Chrome strikes again: The classic ad blocker may be coming to an end

For many Chrome users, an era may really be coming to an end.

Recently, it was reported that Chrome, the browser under Google, will completely remove the remaining support for the Manifest V2 extension framework in the next version update. This means that a large number of classic ad blockers, including uBlock Origin, will no longer be able to run in the new version of Chrome.

After the news spread, it quickly caught the attention of developers and the privacy community. Many users believe that this is actually the final step in Google's multi - year push for the Manifest V3 plan.

What happened?

To put it simply, Google is completely phasing out the old browser extension specification, Manifest V2 (MV2).

All Chrome extensions need to follow a set of specification files (Manifest) at runtime. Over the past decade or so, most ad blockers were developed based on Manifest V2 because it allows extensions to deeply access and filter network requests, thereby achieving efficient ad blocking, anti - tracking, and privacy protection.

However, since 2019, Google has introduced a new generation of extension framework, Manifest V3 (MV3), and gradually promoted developers to migrate.

After several delays, Google launched the MV2 retirement plan in 2024. Now, the latest Chromium code submission shows that Chrome is about to delete the last remaining MV2 compatibility code and related switch options.

In other words, previously, users could still run old - version extensions through some hidden settings, enterprise policies, or compatibility mechanisms, but these "backdoors" will also be completely closed.

Which extensions will be affected?

Undoubtedly, ad blockers will be the most affected.

The most representative ones are:

uBlock Origin

Some old - version AdBlock extensions

Some privacy protection tools that rely on MV2

Some advanced anti - tracking extensions

These tools are so popular because they can dynamically analyze and intercept network requests.

Manifest V3 has strictly restricted the permissions of extensions. Many filtering operations that could be performed in real - time in the past now have to be completed through browser preset rules.

Therefore, many developers believe that although the MV3 version can still block ads, its functional flexibility has significantly declined.

Take uBlock Origin as an example. Its developer later specifically launched a MV3 version called uBlock Origin Lite. However, this version lacks features such as dynamic filtering, custom rules, and some advanced blocking functions. In essence, it is a "feature - reduced version".

Why does Google insist on doing this?

Google gives three main reasons:

The first is security. Google believes that MV2 allows extensions to obtain excessive permissions, posing a risk of being exploited by malicious extensions.

The second is a performance issue. The old framework requires extensions to frequently intervene in the browser's network request process, which increases resource consumption.

The third is the maintenance cost. Chromium engineer Devlin Cronin stated in the code submission discussion that continuing to retain MV2 would bring technical debt and additional security vulnerabilities. The team has discovered multiple bugs that only exist in the MV2 architecture, so it cannot be maintained indefinitely.

From Google's perspective, MV3 is a security and architecture upgrade. However, some people believe that since Google itself is one of the world's largest online advertising companies, restricting the capabilities of ad blockers will inevitably raise questions about conflicts of interest.

Will Chrome users be affected now?

If you have already upgraded to an ad blocker that supports MV3, the impact may not be significant.

Those who are really affected are users who still insist on using classic MV2 extensions. According to the timeline exposed by foreign media 9to5google:

Chrome 150 (expected to be released on June 30, 2026) will remove the main technical bypass solution, ExtensionManifestV2Disabled, that advanced users have long used to continue running MV2 extensions. Although a limited method based on developer tools (DevTools) will still be retained at that time, users need to manually modify page elements in each browser session, which has little value for daily use.

Chrome 151 (expected to be released in July 2026) will further remove the remaining related switches, including ExtensionManifestV2Unsupported, ExtensionManifestV2Availability, and AllowLegacyMV2Extensions. By then, the last remaining mechanisms related to MV2 compatibility in Chrome will be completely removed.

To put it simply, the Chrome 150 and Chrome 151 versions will successively delete the remaining compatibility code, and the old - version extensions will completely stop working.

Does this mean the complete death of ad blockers? The answer is no.

Manifest V3 does not prohibit the existence of ad blockers but changes the way they work.

In fact, a recent study on the effectiveness of MV2 and MV3 ad blockers found that in ad - blocking and anti - tracking tests, many MV3 - version tools did not show a significant decline in performance compared with the old versions, and even showed a slight improvement in some scenarios.

However, for heavy users, the problem is not "whether ads can be blocked" but whether they can still have the full customization, dynamic filtering, and fine - grained control capabilities as before. This is why many users in the privacy community still insist on using the original uBlock Origin and are reluctant to migrate to the Lite version.

What will happen next?

From the current situation, Google has entered the final stage of the Manifest V3 migration.

It is a foregone conclusion that Chrome will fully switch to MV3, and the old - version Manifest V2 has basically exited the historical stage.

For ordinary users, they can still use ad blockers in the future, but their choices will increasingly focus on new products that comply with the MV3 specification.

For users who rely on classic tools such as the original uBlock Origin, this update may mean that the era of the most powerful ad - blocking on Chrome is really coming to an end.

This article is from the WeChat official account "CSDN". Compiled by Su Mi. Republished by 36Kr with authorization.