Table of Contents
Is Chrome Blocking Your Favorite Ad Blocker? Here’s a Simple Solution That Works!
uBlock Origin helps many people block ads and trackers. Recently, Chrome users saw their ad blocker stop working. The icon turned gray. A message said it’s not supported. This happened to many people at once. People shared their stories on Reddit. Screenshots showed the extension disabled.
This is not a mistake. Google is changing how Chrome extensions work. They are removing something called Manifest V2. uBlock Origin needs Manifest V2 to work well. Google warned about this change last year. Now, with Chrome version 138 and newer, the change is happening for real.
Manifest V3 is the new system. It is supposed to be safer. But it limits what ad blockers can do. Many say it helps Google keep ads showing. The uBlock Origin team said they will stop supporting the old version because of these changes.
How to Get uBlock Origin Working Again on Chrome
There is a way to make uBlock Origin work again, but it may not last forever. Here are the steps:
- Open Chrome.
- Type chrome://flags in the address bar.
- Search for "temporary-unexpire-flags-m137".
- Set it to Enabled.
- Restart Chrome.
- Go back to chrome://flags.
- Disable these three:
- extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-warning
- extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-disabled
- extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-unsupported
- Enable "allow-legacy-mv2-extensions".
- Restart Chrome again.
After this, uBlock Origin should work. Many users say this fix helped them right away.
- If you use Chrome version 139, search for "unexpire m138" and enable that instead.
- If you use Chrome version 140 or higher, these flags may not be there. You can try adding --enable-features=ManifestV2Extensions to your Chrome shortcut, but this may not work for long.
Important Notes
- These fixes are not permanent.
- The uBlock Origin team says support will end soon.
- Back up your custom filters and rules now.
The Best Long-Term Solution
Switching browsers is the best way to keep using uBlock Origin with all its features. Firefox is a great choice. It still supports Manifest V2. Firefox lets you move your bookmarks, history, and passwords from Chrome easily.
If you stay with Chrome, you can use uBlock Origin Lite. It blocks basic ads but does not have all the features of the original.
Why Choose Firefox?
- Still supports powerful ad blockers
- Not controlled by Google
- Easy to switch from Chrome
Quick Tips
- Try the workaround steps above if you want to keep using uBlock Origin on Chrome for now.
- Back up your filters and rules before anything changes.
- Consider Firefox for full ad-blocking power.
- If you use Chrome, try uBlock Origin Lite for basic protection.
Switching browsers or using the workaround can help you keep your web experience clean and safe.