What "deleting ads" actually means

Deleting ads does not mean removing every advertisement from the internet. It means stopping ads that follow you across websites, turning off ads in apps you own, removing ad accounts that track your behavior, and blocking ads from appearing in specific places like your email or social media feed.

Most ads you see come from a few large companies — Google, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and Amazon are the biggest — that track what you do online and sell that information to advertisers. When you "delete ads," you are usually telling these companies to stop tracking you, or you are using software to block ads from loading in the first place.

The methods differ depending on where the ads are coming from. Ads in Gmail work differently than ads on websites, which work differently than ads in mobile apps. This guide covers the main places ads appear and what you can actually do about them.

Key Takeaways

  • You can turn off personalized ads in Google, Meta, and Amazon accounts by visiting their ad settings pages, which stops them from tracking your behavior to target you.
  • Ad blockers like uBlock Origin (for computers) and browser settings (on phones) can prevent ads from loading on websites, though some sites will not let you in if you use them.
  • Clearing cookies and browsing history removes the tracking data that advertisers use to follow you, but this resets every time you close your browser unless you change your settings.
  • Opting out of interest-based advertising through your phone's settings (Apple's App Tracking Transparency or Android's Ads ID) stops apps from sharing your data with advertisers.
  • Some ads cannot be removed because they are part of the service you are paying for — YouTube Premium removes ads, but free YouTube includes them.

Turn off personalized ads in your Google account

Google shows you ads on YouTube, Gmail, Google Search, and thousands of websites that use Google's ad network. You can tell Google to stop personalizing those ads based on your browsing history.

Go to myaccount.google.com, click "Data & privacy" on the left, then scroll to "Ad personalization" and click it. You will see a toggle that says "Ad personalization is ON." Click the toggle to turn it off. Google will still show you ads, but they will be based on what you are looking at right now, not on your entire browsing history.

You can also see what topics Google thinks you are interested in on this same page. Click "Manage your Google Account" and then "Data & privacy" to see a list like "Sports," "Technology," or "Home & Garden." You can remove individual topics if you want.

Turn off personalized ads in Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

Meta collects data from Facebook, Instagram, and websites that use Meta's tracking code. To stop personalized ads, open Facebook or Instagram, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines), scroll down to "Settings and privacy," then click "Settings."

Look for "Ads" in the left menu. Click it, then click "Ad preferences." You will see sections for "Advertisers and businesses," "Ad topics," and "Ads based on your activity on Facebook and Instagram." In each section, you can remove specific advertisers or topics. You can also click "Ads based on your activity on websites and apps" and toggle off "Ads on apps and websites."

Unlike Google, Meta does not have a single "turn off personalization" button. You have to remove topics and advertisers one at a time, or use the "Ads based on your activity on websites and apps" toggle to stop cross-website tracking.

Block ads on websites using ad blockers

An ad blocker is software that prevents ads from loading when you visit a website. The most common one is uBlock Origin, which is free and works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

To install uBlock Origin, go to your browser's extension store (Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, etc.), search for "uBlock Origin," and click "Add to [browser]." Once it is installed, you will see a small icon in your toolbar. Click it to see how many ads and trackers it blocked on the current page.

Some websites will not let you in if you have an ad blocker on. If that happens, you can click the uBlock Origin icon and toggle it off for that specific site. The site will load, but you will see ads. You can turn it back on when you leave.

Ad blockers work on computers and tablets but not on most phones. On phones, you have to use your browser's built-in settings instead — see the next section.

Block ads on phones and tablets

iPhones and iPads do not have ad blockers the way computers do, but you can turn on "Hide IP address" in Safari settings, which stops some tracking. Open Settings, scroll to Safari, and toggle on "Hide IP address from trackers."

On Android phones, open Chrome, click the three-dot menu, go to "Settings," then "Privacy and security," and toggle on "Block intrusive ads." This removes ads that slow down your phone, though it does not block all ads.

Both phones have a setting to stop apps from tracking you. On iPhone, go to Settings, scroll to Privacy, click "Tracking," and toggle off "Allow Apps to Request to Track." On Android, go to Settings, scroll to Privacy, click "Ads," then click "Delete advertising ID" or toggle off "Personalized ads."

Clear cookies and browsing history

Cookies are small files that websites and advertisers store on your device to remember who you are and what you have looked at. Clearing them removes the data that advertisers use to track you across websites.

On Chrome, click the three-dot menu, go to "Settings," click "Privacy and security," then "Clear browsing data." Make sure "Cookies and other site data" is checked, set the time range to "All time," and click "Clear data." Do the same for Firefox, Safari, or Edge — the steps are similar.

Clearing cookies works, but the data comes back when ready because websites and advertisers set new cookies as soon as you visit them. To keep cookies from building up, you can set your browser to delete them automatically when you close it. In Chrome, go to Settings, click "Privacy and security," then toggle on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome."

Remove yourself from ad networks and data brokers

Companies called data brokers buy information about you from advertisers and sell it to other companies. You cannot stop all of them, but you can remove yourself from some of the largest ones.

The main ones are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion (the credit reporting companies), plus Acxiom, Oracle Data Cloud, and Epsilon. Each one has an opt-out page where you can tell them not to sell your data. Search "[company name] opt out" to find the page for each one. Some require you to mail a letter, some let you do it online, and some ask for a phone call.

This is slow and does not remove you from all data brokers, but it stops the biggest ones from selling your information to advertisers.

Understand what you cannot delete

Some ads are built into the service itself and cannot be removed without paying. YouTube shows ads on free videos — the only way to remove them is to buy YouTube Premium. Facebook and Instagram show ads in your feed — you cannot remove them without paying for Meta Verified.

Ads in apps you have downloaded are also part of the app. If an app is free, it usually makes money from ads. You can turn off personalized ads (so the app cannot track you), but you cannot remove the ads themselves unless you pay for a premium version of the app.

Sponsored posts on social media are also permanent. If a business pays to promote a post, it will show up in your feed. You can click the three dots on the post and select "Hide all ads from this advertiser," but you cannot remove sponsored posts entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off personalized ads stop all ads from following me?

No. Turning off personalized ads stops Google, Meta, and Amazon from using your browsing history to target you, but other advertisers can still track you. Using an ad blocker or clearing cookies regularly removes more tracking, but some tracking will always happen as long as you use the internet.

Do I have to use an ad blocker, or can I just change my settings?

Changing your settings in Google and Meta accounts stops personalized ads, which is the most effective single step. Ad blockers remove ads entirely, which is more aggressive but can break some websites. Most people do both — change their settings and use an ad blocker on their computer.

If I clear my cookies, will I have to log in to websites again?

Yes. Cookies store your login information, so clearing them logs you out of most websites. You can set your browser to keep login cookies while deleting tracking cookies, but this is more complicated. The easiest way is to clear all cookies once a week and accept that you will have to log back in.

Can data brokers really sell information about me?

Yes. Data brokers buy data from advertisers, credit card companies, and public records, then sell it to other businesses. Opting out of the major ones stops the biggest sales, but smaller brokers still exist. There is no single way to remove yourself from all of them.

What is the difference between an ad blocker and turning off personalized ads?

Turning off personalized ads tells Google or Meta to stop tracking you — the ads still load, but they are not based on your history. An ad blocker prevents ads from loading at all. Ad blockers are more effective but can break websites, while turning off personalization is gentler and works everywhere.