Opening Unwanted Tabs and Windows: If you are having problems opening unwanted tabs and windows on any website without your consent, then it is an indication that you have a broken browser that has been taken over by a malicious web script or that you may not have a pop-up blocker enabled.
Irrespective of the reason behind this activity, it is important to stop and block a website that is doing that to ensure an uninterrupted and safe browsing experience.
Many web browsers come with pre-installed pop-up blockers. However, there is no guarantee that you will never experience websites opening automatically, but it can reduce pop-ups to a great extent.
Table of Contents
How to Block Websites From Opening Unwanted Tabs and Windows On Different Browsers:
Setting Program Files
When it comes to program files, it is not only about the PC system rather it relates to all files and settings of Google Chrome.
Google Chrome is quite complex and has lots of features to discover. Without discussing all settings, there are some settings that we will list for Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows.
Clear cookies
There are cases when a tab opens automatically while using a specific website. Sometimes websites you trust, browsing data, and cookies might distort functionality. In such cases, you must try to clear the cookies by following simple steps:
- Look for the three vertical dots icon in the top right corner of Chrome.
- Open more tools from the expanding menu.
- Select “clear browsing data”.
- Then move forward by choosing “all-time range” and then confirm with the “clear data” button.
- Finish the process by restarting your Google Chrome.
If you follow these steps, the web browser will load all the pages from scratch and will work perfectly fine as it must work without opening new tabs automatically.
Check extensions
Chrome is one such browser that not only provides you world-class browsing facility but also is highly flexible due to a huge library of extensions. Though these extensions are designed to make user’s life easier, sometimes they cause issues too, and automatically opening unwanted Tabs, and windows are nothing different.
There are lots of complaints registered of certain VPN or proxy extensions that automatically redirect users to ads or promotional pages without their consent. In such cases, only removing them from Chrome is enough not to see those pages again. For these, there are some steps to follow:
- You need to type “chrome://extension//” in the address bar, or you have to click a “puzzle icon” in the top right-hand corner and then click on “manage extensions”.
- After doing this you will see a list of all the extensions installed in your Google Chrome account.
- You must scan through the list to check if anything is strange. If you detect an extension that you have not installed by yourself or something that doesn’t have a proper description of its functions, you must click “remove”.
Now if the extensions are in order, but still you find that the tabs are opening automatically then there are chances that Chrome is affected by malware you can surely try Adlock which is a proven hack for web surfing safety.
Prevent automatic opening with Ad lock
Ad lock offers you a solution for blocking pop-ups, Ads, and malware. Some of the problems or malware is a little script that is created for Chrome and cannot be detected by conventional antivirus. Ad lock has developed its own Chrome extension that prevents malfunctioning scripts from loading. That results in the best performance of the browser and does not open any unnecessary Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows against the user’s will.
Turn on the pop-up blocker
After it is installed, Ad Lock makes sure to take care of all the malware and block unnecessary apps due to which spam tabs are opening. Ad lock has an easy-to-use interface that helps to adjust settings for each website that you go through or white list your trusted websites. Ad lock also collects statistics of the number of ads that were blocked on a particular website, so that you get a full overview of its trustworthiness and also stop using harmful resources.
Moreover, by going to settings in the Ad lock menu you can easily manage the filters that are used for malware and also for anti-ads protection. You can also add new filters for a great web browsing experience and enjoy browsing.
Scan for malware
If you find that due to malware only all the unnecessary tabs are opening automatically then you can use another tool that can help. Google has implemented a malware scanner in their web browser that eventually comes from the box. By now, not everyone knows about this so you need to follow some simple steps to check malware for Chrome such as:
- Open your Chrome and then click on the three vertical dots and then go to the settings tab.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “advanced”.
- Then you need to select the “reset and clean up” section and clean your computer that way.
- Then click “find” and move along by following the instructions.
- After the scanning is completed you can complete the process by restarting your browser and checking whether the problem is resolved or not.
Update your Chrome browser to the latest version
In some situations, new tabs open due to the problem in Chrome itself. Now here there are two possibilities:
1. First is that Chrome browser is outdated which is causing the browser to be filled with new malware and does not allow the smooth functioning of the browser. In such cases, you can update your Chrome by clicking on help-about chrome-update.
2. If your Chrome installation was corrupted that led to a lack of necessary system files. This issue can be solved by reinstalling the Chrome browser. The steps for this method are:
Related post: How to Fix the “Aw snap!” problem Permanently in Google Chrome?
- The first step is to uninstall the current version using the control panel of your PC or uninstaller software.
- Then make sure that you remove the remaining files from your system so that the old registry entries and the problems with tabs do not stay back.
- After it is done, you need to install the newest Chrome version from Google.
- Never forget to sync your browser data like bookmarks and more before using your Google account.
How Can You Stop Unwanted Websites From Popping Up?
Sometimes websites that pop up unnecessarily from nowhere can be highly annoying and draining on your computer system resources. But this is not a problem anymore as many browsers allow blocking pop-ups by following some steps we studied earlier. In some cases, some sites do not work correctly without pop-ups and in such situations, you can go to your settings and enable pop-ups for the time being.
Use Various Steps To Stop Pop-Up In Different Browsers Such As:
Stop Websites From Popping Up On Internet Explorer:
- The first and foremost step is to launch Internet Explorer.
- Then select the “tools” option in the main menu bar above the browser.
- After that scroll down and click on the “pop-up blocker” option.
- The last step is to scroll down and click on “turn on pop-up blocker” and restart your browser.
Stop Websites From Popping Up On Firefox:
- Firefox’s first and foremost step is to launch Firefox.
- The next step is to select “tools” in the main menu bar just above the browser.
- Then scroll down and click the “options” menu.
- Then click on the “content” tab and put a checkmark in the box that is seen next to “block pop-up windows”.
- Finish the process by clicking on the “OK” button and restart your browser.
Stop Websites From Popping Up On Safari:
- First launch Safari.
- Then click on “Safari” in the main menu bar above the browser.
- Then scroll down and click “block pop-up windows”.
- Finish the process by restarting your browser.
How can you stop opening advertisements in the middle of your browsing?
If someone is using Google Chrome as the default web browser on their computers for their small business, then they do not expect any distractions but the smooth running of their site. But if websites are allowed by Google Chrome to open advertisements in the form of pop-ups then you need to block them as fast as you can. Such advertisements are highly annoying if they pop up in the middle of your work and are equally dangerous because various sensitive business data are stored in your hard drive and are dangerous as advertisements may contain malicious codes that may harm your site. However, Google Chrome allows you to block websites from opening advertisements by default.
Some of the things that we can consider are:
By enabling native pop-up blocker
- The first step is to click the wrench icon that is shown in the top right corner of the Chrome window and then open the settings page by clicking on “settings” on the menu page.
- Then you can click on the “show advanced setting” link so that you view the advanced settings.
- Next, open the “content settings window” by clicking on the “content setting” button in the privacy button.
- Then move forward by clicking on the “do not allow sites to show pop-ups” radio button to stop sites from opening unnecessary advertisements in the pop-up section.
- After it is done click “OK” at the utmost bottom of the window to save and apply the settings.
- Then easily navigate to a website where you can check the new settings.
Advantages of pop-up blocker:
We all are irritated with unwanted ads on our website and we want to get rid of them. However, ad-blocker plays a good role, but sometimes it is not sufficient enough to provide accurate results and then pop-up blocker extensions are of great help. Some of its advantages that we can experience are:
- Pop-up blockers can help to get a clean browsing experience by saving you from closing unnecessary windows. That makes it easy to do your work online without any hustle in between ads or more.
- Sometimes while we are browsing online for say some online shopping websites we are directed to other sites that we don’t even know automatically without our permission, then in such cases pop-up blocker helps you by stopping your browser from switching to other sites without permission.
- It is highly useful to keep your website protected from viruses and malware.
- You can easily customize your pop-up blocker which helps to filter ads that they want to view or ignore. You can easily disable your blocker in certain situations for certain websites that you want.
Disadvantages of pop-up blocker:
Poorly implemented ads can get visitors away and also tarn your website’s reputation. The disadvantages of website pop-ups are:
- The pop-ups can drive your audience away from your site if it is not implemented in the right way. This makes visitors close your browser sites as it causes distrust and lets the audience stop visiting your sites.
- Pop-ups might look intrusive and forced for some visitors and might be distracting as it distracts users from the main content. This leads to high bounce rates as visitors might leave your site.
- Unlimited pop-ups might make your site look troubling and spam and drop your site’s reputation. It also deters visitors as it causes viruses in their devices.
- Many pop-up blockers have pop-up blocking technology that restricts visitors from seeing your pop-up content.
By Installing the Ad-block extensions
- The first step is to launch Google Chrome and easily navigate to the Google Chrome web store to download the Ad lock extensions.
- Then see in the top right corner of the page “add to chrome button” and click on it.
- Then move forward by clicking the “add” button to install and confirm the new extension. This way the extension blocks all the ads immediately after you install it.
- It is an easy process where you do not have to restart Chrome.
How To Stop Chrome From Opening New Tabs For Every Link I Click On
Google Chrome is one of the top and most popular browsers in the world. Chrome is highly loved and is found on various phones and computers besides various glitches. Though with various search results, users complain that Chrome opens a new tab that happens when users click on a link. In some cases, even ads open unwanted Tabs And Windows. These problems can be fixed easily by stopping Chrome from opening new search results in various tabs by changing Google account settings. There are various other solutions such as disabling background apps or extensions, restoring Chrome settings to default, and searching for malware.
Effective Ways To Fix Chrome To Solve the Issue Of Opening New Tabs
1. From Google account settings adjust chrome
- The first and foremost step is to launch Chrome and on the top right of the screen find your account. It is the initial or the image that you have set.
- Then click on “manage your Google account option” which will redirect you to your account settings.
- After that click on the data and also personalization option on the left side of the menu.
- Then go to “activity control” and there click on “web and app activity”.
- Finish the process by disabling it.
2. Remove plug-ins as well as extensions
- The first step is to launch Google Chrome.
- Then click on “more” and move forward by clicking on “more tools”.
- Then click on the “extensions” option that eventually opens a list of active extensions.
- Finish the process by clicking on the “remove” tab below each extension that is desired to delete.
3. Disable the apps that are running in the background
- The first step is to go to the menu and then click on the “settings” option.
- Then scroll down and look for the system part.
- Then move forward by clicking on “disable options that allow the app to run in the background without even launching Chrome.
4. Reinstalling Google Chrome
It is stated that if you uninstall the browser and then again install it then the issue can be fixed. As Chrome may keep opening links in new tabs if it is corrupted in any way, and so uninstallation is the best solution as it cleans up the system after it is installed again.
5. Test Malware
Your system can be harmed with malware and for this, you need a malware scanner to test your system. After you finish scanning, search for quarantined files and then delete them as needed. If you come across any unknown files or files that are automatically downloaded then you can remove them as soon as you can.
6. Analyze how you want to display your search result
In most cases, chrome opens new tabs as this option is checked somehow and can be fixed easily by following easy steps like:
- Search for anything you want to view and then press “enter”.
- Then after you get the results, look for the settings menu at the top right-hand side of the list and click on it.
- Then click on “search settings” in the drop-down menu.
- As the page appears, scroll down to the bottom till the “where results open” section.
- Then uncheck the box before the option that exclaims that chosen results will be shown in new browser windows.
7. Check suspicious files if any on chrome
- The first step is to go to the settings at the top right corner of the list and click there.
- Then click on “advanced” and then proceed to rest and clean up part.
- Then proceed with cleaning up the computer and click “find”.
- Following this process, the malware will be detected and displayed on the screen if any.
8. Chrome default setting restore
You can always get rid of new tabs by changing your settings back to default mode. Such changes are made by users to draw various benefits such as loading pages to get faster and more relevant results. But sometimes such changes may cause malfunctioning of the browser. Restoring to default settings once in a while is necessary to remove the data that is piled up in the browser.
9. Using a different browser
Using a different browser can be an easy reach and does not apply to errant Chrome but Kingpin is a good option. It provides you with superior online security but does not store the data after you have logged out. Kingpin is a private browsing option that erases the memory of your online activities and keeps you incognito. However, you cannot say that the browser provides one hundred percent security against tracking but yes it is also a popular and reliable browser just like Google Chrome.
You can finally say that Chrome fixes are never far away. As you start opening search results in different tabs it starts working on or on the fixes that are listed above. You can always continue browsing on a separate browser like Kingpin and avoid any problems by securing your presence.
10. Block Pop-ups and Redirects
By using redirects, websites usually send traffic to their desired location. It can be a landing page, an affiliate page, or a promotional offer. As a result, the user will be redirected to multiple pages every time they visit a website. But it may be responsible for the opening of unwanted websites and pop-ups. However, Chrome allows users to block such activities by disabling the settings for allowing websites to use pop-ups and redirects.
How to stop websites from opening new tabs in Chrome on Android Devices?
There are situations when you install an APK file of a restricted app of your region and use it they are filled with unwanted adware causing Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows. This keeps Chrome constantly popping up unnecessarily and launching at every short interval. But not an issue anymore as this problem can easily be cured now by following some simple ways like:
1. You can clear Chrome data from your phone settings by following steps
- First, go to settings open apps, and go to Chrome.
- Then select storage and click on “manage storage.”
- Then tap “clear data” and fix your issue.
2. Uninstalling the shady apps that are no longer useful
If you have apps that are not necessary for you then you must remove them from your phone, which instantly clears up the space and fix the issue.
3. Installing antivirus or BitDefender mobile security
This Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows fix works well in many cases. Two antivirus apps don’t work from the Play Store like CleanMaster and more. But using BitDefender mobile security or antivirus works great to detect adware.
Some easy steps to follow are:
- Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups, and malware: in the right top of the address bar go to the settings and remove unwanted ads, pop-ups, and malware.
- Block or allow pop-ups in chrome-android: You can allow or block notifications of some sites by following easy steps like:
- The first step is to open the Chrome app.
- Then look for the sites that you do not want to open or pop up automatically on Android devices and block them.
- You can also try incognito mode which allows browsing the internet without any issue.
- Help Chrome to open up unwanted spam pages automatically.
You can navigate to a new website and check your new settings.
- Install Ad-block extensions
- First launch Chrome on your device
- Then navigate to the web store of Google Chrome
- Check whether the unwanted tabs on Windows sites have stopped opening automatically and popping up.
How can you remove the Google Chrome tab startup?
The Chrome tab startup page allows you to see your recently closed websites, apps, or recently visited tabs. You can either remove your individual page from the start-up page or you can even disable the feature and try to enable a single homepage website. After removing the individual page, the next most visited site comes into the chapter.
1. Removing Individual Page From Tab Startup:
Steps for stopping Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows are on Google Chrome:
- The first step is to open Google Chrome and if it is already open, check on top of the browser and click on the “plus” symbol to open a new tab. This automatically brings you to the open tab startup page.
- Then proceed by moving your mouse cursor over the thumbnail that you want to remove. With this, a header will appear above the thumbnail.
- Then to remove the website from the tab startup page click on the “X” button in the right corner.
2. Removing The Startup Tab Page
Steps to follow here are to stop Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows on Google Chrome:
- The first step is to open Google Chrome and then click on the “wrench logo” that is placed in the right corner of the window.
- Then click on “options” and proceed by clicking on “basics”.
- Move down to the end of the “home page” section and the selection must appear as “use the new tab page”.
- Then check the box that is just placed beside “open this page”.
- Enter the website address that you want to be used as a home page and finish the process by closing the windows.
How to prevent the hacking of a website from other malicious attacks?
Though you may think why will your site be hacked, but it is true that websites are compromised all the time and so there are chances of hacking. Most of the time it occurs not because of messing with your website layout or stealing your data, but rather it is an attempt to set up a temporary web server or use your server as an email relay to spam, generally done to serve files of illegal nature. Sometimes you could also be hit by ransomware as a common way to abuse the compromised machines which also includes using your servers as a part of Botnet or for Bitcoins.
However, hacking is generally performed by automated scripts that are written to scour the internet as an attempt to exploit website security issues that are known in the software. Some of the tips to keep your website safe online are:
Keeping your software updated
To keep your site secure it is essential that you keep it up to date. This applies to software that is running on your websites like forum or CMS and also to the server operating system. Hackers can be very quick to attempt your site as soon as they come across website security holes in software.
If you have a managed hosting solution then it is not your problem to take care of security updates as the hosting solution will take care of the matter but if third-party software like forum or CMS is used on your website, then you must ensure that you are really quick in applying the security patches. There are many vendors that have an RSS feed or mailing list of any website security issues. Umbraco, WordPress, and many other software even notify you of all the system updates when you log in.
You must ensure that all your dependencies are up to date and use great tools like Gemnasium so that you get automatic notifications whenever a vulnerability is happening in any one of your components.
Check your SQL injection
Whenever an attacker uses a web form field or any URL parameter so he can gain access to your database or manipulate it, such attacks are called SQL injection attacks. Using standard transact SQL can be easy to enter rogue code unknowingly into your query that can be easily used to change tables, delete the data, and also get information. But this can always be prevented by using parameterized queries as it is easy to implement and also is available in most web languages.
Security against XSS attacks
XSS attacks inject vulnerable JavaScript into your pages, which can run in the browsers of users and can easily change the page content or even steal important information to send back to the attacker or hacker. In modern web applications, it is quite a complex concern as pages are built from user content and also generates HTML that is interpreted by Angular and Amber-like front-end frameworks. Such frameworks are responsible for providing XSS protections thus mixing server and client rendering creates complicated and new attacks. Here the main task is to focus on how your user-generated content could hide the bounds that you expect and be interpreted like something you intended by the browser.
Content security policy (CSP) is another XSS defender toolbox that can be used. This is a header that your server can return and also guides the browser to limit when and how JavaScript is executed on the web page.
Be aware of error messages
You must take care of what information is given in your error messages. Always provide minimal errors to your users so that the secrets (like database passwords or API keys) present on your server are not leaked. Never provide full exception details as such errors can make SQL injection attacks easier. So always try to show users the information that they need and not detailed information.
Validation on both server and browser side
Both side validations are compulsory as the browser can catch easy failures on mandatory fields that are empty and also when you enter text into the numbers field. Such can be easily bypassed, so you must always check for deeper validation on the server side as failure to do so might lead to scripting code or vulnerable malicious code being inserted in the database causing unwanted results in your website.
Keep checking your passwords
To protect the security of accounts, users must always keep strong passwords for the website and server admin area. Enforcing the password requirement by following instructions like upper and lower case and more can be of great help in the long run to protect all your information. You must always store passwords as encrypted values by using a one-way algorithm like SHA. This method ensures that when you are authenticating users you only compare encrypted values.
However, for extra security, you must always try to salt passwords by using a new salt per password. If you notice any event of stealing or hacking of your password, using hashed password can always help to damage limitation because decrypting them is not possible. The best thing that someone can do is brute force attack or dictionary attack and using salted passwords can lessen the attacks as guessing of every hash separately for each salt password makes the process complex and expensive.
Ignore uploading of file
To allow users to upload files is quite a risk even if it is done only for changing avatars. Any file uploaded contains a script that opens up on your website while executed on your server. This leads to treating all the files with suspicion if you have a file upload form. Your ultimate goal is to stop users from executing any files that they upload on their site. However web servers by default won’t attempt to execute the files that have image extensions and you must not rely solely on checking the file extension with the image name, rather you can rename the file while you upload for the correct file extension or even change file permissions.
Using HTTPS
HTTPS is a protocol that is used to provide you security over the internet. It guarantees that users are getting to talk to the servers that they expect and nobody else can change or modify the content that they see in transit. HTTPS must be used to deliver private information like login pages, credit cards, and also URLs. This is necessary because an attacker can easily imitate and take charge of users’ login sessions and here HTTPS would be your savior for your entire site. Insecure HTTP needs to be upgraded and you can use HTTP strict transport security to add to your server responses and also disallow any insecure HTTP for your whole domain site.
Access website security tools
After doing everything you must focus on website security and the most efficient way to do this is by using website security tools also known as pen testing. There are various products that can assist you with this and protect you from hacking.
Some of the tools that can be used and are free and effective to use are:
- Netsparker: this free tool is good for testing XSS and SQL injection.
- SecurityHeaders.io: this free online check tool helps to quickly report security headers like HSTS and CSP that enables a domain and configure it.
- OpenVAS: this is the most advanced security scanner that is great for testing known vulnerabilities.
- Xenotix XSS Exploit Framework: this is a tool from an open web application security project that involves a huge selection of XSS attacks that can easily confirm whether the inputs on your sites are vulnerable in Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Chrome.
Conclusion
The above issues Opening Unwanted Tabs And Windows that arise can be quite irritating and annoying. But all these can be easily resolved. You need to check whether this problem is due to malware, viruses, shady extensions, cookies, or any issue in the browser itself. This problem can be resolved by changing settings in the browser or by deleting and reinstalling the browser.
To resolve such issues it is highly advisable to use powerful internet security software like Ad Chrome extensions and more. This helps to prevent the risk of malware or viruses and prevent from damaging. However, if a PC, Mac, or Android is highly loaded with viruses then you might look for greater solutions. You can also use various free web browsing tools that are efficient and effective and might be a great help to resolve your issue.
Above are mentioned various ways and steps that will allow you to deal with similar problems like annoying pop-up tabs, web surfing, spam-free, opening links, and many more issues. Now you can easily adjust your Chrome and adjust the internet browser easily and wisely. You can also contact a digital marketing company for design points and more and speak to an expert for solutions. Follow the instructions and steps mentioned above to get easier and instant results and make your website the best of all that is worthy to use without any annoying problems.
FAQs
1. Why do websites open random tabs?
Unwanted software or browser extensions can be the reason behind random tabs opening. You can use a reputed, anti-malware or antivirus software to scan your system for any malicious programs and remove any threats found.
2. Can you lock tabs in Edge?
Yes, you can use locked tabs. The locked tab can’t be closed, dragged, or moved out of a workspace window.