Why was uBlock Origin disabled in Chrome?

Google's Manifest V3 update removed the webRequest API that uBlock Origin relied on for dynamic filtering. Chrome permanently disabled all MV2 extensions in July 2025.

What is Manifest V3 and why does it break ad blockers?

Manifest V3 is Chrome's new extension API that replaced webRequest with declarativeNetRequest, which has hard rule limits and no dynamic filtering — severely reducing ad blocking capability.

How many users lost uBlock Origin in Chrome?

Approximately 40 million uBlock Origin users on Chrome were affected when Google disabled the extension.

What is the best uBlock Origin alternative for Chrome after Manifest V3?

uBlock Origin Lite (MV3 version) exists but has reduced functionality. Switching to Firefox or Brave is the most common solution for full ad blocking.

Does Firefox support uBlock Origin after Chrome's Manifest V3 changes?

Yes. Mozilla committed to supporting both MV2 and MV3 extensions, so Firefox users keep the full uBlock Origin.

Is there a business opportunity in building a Manifest V3 native ad blocker?

Several attempts exist (AdGuard MV3, Ghostery) but none match uBlock Origin's filtering power yet — underserved for power users.

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⚠ IssueCompetitiveLive

uBlock Origin Killed in Chrome by Manifest V3 — 40M Users Lose Full Ad Blocking

Google's Manifest V3 transition permanently disabled uBlock Origin in Chrome, affecting ~40 million users. The declarativeNetRequest API imposes hard rule limits that kill dynamic filtering. Users fled to Firefox and Brave. The lite MV3 version is a downgrade. Mass community anger across Reddit, HN, and X — one HN thread alone hit 552 points and 472 comments.

Product Idea from this Signal

A browser extension that blocks ads in Chrome under Manifest V3 using network-layer interception outside the browser's declarativeNetRequest limits

2.1k ▲

Google's Manifest V3 transition disabled uBlock Origin for around 40 million Chrome users by imposing hard rule limits on the declarativeNetRequest API that make full dynamic filtering impossible. The stranded users cannot get full ad blocking inside Chrome today. The opportunity is a browser extension that moves the filtering logic to a local proxy or native companion app running outside the browser sandbox, so Chrome rule limits are irrelevant -- the extension itself just routes traffic through a localhost interceptor that does the heavy filtering.

ad-blockingmanifest-v3chrome-extensionprivacybrowserdeveloper-toolscross-browser

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