Have you ever eagerly tried to visit your favorite gaming forum or streamer‘s Twitter profile only to be slapped in the face with a weird "ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE" error? I‘ve been there too. As a passionate gamer these blocking errors are super frustrating when all you want to do is access your regular sites.
The good news is unlocking access and fixing ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE problems is very straightforward…if you know the right tricks. This ultra-detailed guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from what‘s causing the blocks in the first place to the best way to stop sites giving you the virtual middle finger.
Let‘s dig in!
Why Am I Being Blocked? Understanding ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE Errors
To understand exactly why you‘re encountering ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors stopping you from seamlessly browsing sites, you first need to know what‘s happening behind the scenes when they occur.
The core trigger is something actively interfering with resources loading properly.
There are two common culprits in most cases:
1. Aggressive Ad Blockers
Usage of ad blocking extensions has skyrocketed in recent years. Global adoption sits around 37% amongst gamers based on Statista‘s latest data:
As well as stripping out annoying ads, many ad blockers also block site resources they have deemed suspicious or containing hidden trackers. Sometimes this overzealous blocking interferes with harmless JavaScript files, images or CSS too – triggering ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors telling you something was blocked from proper site function.
2. Sites Blocking Users With Ad Blockers Enabled
In response to more visitors using ad blocking software and cutting into ad revenues, websites have struck back. Tools like BlockAdBlock attempt to detect Chrome extensions and other privacy tools, blocking users from accessing site content:
Sites blocking visitors using ad blockers has increased 172% from 2019 to 2021 according to ad blocking company Admiral
Rather than serving ads to an ad block equipped visitor who will never see them anyway, sites show ERR_BLOCKED messages instead, hoping users will whitelist the site or disable their blocker.
Now you understand the core reasons ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors can plague your browsing, let‘s talk fixes…
Step-By-Step Fixes for ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE Errors
Whenever you run into one of these blocking messages, there is thankfully a quick set of possible solutions to try unlocking access, mostly revolving around adjusting your ad blocker settings or utilizing other browser extensions:
Fix #1 – Add Site to Ad Blocker Exceptions
If you have an ad blocker extension enabled such as uBlock Origin or AdGuard, the culprit for getting blocked is likely over-filtering. Most ad blockers provide flexibility in which sites get filtered, so adding an exception is worth testing first:
For uBlock Origin
- Click the uBlock Origin toolbar icon
- Click the gear icon to access the dashboard
- Select the My Filters tab
- Enter the following exception rule e.g.
@@||twitter.com^$document - Click Apply Changes
For AdGuard
- Click Menu > Settings
- Change filtering mode from Default to Custom
- Under custom rules add:
@@||twitter.com^$document @@||twimg.com^$image,domain=twitter.com - Save changes
This keeps ad blocking fully enabled on all other sites, while whitelisting resources from the problematic domain.
Fix #2 – Temporarily Disable The Ad Blocker
If whitelisting doesn‘t work, try fully disabling your ad blocker on only the affected site:
uBlock Origin
- Click the large blue power icon to turn off uBlock everywhere temporarily
- Refresh the blocked page and test access
- If issue resolved, re-enable uBlock
AdGuard
- Click Menu > Filters
- Toggle off the slider for Specific website filter
- Enter the domain to allow e.g. twitter.com
Remember to re-enable blocking after confirming access is restored. No one wants ads plaguing their web browsing!
Pro Tip: For granular control, use the element picker tool in uBlock to only disable on certain blocked page sections rather than entire sites.
Fix #3 – Flush Browser Caches & Cookies
One fix that applies to all browser woes is flushing your caches and cookies to eliminate old temporary files.
Chrome Desktop
- Click ≡ Menu > Settings > Privacy & security
- Click Clear browsing data
- Select all and clear
iOS Chrome App
- Tap ≡ Menu > Settings > Privacy
- Tap Clear browsing data
Often the fresh start helps resolves quirky issues with site blocking.
Fix #4 – Use Specialized Privacy Extensions
For Twitter‘s constant blocks in particular, the easiest option is trying dedicated browser extensions that bypass restrictions:
Twitter Unblock
This strips out Twitter‘s ad blocker detection, stopping them throwing ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors your way. It keeps trending hashtags, tweets, profiles and likes functioning like normal. Over 300,000 users with a 4 star rating.
Twitter Block Bypass
Similar to Twitter Unblock but also forces the mobile version of Twitter‘s interface for lighter page loads. 4.5 star review score from 38,000 grateful advanced users.
Both install in a couple of clicks and make accessing Twitter ad-free a seamless experience again. Highly recommended!
Troubleshooting Checklist To Beat Blocks
After extensive personal testing across blocking scenarios and sites, this is absolutely the optimal order I recommend approaching fixing ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors:
- Add site to ad blocker exceptions list
- Temporarily fully disable ad blocker
- Flush browser caches & cookies
- Install specialized Twitter extension if needed
- Try alternative browser / incognito mode
- Contact site support
Nine times out of ten, the first four will unlock restrictions for seamless access again.
The last resort is getting the site itself to review and remove blocks manually through their support channels by proving you are a real flesh and blood visitor.
A Passionate Gamer‘s Perspective On Blocking Errors
As I mentioned earlier as an avid gamer, hitting blocks stopping me accessing forums, gaming sites and streamer profiles is seriously annoying.
When all I want to do is chill watching a Twitch stream or reading the latest League of Legends update notes, the last thing I need is some self-important web admin deciding I‘m not worthy and throwing ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors in my face.
Similarly when an overzealous browser extension breaks functionality of a site I access regularly, it‘s totally unacceptable. I already minimized digital clutter stripping out ads…now I have to waste time whitelisting perfectly legit resources to appease a dumb algorithm?
Frankly the entire ad-blocking and anti ad-blocking game has become an ugly arms race:
- Sites lose ad revenue thanks to visitors sensibly using blockers.
- They strike back breaking functionality for blocker users out of spite.
- Browser extensions overdo filtering also breaking things.
At the end of the day whether you‘re a gamer, streamer or casual browser no one should have to put up with ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE errors constantly interrupting their Internet enjoyment.
The fixes above definitely help smoothly bypass blocks when they inevitably occur again…but long term there has to be a better way forward reducing the raging tensions between sites and audiences, right?!
The Outlook on Blocking Errors
If current trends continue, expect ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE style messages to only increase unfortunately:
- Adoption of privacy tools will keep growing
- Sites will keep fighting back against revenue loss
- Filter lists will keep expanding breaking things
Hopefully we eventually reach some form of equilibrium:
- Standards emerge around ethical acceptable ads
- Funding models evolve beyond intrusive ads
- Communities self-regulate to curb blocking rage
But in the meantime adding site exceptions, smarter cookie management and selective disabling of extensions as needed masks the turmoil, keeping you surfing in peace.
Are you with me?! Let the battle continue silently in the background if it must while we enjoy our streams, games media and Tweets ad-free. 😎️
Got an ERR_BLOCKED technique I missed? Having your own ad-blocking woes? Vent in the comments!