Using VPNs can be a bit frustrating. Given the complicated nature of the technology, platforms can be difficult to navigate and sometimes provide features that just don’t work how you want them to.
For example, ad blockers — which are built into a lot of top VPN platforms in 2025 — can be tragically indiscriminate when it comes to what they actually block, occasionally preventing users from accessing important pop-ups during their online experience.
Luckily, I’ve been using Surfshark, which provides users with an incredibly helpful fix for this VPN annoyance that makes the experience that much smoother.
More importantly, it’s easy to use, especially if you download the extension for Chrome.
Ad-blocker with exemptions
Never get unfairly blocked again
Surfshark is one of those VPNs that doesn’t just protect your internet connection. The platform offers handy tools that can make your online experience a bit more seamless if you know how and when to use them.
Protected web search, data leak alerts, antivirus scans, malware warnings, breach checks, and alternative online IDs are all built in with the VPN.
That’s not the game-changing feature for me, though, because Surfshark also offers a helpful blocker tool that prevents ads, trackers, and cookie pop-ups.
Dubbed CleanWeb, this feature can be easily toggled on, at which point it will block all those pesky ads, trackers, and pop-ups from ruining your online experience.
However, the idea of getting rid of every single ad, tracker, or pop-up seems a bit dramatic. After all, sometimes you need pop-ups to use a certain platform or perform a certain task, and a strict ad blocker can make it really hard to do so.
Some core functionality accidentally gets picked up by the ad blocker, preventing you from, say, watching videos on Android Police.
Even worse, if you figure out how to bypass it, you’ll likely have to do so every single time you want to access that platform. It’s a hassle.
That’s why Surfshark was such a huge lifesaver. Its platform makes it extremely easy to exempt specific websites from its ad blocker, so you can still get access when you need it, while protecting yourself across the rest of the internet.
The blocker also keeps that website exempt forever until you decide you want to turn it back on, so you don’t have to keep clicking every time you visit that site.
As someone who writes online a lot, this is particularly valuable when it comes to creating content, as pop-ups and ads are a regular part of the experience.
The simplicity of the feature really turns the ad blocking experience from a hands-on, arduous task to a set-and-forget platform.
How to exempt websites from Surfshark’s ad blocker
It’s almost too easy
If you’re wondering how to take advantage of the ad blocker from Surfshark but aren’t sure how this whole website exemption thing works, we’re happy to help.
For starters, you’ll need to install the Surfshark extension for your browser. It’s very much worth it, as it makes accessing the platform infinitely easier than logging in every time you want to make a connection.
After you’ve downloaded it, you’ll see the little Surfshark logo at the right end of the URL bar, and you can easily toggle on the ad blocker, which you can find in the extension at the bottom of the sidebar menu (denoted by a little stop sign with an X in the middle).
Then, go to whatever website you’d like to exempt from ad blocking. When you’re there, simply click on the Surfshark extension and click the ad blocker.
You’ll then see a big button underneath some stats about how many ads it’s blocked that says, “Turn off for this website.” Just click that button, and voilà, the website you are on will allow ads, cookies, and pop-ups until you decide otherwise.
A VPN that works for you
Convenience is the name of the game
This is the kind of feature users dream of when it comes to VPNs. It’s convenient, easy to use, and provides a practical tool for everyday usage.
It makes Surfshark a clear choice for anyone who’s sick of ad blockers that take too many liberties regarding what they do and don’t block.
Ad blocking isn’t the only thing Surfshark can do, given that its primary function is as a VPN. Still, all these features really add to the experience and can make users much more secure while surfing the web.
