If you’ve been using uBlock Origin to block ads on Chrome, you might’ve noticed it’s suddenly not working. And honestly, you’re not the only one. A bunch of people online — mostly on Reddit and X — are talking about how Chrome just turned it off without much warning. It’s all because Google’s moving everything over to something called Manifest V3, which changes how browser extensions work.
Why Is Google Doing This?
According to Google, this new system (Manifest V3) is supposed to make things safer and more private. That sounds good in theory, right? But the thing is, it also blocks a lot of the tools that ad blockers — like uBlock Origin — depend on to actually work. So even if you’ve had uBlock Origin running for years, it might just get disabled now because it doesn’t meet the new rules.
Google started this change back in October 2024, but more people are just starting to feel the effects now. If you open Chrome and suddenly see a message saying your ad blocker was turned off, yeah, that’s what’s going on.
What This Means for You
If this update just hit you and your ads are suddenly back, here’s what you can do:
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Try uBlock Origin Lite – There’s a “Lite” version still available on the Chrome Web Store, but heads up, it doesn’t block as much stuff because of the new limits in Manifest V3.
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Switch browsers – Firefox is still letting the old-style extensions run, so uBlock Origin works just fine there.
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Check for new updates – Some other ad blockers might release newer versions that fit Google’s new rules better. It’s worth keeping an eye out.
Also, Microsoft Edge (since it runs on Chromium like Chrome) is doing the same thing — so if you’re using uBlock Origin there, expect the same problem. Brave is trying to hang on to some old support for a while, but even that won’t last forever.
Firefox Might Be the Best Bet for Now
At this point, Firefox is one of the few big browsers still supporting both the old and new types of extensions. So, if ad blocking is a must-have for you, switching to Firefox could save you a lot of hassle.
It’s a bit frustrating, especially if you’ve gotten used to a clean, ad-free browsing experience. But with Google pushing Manifest V3 forward, more users will probably have to either switch tools — or switch browsers — to keep things working the way they like
