AdGuard for Windows v8.0: a new chapter of protection

The new version is currently in the early stages of rollout and we expect it to reach all existing users in the coming weeks.

A brand-new version, a new major number, a fresh design — and, most importantly, truly system-wide protection. AdGuard for Windows v8.0 doesn’t just look different: it gives you clearer control over the traffic on your computer and makes the most important settings easier to reach.

Ready to check it out? Just update your current app. If you’ve never tried AdGuard for Windows before, get the app by clicking the button below.

If you’d rather read first — here’s why this release is big enough to deserve a new number. There’s something here for power users, and something for those who simply want the clean, safe Internet without having to think about it.

Truly system-wide protection: why we filter all apps

Alongside the DNS filtering you already have, AdGuard offers full-fledged network-level filtering. This means stronger protection and more control: you can filter all Internet traffic on your device, so your protection is system-wide.

You might ask: why does system-wide filtering even matter? Isn’t blocking ads in browsers enough? On desktops, browsers still generate about 55–60% of total traffic — but that still leaves a huge share for other apps. Tracking inside apps is often even more invasive than on websites. Apps can access more personal data, interact directly with device resources, and use persistent identifiers that websites simply can’t. That’s why filtering all device traffic is so important.

Also, our research on popular Windows software showed that a significant share of telemetry and advertising requests comes from desktop apps — messengers, game launchers, media players, PDF readers and others — not just from websites. Many of these apps use the same domains for core functionality and for tracking, so simple domain blocking would break them.

To solve this, v8.0 uses path‑level HTTPS filtering and app‑specific rules that remove tracking requests while keeping the app’s main features intact. Filtering all apps by default ensures that you’re protected everywhere on your system, not only in the browser.

More about how desktop apps track you and why system‑wide filtering matters

Of course, DNS protection is still there — you can choose a DNS server and filter content that way. But DNS filtering is less flexible, and some tracking requests can still get through.

This is where HTTPS filtering becomes essential. With it enabled, AdGuard can inspect traffic within Windows apps. This allows us to distinguish between legitimate content and tracking requests, even when they come from the same domain.

For example, you open the Facebook app and just mind your own business. What you can’t see are the tracking requests immediately appearing in the background. The catch is that Facebook serves both legitimate content and tracking requests (like https://graph.facebook.com/network_ads) from the exact same domain. If you try to stop this tracking via DNS, you only have one choice: block the domain entirely. But doing that would break the app completely, meaning you couldn’t even log in or load your feed.

Network filtering lets us be much more precise here. By decrypting the traffic, AdGuard can identify the full URL and block only the tracking requests while leaving the rest of the app working just fine.

While HTTPS filtering is enabled for browsers by default, it is disabled for most other apps to ensure better compatibility. You can always enable it for extra protection: just select the application you want to filter in App management and toggle on Filter HTTPS traffic.

Speaking of App management: this new section, along with Statistics, gives you full control and transparency over what apps are doing on your PC.

See what your apps are doing and take control

To make managing traffic easier and give you a clear picture of what’s happening on your device, we’ve added two new sections: App management and Statistics.

What you can do in App management

App management lets you control how each app accesses the Internet. By default, AdGuard filters everything. As soon as an app goes online, it appears in App management, and its traffic is routed through AdGuard. From there, you can configure what to do with the app and how to filter it:

• Decide which apps have their traffic routed through AdGuard
• Choose to block ads and trackers in specific apps
• Enable HTTPS filtering in apps of your choice

We’ve also introduced Filter unknown apps, a new setting for handling apps that are not yet in the compatibility or exclusion lists. It’s on by default — new apps get regular filtering, while HTTPS interception stays off to avoid affecting app behavior. Read our Knowledge Base article for more details.

What you can see in Statistics

Statistics show detailed network activity. The Companies section provides a perspective on all the companies that your device has sent requests to, while in Apps and Domains you see the stats specific traffic data for every app routed through AdGuard.

Wondering which company’s requests are blocked most often? Which apps are trying to share your data and with whom? You can quickly identify and block anything suspicious.

Not only inside updates: A complete redesign

AdGuard for Windows has come a long way since its debut in 2009. Over the past 16 years, its interface has shifted alongside the changing web, evolving through versions 5, 6, and 7. For those who have been with us from the start, these might bring back some memories:

With version 8.0, we are opening a whole new chapter. The app has been completely redesigned from scratch. Our focus was on simplicity and ease of use. The most important tools are now front and center, while advanced settings are still available — just tucked away so they don’t overwhelm new users.

Let’s start with the basics and dive deeper the further we go.

Key settings in plain sight

The app is designed to let you enable everything you need straight from the first screen. Just click the symbols you see — they stand for blocking ads and trackers, handling cookie notices and similar annoyances, and DNS protection. Everything you need for smooth and secure browsing.

If you want to fine-tune your protection, head to the Protection section, where settings are clearly categorized and explained in simple terms and enabled by one toggle.

If you prefer a more personalized experience, adjust the settings further.

Tracking protection allows you to choose a level of protection — from a simple, comfortable experience to a more advanced one, which includes deleting cookies for enhanced privacy. There is also a custom level where you can freely fine-tune everything to suit your preferences: like blocking notifications from websites or enabling anti-DPI protection.

Prefer a more hands-on approach to filtering? You can find low-level and network settings in Settings → App settings.

Extensive testing and how we handle compatibility issues

Before releasing 8.0 we ran extensive internal testing on hundreds of applications, and the public beta program lasted more than six months. Our goal was to make sure that popular apps work correctly with the new filtering logic out of the box, without manual configuration.

In most cases, widely used applications should work normally after the upgrade. However, the Windows ecosystem is huge, and some apps or specific configurations can still cause edge cases.

If you encounter a broken app or unexpected behavior after upgrading to v8.0, please report it immediately via our GitHub repo or through support in the app. We treat such reports as high priority and will react quickly with hotfixes. Your feedback directly improves the compatibility lists that control how each app is filtered and routed.