Google Chrome’s Changes Are Ending uBlock Origin
For years, uBlock Origin has been one of the most popular tools for people who want an ad-free experience while browsing. That is now coming to an end on Google Chrome, as the browser moves closer to fully shutting the door on the technology that made the extension so effective.
The change stems from Chrome's transition from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3, the framework that determines what browser extensions can do and how they operate. Google has framed Manifest V3 as a step toward better security, privacy, and performance.
The transition has been taking place for quite some time. Chrome began disabling Manifest V2 extensions for most users in late 2024, although various workarounds allowed determined users to keep uBlock Origin running. Over the following months, Google steadily removed those escape routes. Chrome 138 eliminated the standard setting that allowed users to re-enable Manifest V2 extensions, while Chrome 139 removed an enterprise policy that businesses had been using to delay the transition.
Now, the final remaining workarounds appear to be disappearing. Developers following the Chromium project recently reported that Google is removing the last technical flags that still allow Manifest V2 support to be enabled. Discussions within the WebExtensions Community Group suggest that current Chrome releases may be the last versions where advanced users can still find a way to keep the old system alive.
Ad blocking itself is not disappearing from Chrome. Raymond Hill, the developer behind uBlock Origin, saw these changes coming years ago and created uBlock Origin Lite, a version built specifically for Manifest V3. It can still block many ads and trackers, but it lacks several features that made the original so popular, including advanced filtering controls, element picking, and some cosmetic filtering tools.
The changes also reach far beyond Chrome. Browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Opera are built on Chromium and inherit many of the same technical decisions. Keeping Manifest V2 alive independently would require maintaining a separate version of Chromium, something few browser makers appear interested in doing.
For users who prefer a browsing experience with fewer ads, trackers, and distractions, Firefox is the best option. Mozilla has not followed Chrome's approach to extension restrictions, allowing the original version of uBlock Origin to continue functioning as intended. Brave offers another alternative. While it is based on Chromium, it includes its own built-in ad and tracker blocking tools and continues to support the full version of uBlock Origin.
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