# uBlock Origin after the Chrome Web Store removal: install paths, MV2 versus MV3, and what still works > uBlock Origin is a wide-spectrum content blocker for Chromium and Firefox, distributed under GPL-3.0. The Chrome Web Store listing is scheduled for removal on 2026-08-31, so the interesting question is no longer what it blocks but where it still installs and what changes on the way. **gorhill/uBlock** — uBlock Origin is an efficient, low-memory content blocker for Chromium and Firefox that filters ads, trackers, and other unwanted content. - Repository: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock - Stars: 68,206 · Forks: 4,366 - Language: JavaScript - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-08-04 · Updated: 2026-08-18 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/gorhill-ublock ## What uBlock Origin blocks, and who it is actually for The README describes uBlock Origin as a CPU and memory-efficient wide-spectrum content blocker. The default configuration ships with EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Peter Lowe's Blocklist, the Online Malicious URL Blocklist, and the project's own filter lists enabled. That covers ads, trackers, coin miners, popups, anti-blocker scripts, and malware sites without the user touching a setting. The README explicitly compares this to Adblock Plus, which it says installs with only EasyList, ABP filters, and Acceptable Ads enabled, and notes that any preselected list can be unselected if uBO blocks too much. The audience splits in two. The basic popup interface is aimed at an install-it-and-forget-it user who wants the defaults. The advanced popup interface adds a point-and-click firewall configurable per site, which is for people who want to decide which origins a page may contact rather than relying on list maintainers. The README frames the project's goal as neutralizing privacy-invading methods in a way that welcomes users who do not wish to use more technical means, which is a fair description of the two-mode design: the same extension serves both without a separate build. ## Filter lists, extended EasyList syntax, and the static versus dynamic split The blocking model is list-driven. uBO uses EasyList filter syntax and extends it for custom rules. Hosts files are also supported, which matters for people migrating from a DNS-level blocker. Filter lists are the static layer: they are matched against network requests, and they come from maintainers who update them independently of uBO releases. The dynamic layer is the firewall in the advanced interface. Where a static list says block this pattern everywhere, a dynamic rule says this site may or may not reach this origin. The two layers interact, and the README warns that other content blockers can prevent uBO's privacy or anti-blocker-defusing features from working correctly. That is a design consequence of the extension doing its own request interception rather than delegating to a shared engine. If a second blocker cancels a request first, uBO never sees it, and the anti-blocker logic that depends on observing the request does not run. The repository layout matches this: src/ holds the extension sources, platform/ holds per-browser packaging, and dist/ holds build output. The Makefile builds the extension per target rather than producing one universal artifact. ## Installing uBlock Origin on Firefox and Chromium Firefox is the shortest path. The README links Firefox Add-ons directly and states that uBO works best on Firefox, on both desktop and Android. Installing from the add-ons site gives you automatic updates. For Chromium, the README links the Chrome Web Store with a removal date of 2026-08-31, Microsoft Edge Add-ons, and Opera Add-ons. It also points to GitHub Releases for stable and development versions on Firefox, Chromium MV2, and Thunderbird. The README is explicit that those builds must be placed manually into the browser and that the Chromium and Thunderbird versions usually will not auto-update. That is the trade-off: you get a version the store will not carry, and you own the update cycle. If you want to build from source, the repository ships a Makefile with per-browser targets. The Chromium target is: ```bash make chromium ``` The Makefile writes the result to dist/build/uBlock0.chromium. The Firefox target is make firefox, which runs tools/make-firefox.sh all and writes dist/build/uBlock0.firefox. There is also an npm target for the Node.js build. Linting requires Node.js 22 or newer and npm 11 or newer, per the engines field in package.json, and runs through: ```bash make lint ``` That expands to npm run lint, which runs eslint over src/js, the JSON files, and platform/*.js, skipping bundled libraries under lib/ and npm/ directories. Note that npm test is a stub: package.json defines it as an echo that exits 1, so there is no test suite to run. ## The MV2 removal is the real constraint, not a footnote The README quotes Google's Manifest V2 support timeline: all remaining Manifest V2 extensions removed from the Chrome Web Store on 2026-08-31. It also quotes Microsoft's August 2026 announcement that Edge will begin a consumer transition away from MV2 toward MV3, targeting completion by the end of 2026, with enterprise deprecation following in early 2027. The Chrome Web Store entry in the install table carries the removal date next to it. This is the single most consequential fact about adopting uBO today. The extension is not archived and the last push to the repository was on 2026-08-25, so development has not stopped. But a browser that refuses to load MV2 extensions will not run the build that depends on MV2 APIs, regardless of how current the repository is. The README lists GitHub Releases as carrying Chromium MV2 builds, which tells you which side of that line those builds sit on. The project's answer to the MV3 world is uBlock Origin Lite, linked from the README as a related project. The README does not describe how Lite differs technically, only that it exists. Anyone planning a migration should read the uBOL-home repository rather than infer the differences from uBO's README. ## Thunderbird, Android, and the platforms the README treats differently Thunderbird is the odd one out. The README links the Thunderbird Add-ons page and then states that the add-on there is no longer updated and stuck at 1.49.2, with later versions requiring GitHub Releases. It also notes that in Thunderbird, uBlock Origin does not affect emails, only feeds. If your reason for installing uBO in Thunderbird is mail-borne tracking, the README says that is not what it does. Firefox for Android is covered by the same Firefox Add-ons listing, which the README says serves desktop and Android. Chromium-based browsers are described as compatible in general, with the caveat that the store listings are the maintained distribution channel and those are the ones affected by the MV2 timeline. Safari is not in the README's install table at all. The repository does contain platform/mv3/safari/ and a mv3-safari Makefile target, so Safari packaging exists in the tree, but the README's user-facing installation section does not offer a Safari install path. Treat Safari as a build target for people who compile their own, not a supported end-user route. ## uBlock Origin Lite is a different approach, not a smaller uBO The README points to uBlock Origin Lite as a related project and gives it one line. That is thin, and it is the main documentation gap for anyone deciding between the two. What the README does establish is that Lite is a separate repository, uBOL-home, and that it exists in the context of the MV3 transition described in the same document. The practical difference in approach is architectural rather than a matter of list coverage. uBO's design depends on intercepting requests itself, which is why the README warns against running it with another blocker and why its anti-blocker-defusing features are described as breakable by a second extension. A Manifest V3 build operates under the declarative rules model that the Chrome and Edge timelines push extensions toward. That is a different mechanism with different limits on what the extension can observe and modify at runtime. Anyone who needs uBO's per-site dynamic firewall should verify whether the Lite build exposes an equivalent before switching, because the README does not claim it does. If you are staying on Firefox, this comparison is largely academic: Firefox still distributes uBO through its own add-ons site, and the README's recommendation of Firefox as the best platform is not conditioned on the MV2 timeline. ## Licence, enterprise deployment, and what maintenance costs you uBO is GPL-3.0, both in the README's licence link and in the license field of package.json. For normal users this changes nothing. For anyone repackaging the extension, bundling it into a product, or shipping a modified build inside a company, GPL-3.0 carries source distribution obligations that a permissive licence would not. This is not legal advice; the LICENSE.txt file and the GPL-3.0 text are the authority. The README has a dedicated Enterprise Deployment section pointing to a wiki page on deploying uBO, and a Manual Installation section for the all-programs case. Those are the two paths for managed fleets, and they exist because the store channel is unreliable for this extension right now. Upgrade cost depends on your channel. Firefox Add-ons and the Edge and Opera stores handle updates. GitHub Releases builds generally do not auto-update for Chromium and Thunderbird, per the README, so someone has to track releases and replace the extension manually. Releases are frequent: 1.74.0 on 2026-08-25, preceded by 1.73.1b8 and 1.73.1b7 in the days before. That cadence is good for fixes and bad for anyone who wants a set-and-forget manual install. The last push to the default branch was on 2026-08-25. ## Conclusion Adopt uBlock Origin if you browse on Firefox desktop or Android, where the README states it works best, or if you accept a manual install on Chromium MV2 builds. Do not adopt it expecting a maintained Chrome Web Store listing, and do not run it alongside another content blocker, which the README warns can break its privacy and anti-blocker features. Before committing, check which manifest version your browser still accepts, whether the Thunderbird add-on is still stuck at 1.49.2, and whether you need the enterprise deployment path rather than a per-user install. ## FAQ ### Why is uBlock Origin being removed from Chrome? The README quotes Google's Manifest V2 support timeline, which states that all remaining Manifest V2 extensions were removed from the Chrome Web Store on 2026-08-31. uBO's Chromium MV2 builds are distributed through GitHub Releases instead, where the README notes they usually will not auto-update. ### Is uBlock Origin still working? The repository is not archived and the last push to the default branch was on 2026-08-25, with release 1.74.0 published the same day. Whether it loads depends on your browser: Firefox still distributes it through Firefox Add-ons, which the README says is where it works best. ### How do I install uBlock Origin on Firefox? Install it from Firefox Add-ons, which the README lists as the Firefox install source for desktop and Android. The README states that uBO works best on Firefox. Development builds are also available, and stable and development versions can be installed from GitHub Releases. ### How do I use uBlock Origin on Chrome? The README links the Chrome Web Store, but that listing carries a removal date of 2026-08-31. For Chromium MV2 builds you install from GitHub Releases, and the README warns those must be placed manually into the browser and usually will not auto-update. ### How do I use uBlock Origin on Android? The Firefox Add-ons listing covers Android as well as desktop, and the README states that uBO works best on Firefox for both. There is no separate Android install path documented in the README. ### How do I use uBlock Origin Lite? uBlock Origin Lite is a separate project, linked from the README as uBOL-home. The README does not document Lite's usage or how it differs from uBO technically, so the uBOL-home repository is the place to check. ## Sources - [Official README](https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock#readme) - [Project repository](https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock) - [Release notes](https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/gorhill-ublock