Remove CurseForge ads from the launcher

remove_curseforge_ads.md

This only applies for Windows on the default CurseForge installation. You should have a modern Node.JS installation (I'm using version 20)

1. Go to C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources
2. Run npx @electron/asar extract app.asar app_made_by_tards on your cmd
3. Go to the new app_made_by_tards folder and locate the dist folder
4. Go to the dist folder and locate the desktop folder
5. Go to the desktop folder and open desktop.js

As of right now, what needs to be edited is on LINE 165

6. Try searching for something like "aside",{className:(()=>{let e={"curseforge-ad" and change "curseforge-ad":!0,subscribed:!1 to "curseforge-ad":0,subscribed:1

You are only removing the ! marks to emulate being a "subscribed" user

7. Search for className:"ad-inner",children:(0,s7.jsx)(b9,{show:!t&&f() and replace !t&&f() with 0
8. Search for children:[(0,s7.jsxs)("span",{children:[m(b7.adsIntro),"."] and replace [m(b7.adsIntro),"."] with [] to skip the intro video

Now we're ready to re-pack the app.

9. Run npx @electron/asar pack app_made_by_tards app.asar in the same directory that the initial unpacked folder is in (C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources)
10. Delete the initial CurseForge data folder located at C:\Users\<YOUR USER>\AppData\Roaming. Should be the folder named CurseForge.

Relaunch the app and you will no longer see ads.

As of right now, this works but updates to the launcher may change the compiled electron output; I would recommend preventing the app from updating. I believe deleting app-update.yml should do the trick?

If any of the string I used for searching above does not work, search for support.overwolf.com in the file and the line before the opening <style> tag should be the line to edit.

IF for some reason there are still ads showing somewhere, add these domains to an ad blocking client like AdGuard

||adnexus.net^
||sja.yahoo.com^
||criteo.com^

Note: This will not remove your modpacks, but you will need to input your custom jvm args again if you added those, and set the amount of ram for modpacks. (aka it removes your settings)

download npx (https://nodejs.org) from the internet (this will take 7 to 15 minutes)

navigate to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources in explorer
(you can copy and paste the dirrectory)

Open Command Prompt, not powershell.

run in Command Prompt cd "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm"

run in Command Prompt npx @electron/asar extract "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources\app.asar" "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources\app_made_by_tards"

• you will need to install another package for npx to work, it should ask you to install it.

• if you get an error then I can't help, look it up, most likely you had an issue with installing node.js. your npm package is located in C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm.

navigate to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources\app_made_by_tards\dist\desktop in explorer

get a notepad app open (I use notepad++), and open desktop.js by dragging it into your notepad app. (C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources\app_made_by_tards\dist\desktop\desktop.js)

search for ?"high-impact-ad":"overwolf-ad",adSize: (there are 2 of these so make sure you get the correct one)
the string we want to change looks like this:
[!o&&/*#__PURE__*/(0,lg.jsx)(yK,{style:"promo-banner",adSize:yQ.banner,containerId:eG.Banner}),/*#__PURE__*/(0,lg.jsx)(yK,{style:o?"high-impact-ad":"overwolf-ad",adSize:e,containerId:eG.SingleLarge})] (it wont be an exact match usually)

change
(lg.Fragment,{children:[!o&&/*#__PURE__*/(0,lg.jsx)(yK,{style:"promo-banner",adSize:yQ.banner,containerId:eG.Banner}),/*#__PURE__*/(0,lg.jsx)(yK,{style:o?"high-impact-ad":"overwolf-ad",adSize:e,containerId:eG.SingleLarge})]})})
to
(lg.Fragment,{children:[]})})

save the file

run in the same Command Prompt npx @electron/asar pack "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources\app_made_by_tards" "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Programs\CurseForge Windows\resources\app.asar"
(If you closed command prompt run cd "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm" again)

run in Command Prompt rmdir /s /q "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\CurseForge"

launch curseforge and see if it works. I haven't tested on any other devices.

No longer works :(

O7 for having it working at some point (and omg the ads in this app are insanely bad/cringe)

This is still working for me. The strings and the referenced functions for ad displays have different names, but spoofing sub functionality is still possible.