Firefox is now the last major browser to support uBlock Origin
Firefox announced via a Bluesky post that it will keep supporting uBlock Origin: "Our support for uBlock Origin isn't going anywhere." The statement came after news that Microsoft Edge is about to lock out uBlock Origin and other extensions built on the older Manifest V2 architecture. Once Edge completes its move to Manifest V3, ad-blocking extensions will lose access to the functions they need to properly identify and block ads on websites and in videos.
Edge's move follows Chrome's lead: Google initiated the migration from Manifest V2 to V3 across the Chromium engine, and Edge, which is built on Chromium like Opera, Brave, Vivaldi and Samsung Browser, is now following that same path. Firefox is one of the few major browsers that is not built on Chromium, and with Edge's move it becomes the only major browser still supporting full uBlock Origin. The other two major non-Chromium browsers, Safari and DuckDuckGo, do not support uBlock Origin either.
For users who want to keep the extension in its current form, Firefox is now the only option without compromises. On every other browser, the choice is uBlock Origin Lite, a version with fewer features and weaker ad-blocking, or whatever built-in ad-blocking feature that browser ships with instead.
Key facts
- Firefox confirmed via a Bluesky post that it will keep supporting uBlock Origin.
- Microsoft Edge is moving to Manifest V3 and will lock out uBlock Origin and other Manifest V2 ad-blocking extensions.
- Under Manifest V3, ad-blocking extensions lose access to the functions needed to properly identify and block ads.
- Google started the Manifest V2 to V3 migration across Chromium, and Chromium-based Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi and Samsung Browser are following it.
- Neither Safari nor DuckDuckGo, the other two major non-Chromium browsers, support uBlock Origin.
Why it matters
uBlock Origin's ability to work depends on the deeper access that Manifest V2 gives extensions to a browser's network and content-filtering functions. Manifest V3, the extension architecture Google introduced for Chromium, restricts that access in ways that specifically limit how ad blockers can identify and block ads. As Chromium-based browsers finish adopting Manifest V3, Firefox's decision to keep Manifest V2 support alive turns it into the only major browser where uBlock Origin still works without compromise.
Who it affects
The change affects anyone using uBlock Origin on a Chromium-based browser, including Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi and Samsung Browser, all of which are following Google's migration path. It also affects Safari and DuckDuckGo users, since neither of those non-Chromium browsers ever supported uBlock Origin. Firefox users are the exception: they keep full uBlock Origin functionality.
How to use it
Users who want to keep uBlock Origin's full ad-blocking capability now need to switch to Firefox. On any other browser, the remaining options are uBlock Origin Lite, a stripped-down version with fewer features and weaker ad-blocking performance, or the ad-blocking tools built into that browser directly.
How solid is it
The claim rests on a direct Bluesky statement from Firefox and reporting that traces Edge's Manifest V3 move back to Google's own migration of Chrome and Chromium. The article does not give a date for when Edge will complete the lockout or when Firefox posted its statement, and it does not name an individual or spokesperson behind the Bluesky post.
Risks and caveats
The source article does not specify exactly which technical functions ad-blocking extensions will lose under Manifest V3, nor does it give a timeline for Chrome's own Manifest V2 phase-out beyond noting that Google started it. It also does not say when Edge's lockout will take effect, so the timing of the actual cutoff for Edge users remains unclear.
“Our support for uBlock Origin isn't going anywhere.”
— Firefox, via Bluesky