--- title: How I browse the Web with uBlock (Hard Mode) | daily.dev description: A personal walkthrough of running uBlock Origin in 'hard mode' - blocking third-party requests, remote fonts, large media, and JavaScript by default -... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: How I browse the Web with uBlock (Hard Mode) | daily.dev og:description: A personal walkthrough of running uBlock Origin in 'hard mode' - blocking third-party requests, remote fonts, large media, and JavaScript by default -... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/nhHhpV0uM.png og:image:alt: How I browse the Web with uBlock (Hard Mode) og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How I browse the Web with uBlock (Hard Mode) **[Lobsters](https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters)** · 8 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A personal walkthrough of running uBlock Origin in 'hard mode' - blocking third-party requests, remote fonts, large media, and JavaScript by default - alongside Redirector for privacy-friendly frontend redirects and LocalCDN to emulate blocked CDN resources locally. Covers dashboard settings, dynamic filtering, the logger, DOM inspector, and a workflow for unbreaking sites that stop working under aggressive blocking rules. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I set up uBlock Origin in hard mode? Enable four options in uBlock Origin's Settings pane: block media elements larger than a set size, block remote fonts, disable JavaScript by default, and enable 'I am an advanced user' mode. Then add temporary rules in the My Rules tab blocking third-party scripts, frames, and requests by default (`* * 3p block`, `* * 3p-script block`, `* * 3p-frame block`), then commit them to make them permanent. _Developers refining a locked-down uBlock Origin setup can compare notes on browser privacy hardening via daily.dev._ ### How do I fix a website that breaks after enabling uBlock Origin hard mode with JavaScript and third-party requests disabled? Use the uBlock Origin logger (Ctrl+Y) to see exactly what requests, scripts, and frames are being blocked on a page in real time, then selectively allow only what is needed via Dynamic Filtering or Dynamic URL Filtering (which takes precedence and offers more granular control). The Firewall Filter view within the popup also shows only blocked items, making it easier to permit just the required resources. _Anyone debugging broken sites under strict content-blocking rules can find similar troubleshooting workflows on daily.dev._ ### What does the LocalCDN browser extension do? LocalCDN emulates common CDNs locally so the browser does not need to make external requests to fetch resources like popular JavaScript libraries or fonts hosted on third-party content delivery networks. It intercepts traffic, detects supported resources, and injects local copies into the page, which both improves privacy and helps unbreak sites when third-party CDN requests are blocked. _Developers building privacy-preserving browser setups can explore related tooling discussions on daily.dev._ ## Community take How the wider developer community reacted, aggregated from 2 discussions and 12 comments across hackernews, lobsters (as of 2026-09-13). **TL;DR:** Commenters appreciated the guide but found full 'hard mode' daunting, with several advocating uBlock's medium mode (blocking third-party scripts only) as a more practical middle ground, and comparing the workflow to the older uMatrix approach. **Sentiment:** 45% positive · 50% mixed · 5% skeptical **The case for** - The write-up is appreciated and some readers have adopted medium mode as a result of the discussion. - A keybinding for 'Relax blocking mode' is a handy shortcut for temporarily allowing third-party scripts. - Blocking third-party scripts alone catches most of the worst offenders since well-written scripts tend to be first-party. **The pushback** - Full hard mode looks daunting compared to more approachable alternatives like medium mode. - uBlock's selective blocking is seen as simpler but more limited than uMatrix's, making fine-tuning per-site rules harder. - Many everyday sites break when third-party scripts or fonts are blocked, sometimes forcing people toward disabling JS entirely. **By community** - hackernews (mixed): No substantive discussion was provided for this source. - lobsters (mixed): People praised the guide while debating whether full hard mode is worth the hassle versus a lighter medium-mode approach, drawing comparisons to uMatrix. **Hottest debate:** Whether full 'hard mode' blocking is worth the added complexity compared to the more moderate 'medium mode' that blocks only third-party scripts. **Open questions** - Would a clearer indicator for the 'Relax blocking mode' shortcut state reduce user confusion? **Highlights** > I salute people who can default to JS off; more power to yall. But if that's too extreme for you, blocking 3rd-party scripts only (medium mode) is nearly as good, because the worst offenders when it comes to scripting are almost always 3rd-party scripts. The scripts written by people who actually know what they are doing tend to be first-party; for example the upvoting scripts on this site. The other thing I really like is setting a key binding for "Relax blocking mode" in the Shortcuts section. When I didn't have this, I would often just turn off ubo altogether when all I really wanted was to allow the occasional 3rd-party script. > — [technomancy on lobsters · 2 points, 3 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/nsywuo/how_i_browse_web_with_ublock_hard_mode#c_z2ryyc) > I've been using uBlock's medium mode these last months—in large part thanks to your feedback! I already knew how blocking 3rd-party fonts breaks the visual design of a lot of sites, but I was very surprised to discover how many of my usual websites are broken when 3rd-party scripts are blocked, to the point where I'm starting to think that I might as well default to JS off. Often times, the blocked scripts come from other domains under the control of the devs, not even some CDN. > — [jmiven on lobsters · 2 points](https://lobste.rs/s/nsywuo/how_i_browse_web_with_ublock_hard_mode#c_38x2nv) > uBlock's selective blocking is somewhat simpler and more limited than uMatrix's, which is both good and bad. Getting a working uMatrix setup for a particular website can be a real exercise in staring at a grid that's mostly red and trying to figure out which particular bits need to be green; does this place need XHR or frames in addition to JS? How about cookies? (I've given up for some sites and run them in a separate Firefox setup that's allow-by-default (still with uBlock, of course).) > — [cks on lobsters · 1 points](https://lobste.rs/s/nsywuo/how_i_browse_web_with_ublock_hard_mode#c_utqisp) > Excellent post! I do something similar.. but I don't like it at all. Basically the only thing between usable web and ad induced nausea is uBlock Origin and nothing lasts for ever. Before uBO I used uMatrix, when it was archived I had a mini-crisis... > — [qbit on lobsters · 1 points](https://lobste.rs/s/nsywuo/how_i_browse_web_with_ublock_hard_mode#c_gnjkrb) **Source threads** - [hackernews](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49347370) · 1 points · 0 comments - [lobsters](https://lobste.rs/s/nsywuo/how_i_browse_web_with_ublock_hard_mode) · 35 points · 12 comments ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [How I block all online ads](https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-block-all-online-ads-rknknz0wd) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Browsing tools and Ad blockers: A guide to cleaner web experiences](https://daily.dev/posts/browsing-tools-and-ad-blockers-a-guide-to-cleaner-web-experiences-zxvjvhtkg) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [uBlock Origin filter list to hide YouTube Shorts](https://daily.dev/posts/ublock-origin-filter-list-to-hide-youtube-shorts-cbkppcxur) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#devtools](https://daily.dev/tags/devtools), [#privacy](https://daily.dev/tags/privacy), [#firefox](https://daily.dev/tags/firefox) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"How I browse the Web with uBlock (Hard Mode)","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T15:47:12.325Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T20:34:29.212Z","description":"A personal walkthrough of running uBlock Origin in 'hard mode' - blocking third-party requests, remote fonts, large media, and JavaScript by default -...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/e4e9a50a6cf7e3ba0bc6e3103ac542d7?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/e4e9a50a6cf7e3ba0bc6e3103ac542d7?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Lobsters","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Lobsters","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--tl8v_Fku--/f_auto,t_logo/v1698841318/logos/lobste.jpg","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"devtools,privacy,firefox","timeRequired":"PT8M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lobsters","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How I browse the Web with uBlock (Hard Mode)"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-browse-the-web-with-ublock-hard-mode--nhhhpv0um#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I set up uBlock Origin in hard mode?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Enable four options in uBlock Origin's Settings pane: block media elements larger than a set size, block remote fonts, disable JavaScript by default, and enable 'I am an advanced user' mode. 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