uBlock Origin is available for Edge again after accidental removal

It was previously reported by Neowin that uBlock Origin was no longer available for Microsoft’s Edge browser. Following in the footsteps of Google, who killed the uBlock Origin extension on Chrome, it seemed Microsoft had removed the popular ad blocker from Edge’s add-on store.

All of the hubbub surrounding uBlock Origin stems from Google deprecating the Manifest V2 browser extension standard in Chromium. As you may well know, Chrome isn’t the only web browser built on Chromium—in fact, most modern web browsers are, including Edge.

Google claims that Manifest V3 is meant to improve the safety and efficiency of browser extensions, but it comes with a big drawback: new limitations and restrictions that make ad blockers less effective.

In the case of uBlock Origin, the extension just isn’t compatible with Manifest V3, hence it no longer working with Chrome and most Chromium-based browsers. Many users have since moved on to its less-effective successor with fewer features, uBlock Origin Lite.

With Manifest V2 replaced by Manifest V3, other Chromium-based browsers must eventually follow suit (unless you’re Opera and can commit resources to maintaining Manifest V2 support). And that’s what it looked like here: uBlock Origin was no longer available in the Edge add-on store, leading some to believe it had been deprecated for Edge.

But as it turns out, it was just a mistake. uBlock Origin is back up on the Edge add-on store and still available to install for users.

Further reading: uBlock Origin is dead, but these ad blockers aren’t