How Do You Get Rid of a Pop-up Ad That Has No X or Close Button?

Use the Task Manager in Windows or the force-quit command in OS X to get rid of pop-up ads. Though you can right-click the pop-up window and close it from the taskbar in Windows and the dock in OS X, some pop-up ads open within the browser and do not create a second window.

  1. Open the Task Manager

    In Windows, right-click the taskbar on the desktop, and select Task Manager. Wait a few moments for the window to open. In OS X, press the Cmd, Opt and Esc keys to bring up a list of force-quittable applications. Next, choose and close the pop-up ad.

  2. Quit the process

    In Windows, click the Applications tab in the Task Manager to view a list of open applications. If you see the pop-up ad, click the End Task button. Wait for Windows to force-close the window. If it does not work, click the Processes tab. Locate the browser, and click End Process. This option force-closes the pop-up ad and the entire browser.

  3. Restart the browser

    Press the X button at the top of the Task Manager window. Reopen your browser, and choose not to resume from open tabs. Install an ad blocker in your browser to avoid future pop-up ads.