PopUpCop is designed to return control of your browsing experience back to you. It does not block all advertisements: it blocks irritating Web site behavior, which is often used for advertisements. Like the ideal of a real police officer, it steps into a volatile situation and uses just enough force to restore calm.

Because there are millions of very different people using the Web, and because each may have a different irritation threshold, PopUpCop is completely customizable. A PopUpCop user can choose what techniques and technologies to block, from blocking nothing to turning off images, Java applets, ActiveX controls, JavaScript, and 15 other potentially annoying techniques. Users also may want to change what to block depending on where they are browsing. To make all this flexibility easy to control, PopUpCop features two key control mechanisms: the Internet irritation indicator and the Internet irritation level slider. These two controls work together to provide information about the techniques that a web site is using and to make it easy for the user to block a collection of techniques.

PopUpCop does not use site title or URL address matching to determining what to block. It monitors your interaction with the browser, and determines what new windows to block based on a simple collection of rules. It never interferes with normal browsing and will never close the main browser window. If you just want to block popups, you can just install the program and forget it. PopUpCop is packaged as an Internet Explorer toolbar add-in. After installation, it occupies a small space on the user's toolbar. It safely co-exists with other toolbar add-ins, like the Google toolbar.

PopUpCop Features:

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PopUpCop is easy to install.
The install program wizard takes about two minutes, a few mouse clicks, and you're done.

PopUpCop runs as part of your browser.
It adds three small buttons and a slider to your browser toolbar.

The default settings are just right for most people.
Use its advanced features if you like, but most users are happy without them.

Unobtrusive operation.
PopUpCop just works. Popups and other web annoyances are silently suppressed.

PopUpCop tells you what annoyances it has suppressed.

Change your mind? Want the suppressed popup after all?
Click the PopUpCop badge to get its menu and choose "Show Me Recently Suppressed PopUps".

PopUpCop consumes little screen real estate.
You can shrink it further, if you like. Get rid of its slider and its title by making a couple of menu selections.

PopUpCop consumes little of your computer's other resources, too.
The software uses few CPU cycles and little disk space.

PopUpCop makes readily accessible Internet Explorer features that are buried deep in its "Options" dialogs.
Many buttons are available. Choose the ones that control browser features you use frequently, for example clearing your browser cache or examining cookies.

I hate popups but there are a few sites where I need them. Can I selectively un-suppress them?
Yes! In particular, some banking and investment sites -- sites you trust! -- use popups for legitimate purposes. Choose "Allow Popups from this Site" in PopUpCop's menu and enter the site name(s) in the Allow List. It takes just seconds to do.

Want to go back to the "bad old days" without PopUpCop?
We can't imagine why anyone would, but just in case, we made it easy. Choose "Disable PopUpCop" from its menu and you're done.