Google Removed All Manifest V2 Extensions from Chrome Web Store (Including uBlock Origin)

Manifest V2 (MV2) extensions have been removed from the Chrome Web Store as of August 31, 2026. That includes uBlock Origin — the gold-standard content blocker — along with every other extension that didn't migrate to Manifest V3. If you're a Chrome user running uBlock Origin, you're now running unmaintained, non-updatable software. If you're an extension developer who stalled on migration, your extension is effectively gone from distribution. Chrome's Manifest V3 transition is finally complete, and the uBlock Origin removal from Chrome Web Store is the final nail in a four-year deprecation timeline.

This article covers what actually changed for Chrome extension privacy and security, why it took four years, where that leaves uBlock Origin users, the Brave MV2 extension support workaround, and the real reason Chrome Manifest V3 limitations still prevent a proper uBO replacement.

Manifest V2 Extensions Removed from Chrome Web Store: The Full Timeline

The MV2 deprecation was announced in 2021. Here's the real schedule, sourced from Chrome's own documentation:

• January 2022 — Chrome Web Store stopped accepting new public MV2 extensions. Existing ones could still update.
• June 3, 2024 — Warning banners appeared on chrome://extensions for users with MV2 extensions, on Beta/Dev/Canary channels.
• October 2024 — Google started disabling MV2 extensions on Chrome stable, with a re-enable toggle available.
• March 31, 2025 — MV2 disabled by default for all users on all channels. Re-enable was still possible.
• July 24, 2025 — Chrome 138 shipped, disabling MV2 everywhere with no re-enable option. Chrome 138 is the final Chrome version that supports MV2 at all.
• June 2025 (Chrome 139 branch) — The ExtensionManifestV2Availability enterprise policy was removed, making it impossible even for IT admins to enable MV2 on Chrome 139+.
• August 31, 2026 — All remaining MV2 extensions removed from the Chrome Web Store. Distribution channel severed.

The company spent four years executing this transition. The timeline was pushed back several times — the original 2023 deadline slipped to 2024, then 2025, then the July 2025 hard cutover. There is no further delay coming.

What the Removal Actually Means

Two separate changes happened. It's important to understand they're distinct:

1. Chrome itself no longer runs MV2 extensions. Since Chrome 138 (July 2025), the browser refuses to load MV2 extensions. Chrome 139 removed the enterprise override. If you're on any Chrome version from July 2025 onward, you cannot run MV2 extensions in Chrome.

2. The Chrome Web Store no longer hosts MV2 extensions. As of August 31, 2026, you cannot discover, install, or update MV2 extensions through the CWS. Even if you're using a Chromium-based browser that still supports MV2 (like Brave), the CWS won't serve you those extensions.

The first change killed functionality. The second change killed distribution.

"This means you cannot download uBlock Origin from the Chrome Web Store, even if you are using Brave," is the simplest summary from WebIterate (the article that broke it). MV2 extensions already installed on Chrome 138 or earlier remain cached on disk and functional at their last version — but they receive zero updates and cannot be reinstalled if removed.

Brave Is the Only Chromium Browser That Still Works

Brave decided not to follow Google here. They're hosting four MV2 extensions (AdGuard, uBlock Origin, uMatrix, and NoScript) on their own backend, bypassing the CWS entirely. If you install Brave, you can enable these extensions directly from Brave's settings without touching the Chrome Web Store.

Brave's approach works because:

• Brave hasn't disabled the MV2 runtime in its Chromium fork. They kept the code path alive.
• They serve the extension CRX files from their own infrastructure.
• They handle updates themselves, independent of Google's release cadence.

This is not a long-term guarantee. Brave's extensions backend could break, and they're under no obligation to support MV2 forever. But right now, it's the only Chromium-based browser that offers a real MV2 escape hatch.

Firefox Is the Only Browser That Never Changed

Mozilla explicitly decided not to adopt Manifest V3's Declarative Net Request (DNR) API, instead committing to keeping the webRequest blocking API in Firefox. uBlock Origin works fully — with all its features — on Firefox and Firefox-based browsers. There are no limitations, no capped rule sets, and no performance tradeoffs.

If ad blocking and content control are non-negotiable for you, Firefox is the objectively correct answer today. This is the same take Raymond Hill (uBlock Origin's developer) has consistently given: use Firefox if you want the full uBO feature set.

Why MV3 Still Can't Replace uBlock Origin

Google's argument for MV3 is straightforward: it's more secure, performant, and privacy-preserving. The Declarative Net Request API replaces webRequest's blocking mode with pre-declared rulesets that Chrome evaluates on the browser's terms, not the extension's. This prevents malicious extensions from intercepting and modifying traffic.

The problem: DNR is fundamentally less capable than the API it replaced. The key limitations:

uBlock Origin's "medium mode" and "hard mode" — where it blocks all third-party connections by default unless explicitly allowed — cannot work under DNR because you can't dynamically evaluate requests and block them in real time. uBlock Origin Lite (the MV3 version) caps out at <10% of the original's rule capacity.

Google addressed some of these gaps over four years: multi-static rulesets, session-scoped rules, tab-ID filtering. But the underlying architectural restriction — declarative rules evaluated by the browser rather than scripted interception — is a hard limit, not a missing feature.

What Actually Happens Now

For Chrome users, uBlock Origin is frozen in time at whatever version was last cached before July 2025. If you're on Chrome 138 or earlier and haven't cleared your extension data, uBO still works as of its last update — but it won't get new filter lists, security patches, or fixes. For most users on Chrome 139+, uBlock Origin is already non-functional.

The practical options:

1. Switch to uBlock Origin Lite (MV3). It blocks obvious trackers and ads but with significantly fewer rules and no advanced features. For many casual users, this is "good enough." For power users, it's a downgrade they won't accept.

2. Switch to Brave. If you want to stay on Chromium, Brave keeps uBlock Origin alive with regular updates via their own distribution backend. You lose Chrome sync and some Google integration, but gain built-in ad blocking and fingerprinting protection.

3. Switch to Firefox. This is the only browser where uBlock Origin retains its full feature set, with no ruleset caps, full cosmetic filtering, and proper webRequest support. Firefox has dramatically improved its performance and stability since 2023. The memory overhead gap with Chrome has effectively closed.

4. Stay on an unsupported Chrome version. Realistically only viable for sandboxed or offline systems. Unpatched browser = security risk.

The Real Conversation Google Doesn't Want to Have

Google makes ~$280 billion from advertising. Content blockers directly reduce ad inventory. Google has a clear financial incentive to limit ad blocking on their browser. MV3's security framing is not dishonest — webRequest blocking genuinely is a security risk surface — but it is incomplete. A platform that controls what extensions can block is a platform whose creator has a stake in what gets blocked.

This doesn't make MV3 malicious. It makes it an aligned platform: Google's interest in more ad impressions and Chrome's "improved security" narrative point to the same outcome. If you trust Google to fairly negotiate ad-blocking limits on a browser they control, you should understand the conflict of interest.

What to Do by Tuesday

If you manage machines for other people — family, clients, an organization — this week is when the slow panic starts. Users on Chrome who lost uBlock Origin when MV2 was disabled (July 2025) couldn't even reinstall it from the CWS as of August 31. For casual users, ads came back and they either didn't know why or tolerated them. The removal of distribution makes this irreversible for anyone who isn't technically inclined.

Here's the practical checklist if you care about the people whose browser you manage:

• Install Firefox on their machine. Import bookmarks and passwords from Chrome. Set it as default. Enable uBlock Origin from the Firefox Add-ons store. Done.
• If Firefox is a non-starter, install Brave and enable uBlock Origin through Brave's extension settings. Brave also includes built-in Shields, which already block most ads and trackers without extensions.
• Don't leave them on Chrome with uBlock Origin Lite and assume it's the same thing. It's not, and they won't know the difference until a site breaks in a way that uBO Lite can't fix. Use the uBlock Origin Lite vs. uBlock Origin comparison to understand which features are gone.

The timeline for this change was known since 2021. The hard deadline has passed. Your extension is removed, your distribution channel is closed, and the only remaining question is which browser you move to — because going back to Chrome with MV2 support is not an option.

Sources: Chrome Manifest V2 support timeline, WebIterate — Google removed MV2 extensions incl. uBO, Mozilla Manifest V3 stance, uBlock Origin vs uBO Lite comparison, HN thread (533 pts).