Top 5 Chrome Extensions to Block Page Elements
The other day, I found a huge header on an e-book portal online. It took a considerable portion of real estate screen and was a source of great visual pollution. That's when I looked for ways to eliminate the monstrosity.
And with Chrome, extensions can help solve any problem. So, not only have I found one, but five extensions that minimize unwanted Web elements. Let them check.
1. Origin of the lock
uBlock Origin is an excellent ad-blocking extension for Chrome, and perhaps the best in terms of performance. But its functionality does not stop there. On the contrary, uBlock Origin also comes with a phenomenal blocker of elements that works perfectly.
Once the extension is installed and activated, simply right-click on a web page and select Block Item from the pop-up menu.
You can then move the cursor and the extension will automatically extend the items you can block. Make your choice, click Create, and the selected item must be permanently blocked.
You can also manage blocked items using the uBlock Origin dashboard. Right-click the uBlock Origin extension icon, click Options, and then click My Filters. You can then delete previously blocked items from the filter list.
Overall, uBlock Origin should help you to easily block any unwanted page elements. But, again, the extension also blocks ads. Do not forget to put your favorite sites in the whitelist. You can also choose to disable ad blocking filters and use it only as an item blocker.
2. Click to remove the item
Click to remove Element basically offers the same blocking features as uBlock Origin, although it does not block ads. And it works as its name indicates.
After installing the extension, just click on the icon of the extension. You can then move the cursor around it, and the extension will highlight all items that can be blocked in a page. Click on an unwanted item and the extension should block it immediately.
Blocked items will appear in the Click area to delete an item in the lower right corner of the screen. If all seems well, then you can choose that the extension "memorize" your changes during subsequent visits.
3. ChuckIt
ChuckIt is another fantastic blocker of elements very easy to use. After installation, simply click on the ChuckIt icon next to Chrome's address bar and you'll be able to instantly delete items with a simple right-click. And it's pretty fast as it does because there are no menus or contextual boxes to handle anything.
However, not all changes you make are permanent. But it's perfect for use on sites you do not frequent too often. For example, you can easily get rid of auto-play videos on random sites you've just discovered in a few clicks.
4. ElementHider
ElementHider differs from the extensions you have covered above. Rather than point and click on the item you want to delete, you should instead insert keywords.
Simply enter the keywords (general or specific) that an item may contain and ElementHider will automatically block them on all sites, whether it's Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, results Google search, news articles, etc. You can also choose to erase items instead of blocking them.
The extension is quite easy to use. Click on the ElementHider extension icon, insert the keywords and you should be ready to go. You can also choose to make the keywords case-sensitive or case-insensitive.
Although ElementHider does not have the same visual appeal as other extensions, it is ideal for blocking items that contain similar types of content without having to process them repeatedly across multiple sites.
5. CustomBlocker
CustomBlocker looks complicated, but it's actually quite easy to use. Although you can choose to add the rules yourself (provided you are familiar with HTML and CSS), using the built-in element selector is the most convenient.
Click the CustomBlocker extension icon, and then click Suggest in the Items to Hide section. You can then easily click on any item you want to block in a web page. It should be added automatically as a rule.
You can also refine the filter rules using keywords. For example, if there are several similar items in the page, insert relevant keywords to determine what you want to block.
Good riddance
The above extensions should help you effectively manage online all kinds of ridiculous web elements. uBlock Origin, Click to remove an item and ChuckIt work better if you prefer a visual approach to blocking items, while ElementHider and CustomBlocker allow a different approach using keywords. So, what was your favorite of the lot? Let us know in the comments.
Then: Do you have too many extensions installed in Chrome? Here are five great job managers who can help you manage them easily.