Chrome 150 is now rolling out, and it quietly marks the end of the road for Manifest V2 extensions. The update removes the last Chrome flag that kept MV2 alive, so extensions like uBlock Origin are now disabled for everyone running the latest version.

This wasn’t exactly a surprise. Earlier reports and developer threads had already pointed to Chrome 150 removing key flags and parameters that kept MV2 extensions running, with Chrome 151 expected to eliminate most remaining workarounds entirely. We covered those details here. Still, some users weren’t ready to give up just yet.

Someone on Reddit found a way to re-enable uBlock Origin after updating to Chrome 150, as long as the extension was already installed beforehand. It isn’t a simple toggle hidden behind a flag. The method requires opening Chrome’s Developer Tools, inspecting the extensions page, and changing a value manually. Most people probably won’t bother with it, but it does work.

At least for now.

uBO can work on Chrome 150 if you already have it installed and have the flag enabled (for now)
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The developers behind uBlock Origin quickly stepped into the discussion with a stickied reply. They confirmed that people weren’t imagining things. The workaround is real. They also made it clear that nobody should count on it lasting.

According to the team, the exact same workaround was available in Chrome Beta and Canary builds before Google closed the loophole. Chrome 151 is expected to do the same for the stable release, so anyone relying on this trick should assume its days are numbered.

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The developers say it’s better to spend this time preparing instead of treating the workaround as a permanent fix. They suggest exporting your settings and filter lists while you still have access to the original extension.

If you’re staying on Chrome, their recommendation is straightforward. Move to uBlock Origin Lite. The team even noted that Lite now includes an element picker that’s more capable than the one found in the original extension.

We’ve also seen other browsers trying to win over users frustrated by Google’s decision to retire Manifest V2. Firefox still runs the full version of uBlock Origin because it isn’t based on Chromium. Brave has been putting more work into its built-in Shields blocker so users don’t have to depend on third-party extensions in the first place.

Chrome 151 is expected to arrive in roughly a month. When it does, this workaround will almost certainly disappear along with the remaining Manifest V2 code. If you still depend on the original uBlock Origin, this is probably the last chance to back everything up before Google closes the door completely.

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