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Troubleshooting: AdBlocking Not Working

This article helps you diagnose and fix the most common reasons why ads are still appearing even though AdBlock360 is installed.

Common Causes

Ads can slip through for several reasons:

  • The AdBlock360 app is not running.
  • AdBlocking is turned off in the app or for the current website.
  • The Browser Extension is not connected to the app.
  • The website is on your whitelist.
  • The app's filter lists are outdated.
  • HTTPS Filtering is disabled.

Work through the checklist below to find and fix the issue.

Step-by-Step Diagnostic Checklist

1. Check that AdBlock360 is running

Look for the AdBlock360 icon in your Windows system tray (bottom-right of the taskbar). If it's not there, the app is not running.

  • If missing: Start AdBlock360 manually. Go to your Start menu, search for AdBlock360, and launch it.
  • If the icon shows the disabled (off) state, AdBlocking is paused — left-click the icon, then turn the toggle back on from the Home tab (or right-click the tray icon and choose Start).

2. Check that AdBlocking is enabled

  1. Click the AdBlock360 system tray icon to open the app on the Home tab.
  2. Check the main toggle on the Home tab.
  3. If AdBlocking is set to Disabled (red), click the toggle to turn it back on.
07-02-AdBlock360-Main-App-Disabled.png

3. Check that the website is not whitelisted

If AdBlocking is disabled for the specific website you're on, ads will appear normally. To check:

  1. Click the in-page AdBlock360 Manager icon (or, in Chrome, the AdBlock360 Browser Assistant toolbar icon).
  2. See if the "Block ads on this website" toggle is off for this site.
  3. If so, turn it back on — the page reloads.

Alternatively, check Settings → Whitelisted Domains and remove the site from the Added domains list if it's there.

4. Check the Chrome Browser Assistant connection (if installed)

This step only applies if you use the AdBlock360 Browser Assistant extension in Chrome. If you're not using Chrome or don't have the extension installed, skip it — protection still runs through the Windows app.

  1. Click the AdBlock360 Browser Assistant icon in the Chrome toolbar.
  2. If the popup shows a message like "Not connected" or "App not running", the extension has lost contact with the Windows app.
  3. Make sure the AdBlock360 Windows app is running (see step 1).
  4. If the app is running but the extension still shows as disconnected, try restarting your browser.

5. Check that HTTPS Filtering is enabled

AdBlock360 uses HTTPS Filtering to block ads on secure websites (most modern sites use HTTPS). If this is turned off, ads will appear on HTTPS sites.

  1. Open Settings → Advanced → HTTPS Filtering.
  2. Make sure HTTPS Filtering is enabled.

Only disable HTTPS Filtering if you experience certificate errors on specific sites — leaving it on is recommended for most users.

6. Confirm your filter lists are current

AdBlock360's filter lists update automatically in the background — there is no manual "Update" button. Just make sure your PC has an internet connection and that the app itself is up to date (see Installing Updates). If you added a custom filter list, confirm it's still enabled under Settings → Advanced → Custom Filters.

7. Ad blocking works in every browser

Because AdBlock360 blocks at the system level, ad blocking works in every browser through the Windows app — you don't need a per-browser extension. The optional Browser Assistant is only a control panel and is available only for Chrome; if it shows as disconnected, that does not stop blocking in your other browsers. If ads appear in just one browser, make sure the AdBlock360 app is running and reload the page.

8. Restart the AdBlock360 app

Sometimes restarting the app resolves temporary issues:

  1. Right-click the AdBlock360 system tray icon.
  2. Select Quit.
  3. Start AdBlock360 again from the Start menu.

If None of These Steps Help

If ads are still appearing after working through all the steps above, report the ad so our team can improve the filter lists: open the AdBlock360 Manager popup on the affected page and click Report ads.

11-03-AdBlock360-Manager-Onboarding-Report-Ads.png

Then gather the following for support:

  1. Note which website and browser the issue occurs on.
  2. Check the Protection History on the main app window to see whether AdBlock360 is blocking anything at all.
  3. Note your AdBlock360 version and App Identifier from Settings → About.
08-12-AdBlock360-Settings-About-App-Identifier.png
  1. Open Settings → Advanced and click Open Log Folder. Attach the log files in that folder to your support ticket.
08-11-AdBlock360-Settings-Advanced-Logs-Folder.png
  1. Contact our support team with all of this information and a description of the issue.

For crash or startup issues with the app itself, see Troubleshooting: App Won't Start.

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