On August 31, 2026, Google removes every remaining Manifest V2 extension from the Chrome Web Store. That's the final step of a shutdown that already disabled uBlock Origin, and it means the listing, the reviews, and any chance of reinstalling it in Chrome disappear for good.

If your ad blocker vanished or shows "This extension is no longer supported," here are your real options.

What Happened

Chrome has been phasing out Manifest V2, the older extension platform uBlock Origin is built on, in favor of Manifest V3. Google's official timeline tells the story: MV2 extensions were disabled by default for all users in March 2025, the toggle to turn them back on died with Chrome 138 in July 2025, and the enterprise escape hatch went away in Chrome 139. August 31, 2026 is the last milestone, when the remaining MV2 listings get purged from the store.

Manifest V3 limits how extensions filter network traffic, which is why the original uBlock Origin can't simply update itself into compliance.

Option 1: uBlock Origin Lite

The same developer, gorhill, built uBlock Origin Lite from scratch for Manifest V3. It installs from the Chrome Web Store, blocks the large majority of ads, and needs almost no configuration. Set the filtering mode to Optimal or Complete for the strongest blocking.

The honest tradeoff: MV3 caps the number and dynamism of filter rules, so Lite can't match the original's cosmetic filtering or per-site surgical control. For most people it's good enough. For heavy filter-list users it isn't.

Option 2: Switch Browsers

Firefox still runs the full uBlock Origin, and Mozilla has committed to keeping Manifest V2 support. Brave keeps its own built-in blocker plus MV2 support for a curated set of extensions. Either gets you the original extension experience back, and both import bookmarks and passwords from Chrome in a couple of minutes.

What Not to Do

Skip the sketchy workarounds. Sideloading an unmaintained MV2 build means no updates and no security patches on a piece of software that reads every page you visit. Same for random "ad blocker" extensions racking up installs since the purge. Ad blockers see everything, so stick to uBlock Origin Lite, the original on Firefox, or a browser with blocking built in.

Google's official Manifest V2 deprecation timeline

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