new browser windows unless the user holds down a certain key while clicking a link. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/3 "2003-09-23T14:40:49Z")
Normally, clicking a link that opens a window works fine with pop-up blockers. Sometimes (and I don’t know how or why), a particular fancy website will be unable to open the new window unless I specifically give permission to the whole domain. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/4 "2003-09-23T16:24:13Z")
On mine, when a popup is blocked, I get a teensy tag saying so. If I hold down the Ctrl key while left-clicking again, the new window is allowed, but it doesn’t give blanket permission to the whole domain. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/5 "2003-09-23T16:32:33Z")
Mine too. I use the free version of Pop-Up Stopper which can be found [here](http://www.panicware.com/). It will block almost all new windows (there are a few websites which seem to have found a way around this utility) unless you hold down CTRL which allows all windows to open. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/6 "2003-09-23T16:37:19Z")
My popup blockers blocks windows that are opened by clicking on a Flash animation. This can be annoying sometimes, but it’s easy to disable the blocker for a moment so I can click on the link, and then re-enable the blocker after the new window comes up. It also beeps any time it blocks something, which is quite helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/7 "2003-09-23T17:08:02Z")
Google’s toolbar is the best pop=up blocker I’ve ever used. I haven’t seen one pop-up ad yet, while it hasn’t blocked any pop-ups I required (without any user input). Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-pop-ups-blockers-block-all-creation-of-new-windows/203323/8 "2003-09-23T18:39:50Z")
I second the use of Google’s new toolbar. I can’t think of the last time I needed to hold down CTRL to see a pop-up window that I needed to see. After a week, I uninstalled Pop-up Stopper for good. It’s at [http://toolbar.google.com](http://toolbar.google.com)