If you’re reading this, chances are you believe in these two things. First, you have a right to a fast, clean browsing experience. And second, ad blockers are indispensable in making that happen.
For years, ad blockers like uBlock Origin have allowed Chrome and Firefox users an ad-blocking experience that is unmatched. But now, if you’re on Chrome and you’re a uBlock Origin user, the extension has likely stopped working for you.
It’s because Chrome has recently moved to a new extension platform called Manifest V3. This binds all extensions to a set of rules they need to maintain to run on their platform. And this has affected many ad blockers.
We are going to discuss MV3 changes in this article, along with the what, how, and whys.
Did Google Just Break My Ad Blocker?
The short answer is no, not entirely. But the longer, more nuanced truth is that Google certainly made the job of the best ad-blockers much, much harder.
This shift is less about performance and more about a quiet, technical change in control. Unlike the simple, direct freedom we once had, the new system forces ad blockers to conform. This change cuts right to the heart of utility and user control, which is precisely why it matters.
Why did Google introduce Manifest V3?
Google’s official stand on the Manifest V3 change is centered around three key pillars: security, performance, and privacy. And there is merit to this. Chrome has had a serious malware problem since it was (and still is) the preferred browser for a lot of people, including those who are not very tech savvy and privacy-conscious. And a lot of that malware came from unvetted extensions that abused the Manifest V2 rules. So, it was for the best. But we cannot ignore the fact that Google also benefited from this decision. So we have to approach this with a bit of necessary skepticism.
The Valid Technical Argument
Google makes a solid, technical case that the immense power of the old Manifest V2 (MV2) was a massive security vulnerability. The MV2 standard used the webRequest API, which gave extensions the ability to look at and modify virtually every web request before it even loaded.
For a legitimate tool like an ad-blocker, this power was essential. But for a malicious or compromised extension, that same power allowed it to:
- Intercept private data like session cookies or login details.
- Inject malicious code into websites you visit.
- Track all your browsing activity without much technical effort.
By forcing extensions to move to a less powerful model: the Declarative Net Request API, the control is largely moved inside the Chrome browser itself. This makes it genuinely harder for a rogue extension to execute the kind of real-time, invasive attacks that MV2 made possible. In terms of overall browser security, this is a technical improvement.
The Skeptical Argument
While the security argument is sound, we have to look at the practical reality. Google is fundamentally an advertising company. The very ad-blockers being restricted are the ones that prevent Google from displaying its core product.
The most critical change in MV3, the one that broke the functionality of the most advanced ad-blockers, is the hard limit on the number of rules an extension can have.
Effective, modern ad-blockers need hundreds of thousands of complex rules to block the constantly evolving variants of ads and tracking scripts. MV3 forces developers to work within a much smaller, hard-coded rule limit. This means the most comprehensive filter lists (the ones that give you that “clean browsing experience”) simply cannot be fully implemented.
The restriction benefits the browser maker and the advertisers, while the user and the extension developers are left struggling to maintain the status quo. This change isn’t primarily about boosting security; it’s about redefining the terms of control within Google’s own ecosystem.
Will ad blockers stop working in Chrome because of Manifest V3?
The most common fear about MV3 is that all ad-blockers will suddenly vanish from the Chrome Web Store, which is an oversimplification. Google isn’t outlawing ad-blockers. Instead, they are forcing them to use a fundamentally different and more restrictive set of technical tools.
The old standard, Manifest V2 (MV2), allowed extensions a lot of power, specifically through a feature called webRequest. This gave an ad blocker the ability to look at every single network request: an ad, a tracker, an image file, and based on its own complex filter list, decide whether to block it or let it through. It was a perfect, efficient gatekeeper.
Manifest V3 replaces this powerful feature with a less flexible alternative called the Declarative Net Request API. Think of it this way:
- MV2 (The Old Way): Your ad blocker was a personal bouncer standing at the door of the club (the website). It had an infinitely long guest list (your filter list) and could check every single person (network request) against it and make an immediate, real-time decision to turn them away.
- MV3 (The New Way): Your ad blocker must now pre-submit a much shorter list of “people to block” to the club owner (Chrome’s browser engine). The bouncer is gone. Now, the browser itself decides, based on the limited pre-submitted list, who gets in.
So, ad-blockers will still work, but their ability to react quickly and with highly complex, custom rules is severely limited. They have lost their scalpel and been handed a butter knife.
Are Manifest V3 ad blockers less effective than the old MV2 versions?
You will notice a difference, especially if you rely on ad-blockers to handle particularly stubborn or tricky ads. The core issue is the loss of complex, dynamic filtering.
Modern ad-blockers don’t just block a static list of URLs; they often need to:
- Block specific element injection: Preventing a certain HTML element (like a pop-up video player) from ever appearing on the page.
- Filter based on context: Only blocking a request if it originates from a specific domain and is not a first-party request.
- Perform cosmetic filtering: Hiding the empty space left behind by a blocked ad, which requires looking at the loaded page and adjusting the CSS.
The limitations of the Declarative Net Request API make the first two points incredibly challenging to do at scale and with the necessary speed. This means that while simple ad-blocking (i.e., blocking a well-known ad domain) will still work, the most aggressive, anti-circumvention techniques used by uBlock Origin’s advanced mode are significantly impaired.
For the average user, the effect will be subtle at first: a few more YouTube ads slipping through, or an occasional sponsored post making it past the filter. For the power user, this is a distinct reduction in utility and control.
What features did ad blockers lose because of the MV3 update?
The single biggest loss is the scalability and precision that came with the old webRequest API. This impacts several key features that power users took for granted:
- Custom Script Injection: MV2 allowed ad-blockers to inject custom JavaScript deep into the page to perform highly complex anti-ad and anti-tracking maneuvers. This is now heavily restricted and replaced by a less powerful, less flexible content script injection method.
- Infinite Rule Sets: As discussed, the ability to maintain massive, ever-evolving filter lists is curtailed by the hard-coded rule limit. This directly affects the ad-blocker’s ability to keep up with new ad technologies that constantly change their domain names or structure.
- Real-time Analysis: The old API allowed for a real-time decision on network requests. The Declarative Net Request API, by its very nature, is pre-emptive and static. The loss of real-time analysis means the ad-blocker is slower to adapt to brand-new, unseen tracking techniques.
The net result is a change in philosophy. MV2 gave developers the tools to be experts. MV3 gives them the tools to be conformists.
When will the old Manifest V2 ad blockers completely stop working?
The old, unrestricted Manifest V2 (MV2) ad-blockers have effectively already stopped working on Chrome.
The transition was not a single, abrupt switch. There was a gradual erosion of support over the last couple of years. After initial phase-outs in 2024, the final support for MV2 extensions was removed entirely for all general Chrome users by mid-2025. If you were still using an MV2 extension, Chrome disabled it, and you are no longer able to re-enable it or install it from the Chrome Web Store. The era of the full-power MV2 ad-blocker on Chrome is a chapter we have closed.
However, when Google, the de facto leader of the browser market, announced this foundational change to the Chromium engine, the core technology that powers many other browsers, the assumption was that everyone would follow suit. We expected a uniform, global crackdown on powerful ad-blockers.
That assumption proved happily wrong.
The move to MV3 is largely a Chrome-only problem. While many browsers are built on Chromium, most of the popular alternatives have chosen to prioritize user freedom over Google’s restrictive rules:
Chromium-Based Alternatives
These browsers initially seemed bound to the same fate, but they have actively worked to maintain support for the more powerful MV2 extensions well into 2025 and beyond. Developers for browsers like Opera and Vivaldi specifically stated they want to continue supporting MV2 for as long as it is technically possible and user demand remains high. This is a commitment to utility and user choice.
Firefox
The extension ecosystem in Firefox is completely different and is not affected by the Chrome-driven MV3 deprecation. Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, explicitly confirmed that it would support both MV2 and the new MV3 extensions concurrently. Crucially, Firefox retains the full functionality of the original, powerful webRequest API, which is the mechanism that made the best ad-blockers so effective in the first place.
The landscape is simple. If your goal is the absolute highest level of unrestricted ad and content blocking, the Manifest V3 timeline pushed many power users toward browsers that valued the developer’s creative flexibility over corporate restrictions.
The truth is, while you have to accept the limitations of MV3 on Chrome, you still have powerful, unrestricted alternatives available on the browsers that decided the fight for user control was worth the extra engineering effort.
How to use uBlock Origin in Chrome in 2025?
Given everything we’ve covered about Chrome’s hard-line stance on Manifest V3, the harsh but honest truth is that you can no longer use the full-power, unrestricted version of uBlock Origin (uBO) in Chrome. That powerful personal bouncer is simply not allowed in the new club.
This leaves you with two choices:
1. Use uBlock Origin Lite
Since the original uBO relies on the MV2’s powerful webRequest API, which is now completely disabled in Chrome, its developer, Raymond Hill, created a version specifically designed to function within the tight constraints of MV3: uBlock Origin Lite.
A Shadow of Its Former Self: uBlock Origin Lite is essentially a lightweight shadow of the original extension. It utilizes the restrictive Declarative Net Request API, meaning it has to stick to the pre-approved, limited rule sets.
What it Can Do: It is still effective at blocking the most common and egregious advertisements by using a set of pre-compiled filters. For a casual user who just wants basic banner ads gone, it’s a solid, secure option.
What it Cannot Do: It lacks the ability to do advanced, dynamic filtering, which means sophisticated, new trackers and clever ad-circumvention techniques will often slip past the net. You lose the granular control and the real-time blocking that made uBO the gold standard.
If you are committed to the Chrome browser, the “Lite” version is one of the best available MV3-compliant options, but be aware that you are intentionally accepting a reduction in your privacy and filtering capability.
2. Switch Your Chromium Browser
If you need the best ad blocking, but you are more comfortable with Chrome. Your best strategy is to simply switch to another browser built on the same Chromium engine that has actively chosen to reject Google’s MV3 constraints.
You don’t have to give up the speed and compatibility of the Chromium engine just to keep your powerful ad-blocker.
Edge is a great alternative here. Like Opera and Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge has chosen to continue supporting the older, more capable MV2 extensions, even after Google’s hard cutoff.
By moving to one of these Chromium-based alternatives, you gain several key advantages:
- Full uBlock Origin Power: You can install and run the original, full-featured MV2 version of uBlock Origin (or other powerful MV2 ad-blockers) that maintains the webRequest API functionality, giving you best-in-class blocking.
- Familiarity: Because they are all based on the Chromium engine, the core browsing experience, developer tools, and site compatibility will feel instantly familiar, making the transition nearly painless.
- Unrestricted Privacy: This choice sends a clear signal with your usage: you prioritize utility and user control over the restrictive policies of a single platform owner.
The takeaway is this: If you cannot compromise on your ad-blocking effectiveness, then you must switch browsers. The good news is that the escape route is well-paved by other Chromium developers who share your value for user autonomy.
What Are The Best MV3-Compliant Ad Blockers?
MV3 is not all bad. And many ad blockers have already adapted to it. Here are our top picks for the best MV3-compliant ad blockers:
1. AdGuard
AdGuard is arguably the most effective solution for those who demand the highest level of filtering, even in the MV3 era.
AdGuard’s strength is that it operates at the system level through DNS filtering. This means it blocks ads across all applications, not just Chrome, bypassing the browser’s MV3 restrictions entirely for the best performance. It achieves a near-perfect score in independent testing, reflecting its ability to handle complex ad networks effectively.
AdGuard was one of the first developers to release a compliant extension, proving that ad-blocking and MV3 are not mutually exclusive, even if the browser extension version is inherently more limited than its system-level counterpart.
2. Surfshark CleanWeb 2.0
Surfshark CleanWeb is not a standalone ad blocker; it is part of a broader security package, making it highly attractive for the privacy-conscious consumer.
It comes bundled with the Surfshark VPN and offers a major selling point: protection for an unlimited number of devices, which is excellent value for a household. CleanWeb scores very high in ad-blocking tests, successfully blocking video ads (including YouTube ads) and tracking scripts. And the browser extension, CleanWeb 2.0, is MV3-compliant and works even when the VPN is not connected.
3. NordVPN Threat Protection
Threat Protection by NordVPN emphasizes security as much as, if not more than, pure ad removal.
This suite is designed to scan files for malware and identify malicious websites before you visit them. It’s the ideal choice if you view ad-blocking as primarily a security feature. While its raw ad-blocking score is typically lower than AdGuard or uBlock Origin Lite, it consistently blocks trackers and malicious ads. Importantly, it also works independently of the VPN connection.
Threat Protection is best framed as a simple, all-in-one privacy solution for those who already use or need a VPN, rather than a highly customizable, dedicated ad-filtering tool.
The MV3 transition has forced most developers to adopt a two-tier strategy: a less powerful browser extension and a more robust, system-level application. The extensions listed below are all MV3-compliant and ready for Chrome, but they offer different strengths.
Wrapping Up
The Manifest V3 rollout has been a defining moment for the modern web, not because it killed ad-blockers, but because it exposed the fundamental conflict between user utility and platform control.
What you need to remember is simple: the era of the infinitely powerful, single-extension ad blocker in Chrome is over. Your full-power tools were forced to evolve into MV3-compliant versions that, by necessity, have had their scalpel dulled by Google’s imposed rule limits.
The choice now is yours, and it depends on your priority:
- If you prioritize security and convenience in Chrome: MV3-compliant extensions like AdGuard, Surfshark CleanWeb, or NordVPN Threat Protection are excellent alternatives. They function best when used as part of a system-level solution that bypasses Chrome’s restrictions.
- If you prioritize absolute, unrestricted ad-blocking power: You must change your environment. Browsers like Firefox, Edge, and Vivaldi offer sanctuary, having deliberately chosen to maintain support for the full-featured, powerful MV2 extensions.
The technical details don’t have to be overwhelming. The key is to understand that you still hold the power of choice. By deciding which browser and which tools you dedicate your time and attention to, you vote for the kind of internet you want to use. That commitment to control is the best shield you have left.