Google is cracking down on older extensions as it moves forward with its new extension standard, Manifest V3.
Among those affected is the original uBlock Origin ad blocker, which is being disabled for more Chrome users. While Google claims Manifest V3 improves privacy and security, it also removes features that some ad blockers relied on—something Mozilla refuses to do for its Firefox browser.
Users on Reddit and X have reported that Chrome is now actively removing outdated extensions. A notification appears in Chrome’s extensions tab, informing users that the add-on is “no longer supported” and giving them the option to either delete it or manage their extensions.
Google started phasing out uBlock Origin on Chromium-based browsers in October, but the impact has been growing in recent weeks. Reports from Bleeping Computer and Verge staff confirm that more devices are seeing affected extensions automatically disabled.
The shift away from the old Manifest V2 specification doesn’t just affect uBlock Origin—any extension that hasn’t updated to V3 is also being removed. Users can switch to uBlock Origin Lite, but it has limited ad-blocking capabilities due to V3’s restrictions.
This change doesn’t just impact Chrome. Other Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge are also losing V2 support, and Brave has warned that it can only offer “limited” ad-blocking features once V2 extensions are removed from the Chrome Web Store. Meanwhile, Mozilla is taking a different approach, keeping both extension standards alive, which could make Firefox a new home for users who rely on full-featured ad blockers.
