Vanta Documentation

Everything you need to set up, configure, and master Vanta — Ad & Privacy Guard.

Installation

Vanta is available as a free extension from the Chrome Web Store. To install:

1. Click Add to Chrome on the Chrome Web Store listing.
2. Confirm by clicking Add extension in the dialog.
3. Vanta will immediately begin protecting your browser — no configuration needed.

How It Works

Vanta uses a rules-based engine to evaluate every network request your browser makes. When you visit a page:

1. Your browser tells Vanta about each resource it is about to load (scripts, images, iframes, etc.).
2. Vanta checks the request URL against its filter lists.
3. If the URL matches an ad or tracking rule, Vanta blocks the request before it leaves your device.
4. The blocked request never reaches the advertiser's server — saving bandwidth and protecting your privacy.

This process happens locally. No request data is sent to Folner's servers.

Using the Vanta Popup

Click the Vanta icon in your Chrome toolbar to open the popup panel. From here you can:

• See request counts — how many requests were blocked on the current page
• Pause / resume protection — toggle Vanta on or off for the current site or globally
• Open Settings — access the full settings panel
• Allowlist a site — quickly add the current domain to your allowlist

Filter Lists

Vanta ships with a curated set of filter lists enabled by default:

• Vanta Base Filters — Folner's curated base list
• EasyList — the primary English-language ad filter list
• EasyPrivacy — tracking and telemetry protection
• Folner Annoyances — cookie notices, newsletter pop-ups, GDPR banners

You can add additional filter lists in Settings → Filter Lists. Popular additions include uBlock Filters, Peter Lowe's Ad and tracking server list, and regional lists.

Updating Filter Lists

Vanta automatically updates filter lists periodically. To force an immediate update, go to Settings → Filter Lists and click Update All.

Allowlist

The allowlist lets you disable Vanta protection on specific domains. This is useful for sites you want to support with ad revenue.

To allowlist a site, open the Vanta popup on that site and click Disable on this site. You can manage your allowlist in Settings → Allowlist.

Custom Rules

Vanta supports custom rules using familiar filter-list syntax for network and cosmetic blocking. To add a custom rule:

1. Open Settings → User Rules
2. Enter your rule in the text area. Example: ||example.com^ blocks all requests to example.com
3. Click Apply

See the Filter Policy for guidance on what kinds of rules are supported.

Filtering Log

The Filtering Log lets you inspect every network request made on the current tab — including what was blocked and why. To open it:

• Open the Vanta popup → click Open Filtering Log, or
• Go to Settings → Filtering Log

The log shows the request URL, type (script, image, fetch, etc.), rule that matched, and whether it was blocked or allowed. Use this to debug issues or write precise custom rules.

Import / Export

You can export your Vanta configuration (settings, custom rules, allowlist) and import it on another device. To do this, go to Settings → General → Import / Export Settings.

Vanta also supports importing filter subscriptions by URL. Paste the subscription URL in Settings → Filter Lists → Add by URL.

Troubleshooting

Ads are showing on a page

Check that Vanta is active (icon should be colored, not gray). Try forcing a filter update. If the ad persists, submit a report.

A website is broken

Click the Vanta icon and pause protection for the site. If the site works with Vanta paused, a filter rule may be too aggressive. Open the Filtering Log to identify which rule is causing the breakage and submit a report.

Still stuck?

Visit our Support page or email support@folner.com.