How To Enable uBlock Origin In Chrome | Flag Method

You can still enable uBlock Origin in Chrome by re-enabling legacy Manifest V2 support through chrome://flags, then loading the extension unpacked from GitHub.

Google’s rollout of Manifest V3 broke uBlock Origin for millions of Chrome users in 2024, and the full extension vanished from the Chrome Web Store. But learning how to enable uBlock Origin in Chrome is still possible — the blocker runs fine if you re-enable the old extension system manually. Here’s a step-by-step guide with the exact flag settings that do it.

What Chrome Flag Settings Enable uBlock Origin?

The core workaround keeps uBlock Origin running by telling Chrome to still accept Manifest V2 extensions. Google left a set of developer flags that allow this, though the exact flag names change as Chrome versions advance. On current Chrome builds (around M139), this is the sequence that works.

1. Type chrome://flags in the address bar and press Enter. You’ll land on Chrome’s experimental features page.
2. Search for temporarily unexpire. You’ll see one or more flags like Temporarily unexpire M139 flags. Set it to Enabled. If your Chrome version is newer, you may see M140 or M141 versions — enable the one that matches your build.
3. Search for MV2. You’ll see three deprecation flags. Each one must be set to Disabled:
   • Extension Manifest V2 Deprecation Warning Stage
   • Extension Manifest V2 Deprecation Disabled Stage
   • Extension Manifest V2 Deprecation Unsupported Stage
4. Search for Allow legacy extension manifest versions and set it to Enabled. This flag is the master switch that lets older extensions run.
5. Click Relaunch at the bottom of the page. Chrome restarts with MV2 support re-enabled. If you don’t see the Relaunch button, clicking the blue button on any flag will prompt a relaunch.

After Chrome restarts, it’s ready to accept uBlock Origin as an unpacked extension. The next steps get the extension files onto your machine.

Download and Load uBlock Origin Unpacked

1. Go to the uBlock Origin GitHub releases page. A walkthrough from Tom’s Guide documents the exact flag-and-manual-install process, including link to the chromium.zip asset. Tom’s Guide’s guide on bringing back uBlock Origin walks through the whole sequence. Download the asset ending in chromium.zip or ublock0.chromium.zip. Version 1.67.0 is the latest as of early 2026.
2. Extract the ZIP file to a folder on your desktop. A single folder named after the release appears.
3. Open chrome://extensions in a new tab. Flip the Developer mode toggle in the top-right corner — three new buttons appear, including Load unpacked.
4. Click Load unpacked and navigate to the extracted folder. This is where the common pitfall lives: inside the release folder you’ll find an inner folder called uBlock0.chromium (sometimes just chromium). Select that inner folder, not the outer release folder. Click Select Folder.

Chrome loads uBlock Origin and you’ll see its iconic shield icon appear in the top-right toolbar. The extension dashboard now lists uBlock Origin as active. If you see an error like “Could not load extension from,” you probably selected the wrong folder level — go back and choose the inner chromium-named folder.

Comparison of Methods to Keep uBlock Origin Running

The flags-and-manual-install method is the common route, but a few other options exist depending on your setup and how much ongoing tinkering you want.

What If the Flag Method Doesn’t Work?

If Chrome has pushed an update that removed or renamed the temporarily unexpire flags, or if the manual install fails, these alternatives may work for your situation.

Windows Registry Policy Route

On Windows only, you can force Chrome to accept Manifest V2 extensions through an enterprise policy. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run this single command:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome" /v ExtensionManifestV2Availability /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Then add this launch flag to your Chrome shortcut’s target field (right-click the shortcut, choose Properties, and append the text after the existing path):

--disable-features=ExtensionManifestV2Unsupported,ExtensionManifestV2Disabled

Launch Chrome from that edited shortcut. uBlock Origin from a previous install should now become active again. This method is more stable across Chrome version bumps because the policy stays set until you remove it, but it requires Windows administrator access.

Install uBlock Origin Lite from the Chrome Web Store

The uBlock Origin project officially recommends uBlock Origin Lite as the Chrome Web Store alternative for users who don’t want to manage flags. Lite uses declarative rulesets instead of the full engine, which means less memory and no need for workaround flags. You can enable additional rulesets from the options page — click the cogs icon after installation and turn on more blocking lists. uBlock Origin Lite is free, available now, and won’t break on future Chrome updates.

Use Firefox for Full uBlock Origin

Firefox still fully supports Manifest V2 extensions, meaning uBlock Origin works there without any flags or workarounds. The extension installs from the Firefox Add-ons store in one click and offers the same complete feature set as it always has. If you’re open to switching browsers for browsing with fewer restrictions, Firefox is the path with zero ongoing maintenance.

Flag Settings Quick Reference

These are the exact chrome://flags settings that re-enable MV2 support. Bookmark this table — when Chrome updates, the temporarily unexpire flag number changes, but the three MV2 deprecation flags and the legacy setting stay the same.

Chrome version note: The Temporarily unexpire flag number changes with each major Chrome release. If you’re on a version newer than M139, you may see M140 or M141 instead — enable whichever one matches your current Chrome build. Checking chrome://version tells you your exact major version number.

Quick Setup Checklist

Follow this order and you’ll have uBlock Origin running in about five minutes:

1. Open chrome://flags, enable the five settings above, and relaunch Chrome.
2. Download the chromium ZIP from the official uBlock Origin GitHub releases page.
3. Extract the ZIP, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode, and load the inner chromium folder.
4. Check that the uBlock Origin shield icon appears in the toolbar — that’s your success cue.

After each Chrome update, revisit the flags page — some version bumps reset the flag settings. Re-apply the five changes and reload the extension to keep it active.