To allow a website’s pop-ups in current desktop Microsoft Edge, open Settings and more (…) > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Pop-ups and redirects. Under Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects, select Add site, enter the website’s address beginning with https://, and select Add.
You can turn off Blocked (recommended) on that page to allow pop-ups more broadly. For a statement, form, or other task on one trusted website, a site exception is usually the more useful choice: the browser can keep blocking automatic pop-ups from other websites.
This guide covers current desktop Edge, with a separate note for versions that use Cookies and site permissions. Website pop-ups, advertisements inside a webpage, and notifications in Windows are different features. If you also use Chrome or Firefox, see how to turn off the pop-up blocker on Windows 11 for each browser.
Decide What You Need to Allow
A pop-up can open a new window or tab, such as a statement viewer. A redirect sends the browser to another address. Edge puts permissions for those behaviors on the same settings page.
Before adding an exception, check the address of the site where you are performing the task. Use the real site’s HTTPS address rather than a name supplied by an unexpected advertisement. Adding an exception grants that site permission; it does not establish that the site is trustworthy.
| Situation | Appropriate starting point |
|---|---|
| One trusted site cannot open a needed window | Add that site to the allowed list |
| You need a temporary test across several sites | Turn the blocker off, then restore it after the test |
| An advertisement covers part of the current webpage | Check the site’s own controls; the pop-up blocker cannot stop every in-page advertisement |
| Alerts appear near the Windows notification area | Review website notification permission separately |
| A setting is unavailable on a managed computer | Ask the organization’s administrator |
Microsoft’s pop-up support article confirms that the blocker is on by default and describes the current allowed-site controls.
Allow Pop-Ups for One Website
- Open Microsoft Edge and select Settings and more (…). The button is at the top of the browser, usually at the right of the address bar.
- Select Settings. Edge opens its settings page.
- Select Privacy, search, and services. This is the current category containing the relevant permissions.
- Select Site permissions, then All permissions. The page displays the types of permission available to websites.
- Select Pop-ups and redirects. You should see the default behavior and any site exceptions.
- Find Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects and select Add site. Edge opens a dialog for the website address.
- Enter the website’s HTTPS address and select Add. For example, enter the actual address of the service you are using. The site should appear in the allowed list.
- Return to the website and reload its page. Select the statement, form, or other control again. Adding permission does not necessarily reopen a window that was already blocked.
Leave Blocked (recommended) on while using this exception. You are allowing a specific site without changing the general rule for other sites.
If the needed window still does not open, check the address where the action starts and the address mentioned by any blocked-window notice. A service may use another domain for part of its workflow. Add another domain only after confirming that it belongs to the service and that its pop-up is needed.
Turn the Pop-Up Blocker Off Completely
Use this when you intentionally want the broader behavior or need a short troubleshooting test:
- Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Pop-ups and redirects.
- Turn Blocked (recommended) off.
- Return to the affected webpage, reload it, and repeat the action that should open a window.
- When the task is finished, return to the same setting and turn Blocked (recommended) back on.
Turning it back on restores the default blocking rule, but it does not necessarily remove allowed-site exceptions that you added separately. Review those exceptions too if your goal is to return to the previous configuration.
The blocker is not a security verdict on an individual website. Even when it is enabled, stay alert to unexpected requests to download software, call a support number, or provide account information.
Recognize a Blocked Window
When Edge blocks an automatic pop-up, it displays a blocked-pop-up indicator in the address bar. Look for that indicator after selecting the action on the website.
Select the indicator to inspect the available options and the site involved. Labels can vary by Edge version. Use the settings-page allowed list when you want a persistent, reviewable exception for that site.
No indicator does not prove that the website is functioning correctly. The site might have failed before requesting the window, an extension could be interfering, or the content may be an in-page overlay rather than a separate window.
If Your Settings Show Cookies and Site Permissions
Older versions and screenshots commonly use Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects, sometimes with All permissions between those pages.
In that layout, look for Allow > Add to add a site, or the Block (recommended) switch to change the broader behavior. These serve the same purpose as the current allowed-site section and blocker switch.
Use the category actually present in your settings. Avoid mixing the older sidebar name with a different version’s steps midway through the procedure.
For the current app, select Settings and more > Settings > About Microsoft Edge to check its version and any available update. Restart if Edge asks you to finish an update, then check the permissions again. See how to restart Microsoft Edge to finish an update for the steps.
Troubleshoot a Site That Still Will Not Open Its Window
Work through the narrower checks first:
- Check the exception. Confirm the correct site address appears in the allowed list. A permission for one site does not automatically cover every unrelated address it links to.
- Retry on a newly loaded page. Refresh the site and select the action again rather than waiting for the originally blocked request to resume.
- Check Edge’s version. Complete any pending update through About Microsoft Edge.
- Review extensions. Open Settings and more > Extensions > Manage extensions. Temporarily turn off an extension that could be involved, reload the page, and test again. Restore it if the test makes no difference.
- Check the website’s own support guidance. A form can fail because of session, account, or application problems that pop-up permission cannot fix.
If multiple extensions may be involved, re-enable them one at a time after a test so you can identify which one changes the result. Our Edge extension guide explains where extension management fits into the browser.
Clearing cached data is a broader troubleshooting step. Review the options in our Edge history and browsing-data guide before selecting them. Removing cookies can sign you out, so save unfinished work and avoid clearing everything as the first response to one blocked window.
Cookie permission and pop-up permission are separate. Changing cookie settings can affect sign-in or embedded services and should address a documented requirement of the site, rather than serve as a universal pop-up fix.
If You Want to Stop Unwanted Alerts Instead
Microsoft explains that website notifications can appear in the notification center even though the pop-up blocker is enabled. Allowing or blocking new browser windows does not necessarily change notification permission.
Identify where the alert appears before changing settings. If it arrives in the desktop notification area, review that website’s notification permission. If it covers the webpage itself, look for the page’s close control or leave the site. Edge’s pop-up blocker cannot remove every advertisement designed to look like a pop-up inside an existing page. In the Edge app for iPhone, ads are handled by a separate setting, as explained in how to block ads in Microsoft Edge on an iPhone.
Microsoft also notes that Edge does not prevent a pop-up from opening when you explicitly select a button or link. The default blocker is primarily intended to stop websites from automatically opening unwanted windows.
For persistent suspicious behavior, use your operating system’s trusted security tools and investigate unfamiliar software or extensions. Do not accept a page’s claim that a pop-up proves your computer is infected.
Undo the Change
Open Pop-ups and redirects again. Turn Blocked (recommended) on to restore the default rule. In the allowed-site list, open the menu beside an exception you no longer need and use its removal option.
Reload the site after changing permission. If you used a temporary exception for a one-time form or statement, removing it afterward keeps the list easier to understand the next time you troubleshoot.
Common Questions
Does allowing pop-ups change every Edge profile?
Check the setting in the profile where you are browsing. Profiles and administrator policies can affect which settings are available. Do not assume that changing one browser profile updates another.
Why is Add site or the blocker switch unavailable?
A managed work or school browser may restrict the setting. Ask its administrator to approve the necessary site. Reinstalling Edge or changing unrelated privacy controls is not a reliable way to resolve that restriction.
Will this make all advertisements disappear?
No. In-page advertisements, website notifications, and user-initiated windows can behave differently from the automatic pop-ups this setting blocks.
Must I turn the blocker off to print a statement?
Not necessarily. If the statement opens in a window from a trusted site, an allowed-site exception may be enough. Retry the statement action after adding the permission.
Allow the smallest set of sites needed for your task, verify that the intended window opens, and remove temporary exceptions when you finish.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.