uBlock Origin stopped working in Chrome. What now?

An honest guide to what happened to uBlock Origin in Chrome, what Manifest V3 changed, and how to keep blocking ads and trackers in Chrome today.

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What happened to uBlock Origin in Chrome

uBlock Origin was built on Manifest V2, the extension platform Chrome has now retired. Chrome began switching Manifest V2 extensions off in October 2024, turned them off for everyone in Chrome 138 in July 2025, and removed the last ones from the Chrome Web Store on 31 August 2026. If Chrome told you "This extension is no longer supported", this is why. Nothing is wrong with your computer, and uBlock Origin still runs in Firefox.

What Manifest V3 changed

On the old platform a blocker could inspect every request with its own code. On Manifest V3 an extension gives Chrome its rules in advance and Chrome applies them itself. That is fast and means the blocker never reads each request itself, but it caps how many rules an extension can use and rules out some advanced features, such as uBlock Origin's dynamic filtering. Every blocker in Chrome now works within these limits.

Your options in Chrome today

• uBlock Origin Lite: the official Manifest V3 version from the uBlock Origin team. Free, open source and a good choice if you mainly want its filter lists.
• Another Manifest V3 blocker such as AI CleanWeb, AdGuard or Ghostery, each with its own extras.
• Another browser: Firefox still runs the full uBlock Origin.

What AI CleanWeb does in Chrome

• Free: about 30,000 ad and tracker rules on by default, plus optional lists for annoyances, cookie notices and regional (EU) ads.
• Free: AI Ad Detection, which hides ads that slip past the lists by their size, layout and labels, and a Cookie Handler that picks "reject" on consent banners where it can.
• Free: a Tracker Map that names the trackers it recognises on each page, a 0-100 Privacy Score, your own list of blocked domains, an allowlist and a pause button.
• Pro: Anti-Adblock AI for "turn off your ad blocker" walls, Reader Mode, 30,000 more ad rules, and the anti-adblock and social tracker lists.
• Ultimate: everything in Pro plus 30,000 more tracker rules.

The Fingerprint Shield counts fingerprinting attempts on each page so you can see them. It does not block them.

What it can't do

• Read uBlock Origin's filter syntax or settings, or offer its element picker and dynamic filtering.
• Block ads in other apps: a browser extension only sees Chrome.
• Run in Chrome on Android, which doesn't support extensions.

Switch in two minutes

1. Open chrome://extensions and remove uBlock Origin if it is still listed. It can no longer run there.
2. Open AI CleanWeb in the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome.
3. Click the puzzle-piece icon in the toolbar and pin AI CleanWeb.
4. For each site you trusted in uBlock Origin, open it and click the power button in the AI CleanWeb popup to allowlist it.

Credit where it's due

uBlock Origin, by Raymond Hill and its contributors, is free, open-source software under the GPLv3 licence, and it shaped how a generation of blockers work. AI CleanWeb's Firefox add-on is built on uBlock Origin's open-source code under that same licence. The Chrome extension is a separate Manifest V3 build that uses Chrome's own rule engine, with rules compiled from community lists such as EasyList and EasyPrivacy, whose licences ship inside the extension. AI CleanWeb is not made by, or affiliated with, the uBlock Origin project.

Questions people ask before installing

Does uBlock Origin still work in Chrome?

No. Chrome 138 and later can't run Manifest V2 extensions, and uBlock Origin is no longer in the Chrome Web Store. It still works in Firefox.

What is uBlock Origin Lite?

The official Manifest V3 version of uBlock Origin, from the same team. It is free and open source, with fewer advanced features because of Manifest V3's limits.

Can I import my uBlock Origin settings?

No. AI CleanWeb can't read uBlock Origin's filters or backup file. You can add trusted sites to the allowlist and add domains you want blocked to your own block list.

Is AI CleanWeb free?

Yes. Blocking, AI Ad Detection, the Cookie Handler, the Tracker Map and the Privacy Score are free. Pro and Ultimate are optional upgrades with a 7-day free trial.

Is it safe to install?

It filters on your device with Chrome's own rule engine and asks only for the permissions an ad blocker needs. Our privacy policy lists exactly what it collects and what it never does.

More on AI CleanWeb

Read the full Chrome ad blocker guide, or get AI CleanWeb for Firefox, Safari, iPhone and Mac.