Short answer: if tabs open only when you click on certain websites, the website's ads are doing it, and a tab-blocking extension fixes it. If tabs open with no click, when Chrome starts, or on every site, something on your browser or computer is doing it: check extensions, notifications, startup pages and adware, in that order.
Step 1: Work out which kind you have
Ask yourself one question: does it only happen right after I click on a particular website?
- Yes, only after clicking on some sites (often streaming, download or comic sites): this is the website's ads. Your computer is fine. Jump to Fix A.
- No, tabs appear on their own, at startup, on every site, or even when Chrome is idle: something installed is causing it. Go to Fix B.
Fix A: Ad tabs from websites
Some websites open an ad tab whenever you click anywhere on the page. Chrome's pop-up blocker lets these through because they ride on your click. We explain the tricks in why clicking a website opens an ad in a new tab.
The fix is an extension that checks how each tab was opened. AdTabBlock stops click-triggered ad tabs, invisible "click anywhere" links and tab swaps, while your own links, Ctrl or Cmd + click and sign-in windows keep working.
Stop website ad tabs for free. No setup, no tracking.
Add to ChromeFix B: Tabs opening without a click
1. Remove extensions you don't recognise
Go to chrome://extensions. Turn off or remove anything you don't remember installing, anything that came bundled with free software, and anything with a vague name like "search helper". Then restart Chrome and see if the tabs stop.
2. Turn off site notifications you didn't mean to allow
Many "you've won" and "virus detected" tabs come from notifications you allowed once by accident. Go to chrome://settings/content/notifications, look under Allowed to send notifications, and remove any site you don't know.
3. Check what Chrome opens at startup
Go to chrome://settings/onStartup. If a page you don't recognise is set to open, remove it. Also check your default search engine at chrome://settings/search, since adware often changes it too.
4. Check Chrome isn't managed by something else
Open the three-dot menu. If you see "Managed by your organization" on a personal computer, a program may have added policies that open pages or install extensions. Go to chrome://management to see what is set.
5. Reset Chrome's settings
If the tabs keep coming back, go to chrome://settings/reset and choose Restore settings to their original defaults. This turns off extensions and resets the startup page and search engine, but keeps your bookmarks and saved passwords.
6. Scan your computer
If tabs still open, run a full scan with your antivirus (Microsoft Defender on Windows is built in). On a Mac, check System Settings, General, Login Items for apps you don't recognise, and remove them from your Applications folder.
Still not sure?
Try the AdTabBlock test page. If ad tabs only appear on certain sites when you click, and AdTabBlock stops them, the cause was the websites. If tabs keep opening with AdTabBlock installed and no clicking at all, follow Fix B.