YouTube Ad Blocking
YouTube Ad Blocker for Chrome: Block Every Ad, Free and Open Source
ProBlocker blocks YouTube pre-roll ads, mid-roll ads, and overlay banners on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Opera. Free, open source, no Acceptable Ads, no data collection.
How to Block YouTube Ads with ProBlocker
- Install ProBlocker in your browser
Open the official ProBlocker store listing for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera, or Vivaldi and add the extension. - Confirm ProBlocker is active on YouTube
Open youtube.com, click the ProBlocker toolbar icon, and confirm the extension is active for the site. - Update filter lists if ads still appear
Open ProBlocker options, go to Filter lists, and run a manual update to fetch the newest YouTube ad-blocking rules. - Reload YouTube and play a video
Refresh youtube.com after the filter update. YouTube pre-roll, mid-roll, and overlay ads should be blocked in the browser.
For browser-specific installation details, use the Chrome download page or the Firefox download page.
How ProBlocker Blocks YouTube Ads
YouTube delivers ads through specific URL patterns on googlevideo.com and
youtube.com domains. ProBlocker's filter lists include rules targeting these
ad manifest endpoints. When your browser requests the ad content URL, ProBlocker cancels
the request before it completes. The ad never downloads; the video plays without interruption.
This is different from extensions that download the ad and then attempt to skip or hide it. ProBlocker cancels the network request — so no ad content ever reaches your device.
YouTube Ad Types ProBlocker Blocks
| Ad type | Description | ProBlocker status |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-roll ads (skippable) | Ads that play before a video with a "Skip" button | Blocked |
| Pre-roll ads (non-skippable) | Ads that play before a video with no skip option | Blocked |
| Mid-roll ads | Ads that interrupt longer videos | Blocked |
| Overlay ads | Banner ads displayed over the video player | Blocked |
| YouTube Shorts ads | Ads shown between Shorts | Yes — blocked the same way as standard YouTube video ads. |
ProBlocker vs YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium is a paid subscription that removes ads across all YouTube content, including Shorts and YouTube Music. ProBlocker is free and blocks YouTube ads on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi — but does not remove ads on YouTube apps (iOS, Android, TV) where browser extensions cannot run.
| Feature | ProBlocker | YouTube Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks YouTube ads | Yes (browser only) | Yes (all platforms) |
| Price | Free | Paid subscription |
| Works on mobile apps | No | Yes |
| Blocks ads on other sites | Yes | No |
| Background play (mobile) | No | Yes |
| Downloads | No | Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Install ProBlocker
ProBlocker installs in under 30 seconds. No account, no setup — it blocks YouTube ads immediately after installation.