If you were a user of uBlock Origin in Chrome, you may have encountered a notice that the extension is no longer available in the big G’s browser. The search company not only removed this popular ad-blocking extension, but many similar ones overnight.
But why has uBlock Origin stopped working in Chrome? In short, and to keep things simple, Chrome has released an update to the rules that govern extensions in the browser. This update is called Manifest V3 (MV3) and affects the behavior of extensions like uBlock Origin that rely on certain features that MV3 limits or removes.
Some ways to keep blocking ads in Chrome
You can continue using uBlock Origin temporarily in Chrome
First of all, it is worth noting that Chrome allows you to continue using uBlock Origin for a while. If you haven’t uninstalled it yet, you may be able to re-enable it in the browser’s extensions section. This will give you some extra time of use until it is finally removed from Chrome. Make sure you have developer mode enabled so that this option appears.
But this is a short-term fix, so we invite you to keep reading to find a more solid alternative for the future.
uBlock Origin Lite is now available in Chrome
If you want to keep using Chrome because you’re already deep into Google’s ecosystem without giving up ad blockers, you’ll be glad to know that you can now get the extension uBlock Origin Lite, which has fewer permissions and is adapted to the MV3 we mentioned earlier.
For an ordinary user, uBlock Origin Lite is more than enough to browse without annoying intrusions on the web, but advanced users may miss some of the specifics of the original extension. Remember that you can make several behavior adjustments to the extension by clicking the uBlock Origin Lite icon and then the gear icon.
Change your DNS to AdGuard’s
This is more for advanced users, but it will make not only your browser block ads, but your entire computer free of them. To achieve this we will need to manually change the system DNS (DNS are responsible for converting website names, like www.actualapp.com, into IP addresses that PCs use to find them) to set AdGuard’s, which in addition to resolving those addresses block the ads and trackers that may be on them.
To do this on Windows you can do the following:
- Press Start and access the Control Panel.
- Inside the Control Panel look for View network connections.
- Right-click on your local connection and then on Properties.
- Now click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) (make sure it is enabled) and then again on Properties.
- Enable the option Use the following DNS server addresses and add AdGuard’s:
Preferred DNS server: 94.140.14.14
Alternate DNS server: 94.140.15.15 - Click Validate settings upon exit and then press OK.
Alternatively, you can also set AdGuard’s family protection DNS: 94.140.14.15 and 94.140.15.16. This combination also blocks adult content and enables safe search whenever possible.
And there’s more: you can even configure these AdGuard DNS addresses on your router so that all devices that connect to your home Wi-Fi (or by Ethernet cable) benefit from ad blocking. Depending on your router model, you can search online for how to change the DNS for your particular router and enter the ones mentioned above.
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