Why did uBlock Origin stop working in Chrome?

Chrome 138 (released July 2025) completed Google's Manifest V3 migration, which removed the webRequest blocking API that uBlock Origin relies on. The extension's maintainer, Raymond Hill, documented this in the uBlock-issues wiki — it isn't a bug or an oversight, the underlying capability is gone. Chrome 127 began showing the warning in August 2024, the Chrome Web Store removed the listing in late 2024, and the auto-disable rolled out with Chrome 138.

What's the closest thing to uBlock Origin that still works?

Switching to Firefox is the only option that gives you the actual uBlock Origin extension, fully featured, free. Brave has a built-in blocker that doesn't need any extension. uBlock Origin Lite runs on Chrome but uses Manifest V3's declarativeNetRequest API, which means a pre-compiled ruleset, no live cosmetic filtering, and no dynamic filtering — gorhill himself describes it as a downgrade.

Should I just use uBlock Origin Lite?

If you stay on Chrome, yes. It's the same maintainer, it blocks the bulk of ads, and the install link is on the Chrome Web Store. The catch is what Lite can't do: dynamic filtering (per-site rule editing), the element picker, and live cosmetic filtering all rely on APIs that Manifest V3 doesn't expose. For most users that's fine. Power users who actually used those features will notice.

uBlock Origin Not Working in Chrome? Here's What Happened and Your Actual Options.

Last updated April 26, 2026

Your uBlock Origin extension wasn't deprecated by its developer. Google killed it. Chrome 138, released July 2025, finished off Manifest V2 — the extension API uBlock Origin used to block ads. The replacement, Manifest V3, removed the webRequest blocking capability that does the actual blocking. Chrome 127 first showed the "this extension may soon no longer be supported" warning in August 2024. The Chrome Web Store pulled the listing in late 2024. Then Chrome 138 auto-disabled it for everyone.

Raymond Hill (gorhill), uBlock Origin's maintainer, has a wiki page just for this: About Google Chrome's "This extension may soon no longer be supported". The canonical issue thread is uBlock-issues #3563, which has hundreds of comments from users hitting the same wall. uBO itself isn't dead — it works fine on Firefox and Brave. The Chrome version is what's gone, and it isn't coming back.

Your three real options

Ranked by what gets you closest to what you had, not by what makes anyone money.

1. Switch to Firefox

Free. Five-minute migration. Most uBO-equivalent.

Firefox kept the WebExtensions APIs uBlock Origin needs. The full extension — cosmetic filtering, dynamic filtering, the element picker, custom filter lists, all of it — works exactly like it used to in Chrome. gorhill develops uBO actively against Firefox; it isn't a port.

Get Firefox: mozilla.org/firefox/new. Get uBlock Origin for Firefox: addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/ublock-origin.

We're recommending this first because it's the only option that gives you back the same product. No affiliate link. Mozilla doesn't pay us to send users.

2. Switch to Brave

Free. Chromium-based, so the rendering is identical to Chrome.

Brave is built on Chromium (same engine as Chrome) and ships with ad blocking turned on by default. There's no extension to install. Brave Shields blocks ads, trackers, and most of what uBO blocked, using lists like EasyList and Brave's own filters. It also blocks fingerprinting, which uBO doesn't.

Get Brave: brave.com/download.

No affiliate link here either. Brave does run a referral program and we may add one in a future revision — but not until we've verified the terms aren't going to color the recommendation.

3. Install uBlock Origin Lite on Chrome

Free. Same author. Significantly less powerful than the original.

uBlock Origin Lite (uBO Lite) is gorhill's own Manifest V3 build. It uses declarativeNetRequest — Chrome's MV3-approved blocking API — which means a pre-compiled ruleset that ships with the extension and updates only when the extension itself updates. It blocks the bulk of mainstream ads. It cannot do dynamic filtering, live cosmetic filtering, or the element picker the way classic uBO could. gorhill is explicit about the gap in the uBO Lite FAQ.

Get uBO Lite for Chrome: chromewebstore.google.com (uBlock Origin Lite).

Pick this if you have a reason to stay on Chrome and you're a casual ad-blocker user. If you actually used uBO's advanced features, options 1 or 2 will feel less like a downgrade.

What you're actually giving up if you stay on Chrome

The capability gap between full uBO and any Manifest V3 blocker is real and gorhill has documented it. Three specific things go away with MV3:

Cosmetic filtering at runtime. Classic uBO can hide page elements based on rules that update live. MV3 ships with a pre-compiled ruleset; new cosmetic rules require the extension to update.
Dynamic filtering. The per-site, per-request matrix where you could block third-party scripts on one domain and allow them on another. MV3 cannot read request details before allowing or blocking — that's the API that was removed.
The element picker (in its full form). Pointing at an ad and writing a custom rule to kill it across the site relies on the same dynamic-filtering capability MV3 took out.

For about 90% of users, none of this matters. For the people who used uBO's advanced panel, dashboards, or logger, it's the difference between blocking ads and actually controlling what your browser does. If you're in that 10%, Firefox is the only option that doesn't compromise.