# Firefox: how to block in-page toolbars?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 27, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796 "2011-02-27T15:11:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/1 "2011-02-27T15:11:37Z")

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I despise those little toolbars that pop up at the bottom of some web pages, exhorting me to share the content on this or that social network, or whatever. I understand why the webmasters want them there, but I have no use for them, and on my little netbook screen, they take up valuable screen space that I can’t spare.

Is there a way to block them, without interfering with anything else on the page?

(random example of a page with one of the toolbars here: [The Tangled Evolution of the Disney Princess - The Script Lab](http://thescriptlab.com/features/132-main/878-evolution-of-the-disney-princess) )

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### Author: ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/2 "2011-02-27T16:07:11Z")

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Using adblock plus to filter [toolbar.wibiya.com](http://toolbar.wibiya.com) will get you sorted.

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### Author: ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/3 "2011-02-27T17:07:41Z")

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Thanks - I suspect that’s just one of many though - do you know if there’s a list I can subscribe to (in Adblock), so I don’t have to add them all manually?

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### Author: ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/4 "2011-02-27T17:09:13Z")

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Thanks for asking this, **Mangetout**.

**Larry** , that didn’t work for me. Any idea why?

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### Author: ![Deflagration](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@Deflagration](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deflagration)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/5 "2011-02-27T17:22:44Z")

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Whilst not specifically targeting the toolbars. [Facebook Blocker](http://webgraph.com/resources/facebookblocker/) can gain you some screen real-estate.

It gets rid of all those ‘like’ buttons from websites other than facebook and yet leaves facebook itself untouched.

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### Author: ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/6 "2011-02-27T19:30:39Z")

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I don’t mind the buttons - in fact, I find them convenient, as I do sometimes want to share stuff I stumble on, but can’t afford the vertical screen space for either an installed or in-page toolbar.

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### Author: ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/7 "2011-02-27T20:47:55Z")

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> [@Renee](#):
>
> **Larry** , that didn’t work for me. Any idea why?

It seems you may have to block the entire [wibiya.com](http://wibiya.com) domain to be sure. (Usually, \*.wibiya.com) This is because the page may be dynamically served up depending on your location.

I don’t use Firefox or(naturally) Adblock Plus, but found the reference for the toolbar loader in the linked page source:

> [@](#):
>
> \<script src=‘[http://toolbar.wibiya.com/Toolbars/dir\_0519/Toolbar\_519249/Loader\_519249.js](http://toolbar.wibiya.com/Toolbars/dir_0519/Toolbar_519249/Loader_519249.js)’ type=‘text/javascript’\>\</script\>

In Canada, it may also appear as:

> [@](#):
>
> \<script src=‘[http://cdn.wibiya.com/Toolbars/dir\_0519/Toolbar\_519249/Loader\_519249.js](http://cdn.wibiya.com/Toolbars/dir_0519/Toolbar_519249/Loader_519249.js)’ type=‘text/javascript’\>\</script\>

…This may vary by location.

I added a loopback DNS reference for \*.wibiya.com to my hosts file and this prevents the toolbar from loading… blocking the [wibiya.com](http://wibiya.com) domain with an ad blocker should work the same way.

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### Author: ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/8 "2011-02-27T21:33:07Z")

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Thanks, **Larry** , that worked.

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### Author: ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/9 "2011-02-27T21:52:18Z")

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note: cdn. usually indicates a “content distribution network”, not Canada, in this context.

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### Author: ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/10 "2011-02-27T22:35:58Z")

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That makes sense, fubbleskag. Me and my provincial assumptions. 🙂

> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> Thanks - I suspect that’s just one of many though - do you know if there’s a list I can subscribe to (in Adblock), so I don’t have to add them all manually?

Sorry, no idea - but probably there aren’t _that_ many to add. If you have Chrome installed you can right-click the toolbar and choose “inspect element” to see a bit about where it’s coming from. I think that there are probably just a few actual sources, and with many or customizable toolbar options.

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### Author: ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-how-to-block-in-page-toolbars/572796/11 "2011-02-28T10:48:52Z")

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I’d also download “element hiding helper.” It’s an extension to Adblock plus that will let you hide crap without blocking the domain.