Google’s recent announcement marks a significant shift in the landscape of browser extensions, particularly affecting the popular ad blocker, uBlock Origin. As part of its strategy to phase out support for classic extensions in Chrome, Google is transitioning to the Manifest V3 framework. This change is poised to impact over 30 million users of Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, including Microsoft Edge and Opera, leaving them vulnerable to a surge of intrusive advertisements.
The rollout of this update is expected to commence shortly, resulting in the discontinuation of uBlock Origin’s functionality across these browsers. Although uBlock Origin Lite will be available, it lacks some essential features of the original, such as dynamic filters for blocking scriptlet injection, which may leave users seeking more robust ad-blocking solutions.
This hack will extend support for classic extensions on Chromium browsers for a whole year
For those who prefer to remain within the Chromium ecosystem, there is a workaround that can extend support for classic extensions by an additional year. This method involves utilizing the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy through the Windows Registry. However, it is crucial to approach this process with caution, as improper modifications to the registry can potentially render your device inoperable.
While Mozilla’s Firefox browser will continue to support the Manifest V2 framework, users who wish to maintain their current setup can follow these steps to extend the support for uBlock Origin:
- Open the “Registry Editor” program.
- Navigate to
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome . - With the Chrome folder highlighted, select Edit/New/DWORD (32-Bit Value). Alternatively, right-click in a blank spot on the right side and choose New/DWORD (32-Bit Value).
- Name the new entry ExtensionManifestV2Availability and hit enter.
- Right-click on the newly created entry and select Modify. Set the Hexadecimal value to 2, then click OK.
- To verify, open Chrome and paste
chrome://policy into the address bar. You should see the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy with the value set to 2. If not, click “Reload Policies” and double-check your entries.
After completing these steps, a restart of your PC is required to apply the changes. This adjustment will enable the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy for enterprise customers, allowing users to continue enjoying classic extensions until June 2025.