Chrome Updates Block Other Extensions & uBlock Origin

Published by Shivani Bhore on March 5, 2025

Chrome Update: Google is launching Manifest V3, a significant update to Chrome that modifies the way extensions work. The goal of this update is to improve browsing experiences while bolstering security and privacy. Ad blockers and productivity tools, among other extensions that let users personalise Chrome, will now be subject to more stringent guidelines intended to guard against misuse and safeguard user information.

Feature

uBlock Origin is popular because it prevents advertisements from appearing on websites. However, uBlock Origin and related extensions require a functionality that the new Manifest V3 system eliminates in order to function. These previous extensions are being disabled for an increasing number of users as Chrome transitions to this new configuration. People’s PCs are displaying a notice that appears under the extensions tab. The add-on has been turned off and is “no longer supported,” it explains. Users can then choose to handle the extension by going to a settings page or immediately deleting it.

Effects on Other Browsers

Chrome isn’t the only browser to switch to Manifest V3. Older extensions are likewise no longer supported by Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers. Once Google completely removes Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Brave, a privacy-focused browser, has stated that it can only offer limited support for them.

Firefox is Unique Among Browsers

Both the Manifest V2 and V3 extensions will remain supported by Mozilla Firefox, according to the company. Because of this, Firefox is a good choice for those who wish to continue using robust ad blockers like uBlock Origin without having to deal with Google’s new restrictions.

Although it has not established a specific date for the phase-out of previous extensions, Microsoft Edge, which is also built on Chromium, is implementing Manifest V3.

Ad-blocking browsers with privacy features, like Vivaldi and Brave, are also becoming more and more popular as possible substitutes.

A lighter version of uBlock Origin, known as uBlock Origin Lite, is available and compatible with Manifest V3 for users who want to keep using it. However, some of the original extension’s more sophisticated capabilities are absent from this version.