Microsoft Edge will also block uBlock Origin, but it may not be just yet (Update)

The days of uBlock Origin are numbered, at least on Chromium browsers. Earlier this week, reports emerged that uBlock Origin stopped working on Google Chrome. Now, it seems uBlock Origin could soon be disabled in Microsoft Edge.

Windows Report ran into a prompt within Edge that states "2 extensions were turned off." Among those extensions was uBlock Origin. Edge recommends removing the disabled extensions since they're no longer supported.

The most recent version of Microsoft Edge Canary states that uBlock Origin is no longer supported. According to Leo Varela, who tracks changes in Edge, the cutoff may have been unexpected.

"Google has started disabling unsupported extensions in Chrome Stable (it's been news in several media) and I think this change came to Edge Canary unexpectedly, it's not the first time that some changes made in the Stable version of Chrome come to Edge Canary unexpectedly," said Varela on X.

We knew that Edge would end support for certain extensions at some point, but the company's document on the situation lists "TBD" in the timeline. Even if Edge supports uBlock Origin at the moment, that will change in the future.

Why is uBlock Origin being removed?

Considering that a large portion of Google's revenue comes from advertising, you may have assumed the cutoff for uBlock Origin is some targeted attack. While I suppose it's impossible to decipher the tech giant's motives, the end of uBlock Origin support is related to security and performance.

Years ago, Google introduced Manifest V3, a new version of its extension platform. Extensions built on that platform are more secure, more private, and perform better. Unfortunately, they also cannot fully use a specific API that is essential for uBlock Origin to function.

The WebRequest API that allows content blockers to block ads and other content before it loads is limited in Manifest V3.

With the limits in place on WebRequest V3, uBlock Origin's picker cannot work. The picker allows you to block specific elements. For example, you can choose to block a pop-up video or a prompt that uBlock Origin does not view as an ad by default.

Which browsers support uBlock Origin?

Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are in the process of ending support for Manifest V2. That means uBlock Origin either has already stopped working or will stop working in the near future. The process is gradual, so you may have a bit of time to find a suitable alternative.

Firefox will continue to support uBlock Origin. Mozilla explained in a blog post that it will maintain blocking WebRequest API support within Firefox. That means that even after the migration to Manifest V3, uBlock Origin will continue to work in Firefox.

uBlock Origin alternatives

While uBlock Origin is an excellent content blocker, it is far from the only content blocker. If you want to stick with the same developers, you can switch to uBlock Origin Lite. That extension lacks the finer controls of the original uBlock Origin, but it still works well. Most importantly, it works within browsers that have ended support for Manifest V2.

You can also switch to a different ad blocker. In their AdGuard review, our colleagues at TechRadar gave that program a 4.5 out of 5. AdGuard also supports blocking cookies, mobile banners, popups, social widgets, and other non-ad content that you may not want to see.

One thing that sticks out about AdGuard for Windows is that it works in apps as well as in browsers.