How to Block Ads with Freedom for a Faster, Ad-Free Web
Speed up your browser, clean up clutter, and protect your focus. In this guide, you’ll learn how to block ads with Freedom to create a faster, and a distraction-free web experience—without needing any browser extensions.
Ever land on a news site like CNN.com, Yahoo News, or Daily Mail and feel like the page is exploding with banner ads, autoplay videos, and clickbait carousels?
Not only is it distracting, but all that ad content can seriously slow down your browser and make it harder to stay focused.
While Freedom is known for blocking distracting apps and websites, there’s a clever way you can use it to block ads and tracking domains, too. It’s not the primary use case—but it works. By creating a blocklist of ad-serving URLs, you can give yourself a cleaner, faster, and more focused online experience.
Why block ads?
There are plenty of browser extensions that block ads, but Freedom works differently: it blocks content before it even loads, at the system level. That means less processing power, fewer distractions, and more control.
By blocking the domains that serve ads—like doubleclick.net or taboola.com—you’ll:
- Speed up slow-loading pages
- Cut down on visual clutter and noise
- Prevent tracking scripts from following you
- Stay more focused and less tempted to click away
It’s especially helpful if you’re reading a lot online or working in your browser and want to keep your digital space calm and clear.
Let’s walk through exactly how to do it.
How to block ads using Freedom
✅ Step 1: Open your Freedom dashboard
Head to freedom.to/dashboard and log in to your account.
✅ Step 2: Create a new blocklist
- Click “Add Blocklist”
- Give it a name like “Ad Blocker” or “Clean Browsing Mode”
- In the “Enter a Website” field, start pasting in the domains you want to block (more on that below)
✅ Step 3: Add ad-serving domains to your blocklist
We’ve done the work for you. Here’s a curated list of 40+ domains that serve display ads, video ads, and sponsored content on the web. These include networks like Google Ads, Taboola, Outbrain, Revcontent, and more.
Just click “Copy” below to grab the list!
After you copy, just go to your Freedom Dashboard and paste into your new blocklist and click “Create Blocklist”
✅ Step 4: Start a session using your blocklist
- Create or edit a session
- Select your “Ad Blocker” blocklist
- Choose the devices you want to protect
- Set your session duration and hit Start
Boom—Freedom is now blocking ads and trackers across your devices.
What changes should you expect?
Once your session is running, you’ll still be able to visit most sites like normal—but ad elements that rely on the blocked domains won’t load. That means:
- Fewer or no banner ads
- Missing sponsored content carousels
- No more autoplay video ads from third-party networks
- A faster and cleaner page load
💡 Heads up: Some sites might load a little oddly if they’re heavily reliant on ad scripts, but in most cases, the content will still be readable—just cleaner.
A simpler way to block distractions
This isn’t the usual way people use Freedom, but it’s a powerful trick for digital minimalists and focus-seekers alike. Whether you’re doing deep work or just want to read an article without the noise, this setup helps you protect your attention—and your time.
Want a walkthrough? Watch the video below to see exactly how to set up ad-blocking with Freedom in just a few steps.
Want to go further? You can combine this ad-blocking blocklist with other Freedom tools like Scheduled Sessions or Locked Mode to stay fully in the zone.
Got ideas for other blocklists?
Let us know! We’re always looking for creative ways to help you control distractions and stay focused. Whether it’s social media, doomscrolling news, or something niche—Freedom gives you the tools to build your ideal digital environment.
