The browser wars are still ongoing, with each browser trying to secure its user base and seemingly venturing into controversial territories. Besides competing against rivals, search giant Google is also attempting to kill off ad blocking on YouTube by injecting ads into videos that may be impossible to block.
In the ad blocking extension space, another significant change is the shift from Manifest V2 to V3. The Manifest API deals with how extensions and add-ons work on browsers, and V3 aims to improve privacy, security, and performance. Recently, uBlock Origin developer recommended users switch to uBlock Lite as Chrome Web Store flags the former with a message saying it may not be supported for longer.
Chrome Web Store has stopped accepting Manifest V2 extensions, while Microsoft Edge is going down a similar route, although no notification about the Edge Add-ons Store exists. However, updates to existing MV2 add-ons are still allowed on Edge.
For those who want to continue using Manifest V2 extensions like uBlock Origin, one option is to migrate to Mozilla’s Firefox, which has no plans to drop MV2 support anytime soon. Alternatively, an official Registry hack exists that allows extending the support for MV2 add-ons until June 2025 by enabling the “ExtensionManifestV2Availability” policy.
This policy works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, requiring Chrome version 110 or newer or Edge version 123 or later. A Reddit user brought attention to this policy, which can be added inside the Windows Registry using the Registry Editor app (Regedit) as a DWORD.
Source: https://www.neowin.net/news/official-windows-registry-hack-extends-ublock-origin-support-on-google-chrome-edge/