How To Successfully Block Large Image Files From Loading In Firefox

The average internet speed a user could expect some years back would actually make browsing a modern web page really impossible. To say, connection speed and technology have really improved exponentially in the past. It’s what influences services like Hulu and Netflix possible. The average user can watch a video with little to zero buffering. The file size is not really important now but that doesn’t mean it’s not an issue sometimes. Large files normal delay a web page from loading completely. Also, as these files load, they push the web page down making it hard to read. ImageBlocker is a Firefox add-on that allows you to block large image files from being loaded if they surpass a specific size.

Block Large Image Files From Loading

Install ImageBlocker and click on the addon icon in the tools bar. The addon is built to help block large image files from loading though it doesn’t add a blanket ban. Rather, you can select which files to block by their extension format. For instance, if you want to block a BMP file or GIFs, you can indicate their specific extensions in the addon’s settings.

Similarly, you choose how big a file is too big. You can also specify the size of a file in KBs and if a file exceeds that size, Firefox won’t load it. The size is determined on a for every file type basis. So, if at all you want to block BMP files that are larger than 200KB, but allow GIFs that are under 500KB, you can be able to do just that.

To set limits, all you have to do is enter the file extension and after that the upper file size limit in the box just next to it. Click Save. You can also include various exceptions, and you can as well delete or edit the ones you’ve previously added.

Limitations

The addon is somewhat buggy. It isn’t always able to prevent images from loading and we don’t know what the reason is. The addon is built to block images but in view of how it’s built, it could, in theory, block any type of file if it exceeds a specific size. We’d have tried that premise but like we stated, the addon is flaky notwithstanding with regards to blocking images.

There’s nothing left wanting in this addon with the exception of it needs to work more reliable. For users on a Windows tablet, this addon can possibly be extremely useful. Hopefully, the developer gives it a little more consideration and irons out the crimps.