Behind The Overlay: Close Website Overlays in Chrome and Firefox
Behind The Overlay is a free browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that closes website overlays with one click. Press its toolbar button or Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on a Mac) and it hides the newsletter box, survey or sign-up wall covering the page, then restores scrolling so you can keep reading. It only acts when you trigger it, so it never changes pages on its own.
This page covers what the extension does, where to get the Chrome and Firefox versions, how the Behind The Overlay Revival fork differs, and which alternatives handle overlays when the extension misses one.
What is Behind The Overlay?
Behind The Overlay is an on-demand overlay remover: it looks for the element that sits on top of the page content and hides it, along with the dark background layer many sites add behind a popup. Its store description sums it up as "one click to close any overlay on any website", and the developer notes that it works even on overlays that have no close button.
Overlays are the modern popup. They are HTML elements drawn inside the page, which is why the popup blockers built into browsers do not stop them. Most offer a close button, but some hide it, delay it, or demand an email address first. Behind The Overlay also handles a common side effect: many overlay scripts disable page scrolling, and the extension switches scrolling back on when it hides the overlay. It supports pages that stack several overlay elements at once.
The extension is open source and developed by Nicolae Namolovan, with the code on GitHub.
Behind The Overlay for Chrome
The Chrome version of Behind The Overlay is available in the Chrome Web Store and is the most actively maintained edition. It moved to Manifest V3 in January 2024 (version 0.2.2), so it keeps working after Google's removal of Manifest V2 extensions from Chrome. The store lists around 100,000 users.
To use it in Chrome:
- Open the Chrome Web Store listing and click Add to Chrome.
- Pin the extension from the puzzle-piece Extensions menu so the button stays visible.
- On a page with an overlay, click the button or press Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS).
- If a second layer remains, trigger it again.
Because it is a standard Chrome Web Store extension, it also installs in other Chromium-based browsers that accept Chrome Web Store extensions, such as Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera. You can change the shortcut on the chrome://extensions/shortcuts page if Ctrl+Shift+X clashes with another extension.
Behind The Overlay for Firefox
The original Behind The Overlay is listed on Firefox Add-ons as a WebExtension port of the Chrome version. It uses the same shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux, Cmd+Shift+X on macOS), and the listing states that it also works in Firefox for Android. The Firefox build is version 0.2.1, last updated in March 2022, and has about 17,000 users.
When this article first appeared in 2017, the Firefox add-on was a legacy extension that was expected to break with Firefox 57, the release that dropped legacy add-ons. That problem no longer applies: the current listing is a WebExtension, so Firefox users can install it directly instead of using workarounds to load the Chrome version.
Behind The Overlay Revival vs the original
Behind The Overlay Revival is a Firefox-only fork created when the original add-on looked abandoned before Firefox 57. Its Firefox Add-ons listing describes it as the original add-on rebuilt as a WebExtension with some improvements.
| Detail | Behind The Overlay (Firefox) | Behind The Overlay Revival |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Nicolae Namolovan (original author) | Ivan Ruvalcaba (fork) |
| Latest version | 0.2.1, March 2022 | 1.8.3, April 2019 |
| Users on Firefox Add-ons | About 17,000 | About 2,900 |
| License | MIT | GPL 3.0 |
For most people the original is the better pick today: it has the larger user base, a more recent update and the same author as the Chrome edition. Revival remains an option if you already use it and it handles your sites well, but it has not been updated since 2019.
Does Behind The Overlay still work?
Behind The Overlay still works on the typical newsletter, survey and promotion overlays, but no one-click tool catches every design. Sites that render the overlay in a shadow DOM, inside an iframe, or that re-insert it after it is hidden can defeat it. Hard paywalls are a different case: when the article text is never sent to the browser, there is nothing behind the overlay to reveal.
If the extension does nothing on a page, try these steps:
- Trigger it a second time; some sites stack two or three layers.
- Check that the shortcut is not taken by another extension.
- Reload the page and trigger it after the overlay has fully appeared.
- Use one of the alternatives below for that site.
Overlay blocker alternatives for Firefox and Chrome
The strongest alternative to Behind The Overlay, and the way to block overlays permanently, is a content blocker that hides them automatically, so you do not have to click on every visit. Options worth knowing:
- uBlock Origin element picker: select the overlay once and create a filter that hides it on every future visit. See our guide on removing any page element permanently with uBlock Origin.
- uBlock Origin element zapper: removes an element for the current page view only, which works like Behind The Overlay but with manual targeting. Here is how the element zapper works.
- Overlay Blocker: an older Chrome extension with a similar one-click approach, covered in our Overlay Blocker review.
- Reader view: Firefox Reader View and similar browser reading modes show the article text without most page elements, overlays included.
Cookie consent banners are a separate category with dedicated controls; Firefox can reject cookie banners automatically in supported regions and setups.
FAQ
Is Behind The Overlay safe?
It is open source, so its code can be inspected on GitHub, and it only runs on a page when you click the button or press the shortcut. As with any extension, install it only from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons listings.
Does Behind The Overlay block overlays automatically?
No. It is a manual tool that acts only when you trigger it. For automatic, repeat removal on a site, create a cosmetic filter with an element picker in a content blocker such as uBlock Origin.
Can Behind The Overlay bypass paywalls?
No. It hides elements that are already on the page. If a site does not send the article text until you subscribe or log in, there is nothing behind the overlay to show.
Related: best Firefox add-ons, best Chrome ad blocker extensions
Ya’ll seen it. But can you remove it?
are these the first uMatrix/uBlock cracks in the armor?
ahh if only I would eat their cookies
martin,
either delete this post or write another titled: “block annoying 90% off Ghacks posts in Chrome and Firefox”.
list building is the only sustainable business model for 99% of internet based businesses.
blocking ads is one thing, but blocking list building?
the only sustainable, long-term business model?
remember how last google update dropped your traffic? the reason you were forced to rethink your income strategy?
maybe one will make a 1-page niche site to do just that :)
let’s SEO it a bit >>
how to block annoying ‘90% off’ posts on Ghacks.com in Chrome and Firefox
lol, sorry. like your other posts. keep it up!
thank you.
As soon as i read the first line i went to my bookmarks and copied the “Behind The Overlay Revival” URL to paste here and comment about it and it even being a web extension, then i went to finish reading the article and *Update*, lol.
Also, i don’t know about the old outdated Behind The Overlay, but with the new web extension Behind The Overlay Revival you can not only dismiss the annoying overlay with either the toolbar button or move it to the hamburger menu and just right click on the web page and select “Remove the overlay from this page”.
Also you can use it to mess up a YouTube page or use it on https://www.playstation.com/en-us/ to get rid of the annoying background ad bs. i sign into it sometimes and if you click anywhere it an add your clicking on, remove the overlay and no more accidental click bs. There’s other things this works on, you’ll have to experiment for yourselves.
I find overlays to be a huge annoyance, and this is with Ublock Origin installed. I just start reading an article and then, BANG, it dims and a stupid dialog is in my face. Navigating to a toolbar button isn’t a lot easier than just dismissing it with its own button and a three key combination is also not ideal but it is workable. Blocking each one on a per site basis isn’t practical for me since they’re not sites I visit regularly. An extension that is preconfigured or automated would be wonderful thing.
I use page clean-up tools such as Nuke Anything Enhanced
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/malvertising-campaign-finds-a-way-around-ad-blockers/
Seems no matter what we use they have their ways around it!
A good hosts file helps by blocking access to ad servers in the case where they use that approach.
Here’s an article for those who don’t understand how to do this …
https://www.bestvpn.com/blog/41159/use-your-hosts-file-to-block-ads-and-malware/
I use the MVPs.org Hosts file
BTW, this site throws up a pop-up. But they have a “no thanks” button.
You can also “give the dog a bone” by using a temporary email address or a legitimate looking fake one.
>You can also “give the dog a bone” by using a temporary email address or a legitimate looking fake one.
This is often what I do, especially on sites I like, such as Bundlestars, which does the overlay begging for an email address.
I use AutoHotkey and have several email addresses that I can auto-type with a short keyword (e.g. abc1 to type out my main email). When a site begs for an email and I know this will silence the overlays once the site is satisfied, I’ll feed it my throwaway/spamcatcher email.
uBlock Origin handles some of them with the lists I use, otherwise I create a new rule for the site. Also, when in a hurry or just discovering a site, rather than creating when applicable a dedicated uBO rule to remove the overlay and its content, there is the trick — which often works, not always — to use uBO’s inline scripts blocker for that site. When it works it’s a fast solution and can be kept as a rule for that site given the blocked inline scripts doesn’t block any other essential element of the page/site.
After the infamous pop-ups, now those damned overlays. This is counter-productive because it annoys the user at the very start of his visit. Be it for an honest site information, be it for advertisement (which I don’t encounter myself with uBlock Origin). Sometimes I wonder with what deciders decide, brains so obviously left aside.
If you submit your filters/rules to a major repository, others will benefit as well.
Quite true.
I use the Firefox browser with the NoScript extension and uBlock Origin. I keep JavaScript blocked until I know I want it for a particular site. I don’t very often run into the ‘overlays’ but when I do I either leave the website and never return or I block the overlay with uBlock. A few times sites stopped working after blocking the overlay so I just left and never came back. Meh, it’s their loss.
This ‘overlay’ crap will drive more and more people to use ‘blockers’.
“Extensions like uBlock Origin may assist you in dealing with overlays permanently.”
Martin, I know many of your readers would appreciate an article on how to do this in Ublock. I certainly would. thanks.
Jeff, check out this guide: https://www.ghacks.net/2017/02/21/ublock-origin-how-to-remove-any-element-from-a-page-permanently/
For Pale Moon I use “Remove it Permanently” It’s a pure element hider, unlike Ublock or ABP. Works fine.
I use µBlock Origin in Chrome to block this type of thing which I do not see that often. If it becomes a more frequent problem, I’ll consider adding another more efficient extension to circumvent the problem, I like to keep the number of extensions to a minimum as a general practice.
“Do you encounter website overlays regularly? How do you deal with them?”
I do encounter such overlay. I believe these are called modal overlays.
To get around them, I block them with Adblock Plus or one of its forks. I use the extension “Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus” to extend the options of Adblock Plus to allow easy selection of an element to hide, such as the modal overlay. Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus can also be used on much than modal overlays and is also provided by the same author as Adblock Plus.
The Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus extension description page is located at:
https://adblockplus.org/elemhidehelper
The Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus GitHub page is located at:
https://github.com/adblockplus/elemhidehelper
for releases:
https://github.com/adblockplus/elemhidehelper/releases
The Mozilla Add-On Repository page for the extension is located at:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/elemhidehelper/
The few such overlays that I encountered so far could be removed in CSS.
But only a few days ago, I’ve seen something that seems to act similarly, but appears to be injected by some of those dirty adware sites instead of by the site itself. They also keep you out of the site you wanted to visit and try to make you download a few pieces of software first. An immediate scan with my security tools reveals no infection at my side. I locked them out in my firewall. Ghostery did not block them, and further on I do not allow any cookies except by a few trusted sites, and all LSO’s are killed within one second, so they can not be the source. I’ve only seen it on a very few sites (co-operative ? or infected ?), but if such behaviour becomes a new trend as well…
If their names matter for someone : http:// peletle dot com and http://www dot tradeadexchange dot com
I just searched for info concerning peletle.com and, if Sucuri Sitecheck is correct, the site appears to be blacklisted :
“Blacklisted (10 Blacklists Checked): Indicates that a major security company (such as Google, McAfee, Norton, etc) is blocking access to your website for security reasons. Please see our recommendation below to fix this issue and restore your traffic.”
Which explains I guess why I feel on Adwords when following your link to peletle.com. The place is hacked :
https://sitecheck.sucuri.net/results/peletle.com
We’re far from the article’s topic but I guess the info is worth being mentioned. Sorry & thanks, Martin.
Thanks for that info too, Tom.
BTW, I wouldn’t think we are that far from the article’s topic as it still seems to me that the hacker uses the same overlay technique. In one occurence I managed to circumvent the overlay and got to the intended website, but in an other occurence overlays kept being replaced, each touting an other piece of software, until I quit.
Your peletle link leads here to Google’s Adwords and tradeadexchange is blocked by several regiments of my 1st Army Division, HOSTS to start with (good soldiers!), so I cannot test those pages.
Tom, that peletle was the first in a whole bunch of rapidly forwarded sites. Maybe Adwords was among them, but I did not see it as they were flashing really fast.
The bunch ended with tradeadexchange that actually delivered the overlays. uBlock Origin indeed blocks this last one (not the first) on my good old and faithful XP (where I, too have my Army Headquarters), which I normally use for surfing. But apparently I must have forgotten to install it on the Windows7, which is normally never online although equally armoured (the windows10 saga, you know), except really short times and for two or three highly trusted sites and only when I am working there and too lazy to switch over again.
Any way, no harm nor damage was done this time, but it’s becoming really disgusting on that www – like in our cities…
There is a Firefox extension “Behind The Overlay Revival”:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/behind-the-overlay-revival/
and it’s compatible with FF 57+.
Cool, I add that to the article. Thanks for letting me know!
Pale Moon has this extension too. Well, an ancient version of it. Works fine though.
A little trick that I use is to disable JavaScript with the QuickJava extension and refresh the page on stubborn sites with overlays. Once I am done reading the article and leave the site I will re enable JavaScript.