This article helps you get AdBlock360 up and running after installation and explains the most important first steps.
Opening the App
On its very first launch, AdBlock360 briefly shows a startup screen while the background services come online — after that, it runs silently in the background as a system-level service. You don't need to keep a window open.
The app's main window has three tabs at the top — Home, Support, and Settings. The on/off toggle and live protection counters live on Home; configuration lives under Settings. (Don't confuse this window with the in-page AdBlock360 Manager icon — that's a separate browser surface, covered in Features Overview.)
To open or hide the app from the system tray (bottom-right corner of the taskbar, near the clock — click the small arrow to show hidden icons):
- Left-click the AdBlock360 icon to toggle the window — it opens on the Home tab if hidden, or minimizes back to the tray if it's already in front. The icon changes between an "on" and "off" state to reflect AdBlocking status.
- Right-click the icon for a menu with three items: Open, Start / Stop (toggles AdBlocking — the label matches the current state), and Quit.
First-launch prompts
The first time you run AdBlock360 you may see up to two quick prompts. You can skip either with Maybe later and change the setting whenever you want:
- "High risk of ads appearing" — shown only if you declined the AdBlock360 Root CA certificate during installation. Choose Activate full protection to turn on HTTPS Filtering (recommended), or Maybe later to enable it later under Settings → Advanced → HTTPS Filtering.
- "Add Browser Manager for AdBlock360" — offers to add the in-page AdBlock360 Manager control icon to your browser. Choose Enable Browser Manager or Maybe later (you can toggle it later under Settings → AdBlock360 Manager). (The onboarding prompt calls it "Browser Manager"; everywhere else it's the "AdBlock360 Manager".)
There is no license-key prompt at first launch — to activate Premium, see "Signing in and out" below and Entering & Activating Your License Key.
Checking That AdBlocking Is Active
The system tray icon reflects the status: an "on" icon when AdBlocking is enabled, an "off" icon when it's paused.
To confirm AdBlocking is on:
- Left-click the AdBlock360 icon in the system tray to open the app on the Home tab.
- Check that the main toggle is on the green Enabled side.
- If it's off, click the toggle to enable it.
Enabling or Disabling AdBlocking
You can turn AdBlocking on or off at any time:
- Left-click the AdBlock360 system tray icon to open the Home tab.
- Click the main On/Off toggle.
- AdBlocking is immediately enabled or disabled — no restart required.
You can also toggle it straight from the tray: right-click the icon and choose Start / Stop. For disabling AdBlocking on a specific website only, see Disable AdBlocking on a Website.
Controlling AdBlock360 in Your Browser
AdBlock360 offers two optional in-browser controls. Both just control the Windows app — which does all the blocking — so neither works on its own.
- AdBlock360 Manager — a small control button the app injects directly onto the web pages you visit. It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera (only while AdBlocking is on, and — on HTTPS pages — while HTTPS Filtering is on). On first launch, AdBlock360 offers to enable it:
You can also toggle it later under Settings → AdBlock360 Manager.
- AdBlock360 Browser Assistant — a separate extension available only for Chrome, from the Chrome Web Store. Search for AdBlock360 Browser Assistant, install it, and it connects automatically to your running app.
If a control shows a disconnected status, make sure the AdBlock360 Windows app is running (check the system tray).
More on this in Browser Extension & Windows App — How They Work Together.
Your Free Trial
When you first install AdBlock360, you get a 7-day trial with all Premium features unlocked. See Your Free Trial for what's included and what happens when it ends.
Signing in and out
The app has a Sign In button in the top-right corner of the window.
To sign in:
- Open the AdBlock360 app and click Sign In (top-right corner).
- Your default browser opens the AdBlock360 sign-in page.
- After you sign in, the browser shows a prompt asking to open the AdBlock360 app — accept it. The app receives the result automatically and updates.
Once signed in, the Sign In button is replaced by a profile icon in the same place. Click it for:
-
My profile — opens your account in the browser (
account.adblock360.com/dashboard/) - Log out — signs the device out; it falls back to Basic (unless an anonymous trial is still active)
Don't have an account yet? See Creating an Account.
Recommended First Settings
After installation, consider reviewing these settings:
- Autostart with Windows: AdBlock360 is set to start automatically with Windows by default. To change this, go to Settings → General → Autostart.
- App theme: If you prefer a dark interface, go to Settings → General → App theme and choose Light, Dark, or System.
- HTTPS Filtering: Whether this is on depends on what you chose in the installer. If you accepted the AdBlock360 Root CA certificate during installation, HTTPS Filtering is on (so ads are blocked on HTTPS sites, which is most of the web). If you declined the certificate, it's off — the Home tab shows a banner to turn it on, or enable it under Settings → Advanced → HTTPS Filtering.
Finding Your App Identifier
Your App Identifier (sometimes shortened to "AppID") is a unique ID for your AdBlock360 installation. Support may ask for it when troubleshooting. To find it:
- Open the AdBlock360 app and go to Settings → About.
- At the bottom of the page you'll see "App Identifier:" followed by a long string.
- Select and copy that string manually (there's no copy button), then share it with support if requested.