Blocking mode: medium mode - uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues GitHub Wiki

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Roughly similar to using Adblock Plus with many filter lists + NoScript with 1st-party scripts/frames automatically trusted. Unlike NoScript however, you can easily point-and-click to block/allow scripts on a per-site basis.

Blocking-wise, this is one significant leap from easy mode. However, be ready to accept that you will have to un-break websites, though at a lesser rate than hard mode, since passive 3rd-party resources (i.e. images, css) are not blocked in medium mode.

This is where you start to use dynamic filtering, a feature available only when you tell uBlock Origin (uBO) that you are an advanced user. Be sure to read the guide before, it is assumed that you understand well how dynamic filtering works in order to use medium mode effectively.

3rd-party scripts are blocked by default 3rd-party scripts and frames are blocked by default.

blue badge Starting with v1.21.7b5, a blue badge on uBO toolbar button indicates activation of the medium mode.

Using medium mode will significantly improve your browser performance, and similarly significantly reduce your privacy exposure compared to easy mode.

Characteristics
  • Web pages will load significantly faster compared to the easy mode.
  • Your privacy exposure will be significantly reduced compared to easy mode.
  • You no longer depend mostly on 3rd-party filter lists to dictate what is blocked or not.
    • The static filter lists are still used to mop up whatever network requests are not blocked in this mode -- so double protection.
  • High likelihood of web pages being broken: you have to be ready and willing to fix them when this happens.
    • Keep in mind though that as you build your ruleset for the sites you usually visit, you will spend less and less time fixing web pages.
How to enable this mode

Settings pane:

  • I am an advanced user: checked.

3rd-party filters pane:

  • All of uBO's filter lists: checked
  • EasyList: checked
  • Peter Lowe’s Ad server list: checked
  • EasyPrivacy: checked
  • Online Malicious URL Blocklist‎: checked

My rules pane:

  • Add * * 3p-script block
  • Add * * 3p-frame block
Tips

With one click or two, you can easily fall back into lesser blocking mode, if ever you do not have the willingness to figure the necessary rules for a given site.

To fall back into easy mode:

  • Set a local noop rule for the 3rd-party script cell: 3rd-party scripts allowed
  • Set a local noop rule for the 3rd-party frames cell (optional, as blocking 3rd-party frames is less likely to break websites): 3rd-party frames allowed
  • If you want the rules to stick, click the padlock to make them permanent.

Using local noop rules ensure that the resulting lesser blocking mode applies only to the current site so that medium mode is still enforced everywhere else.