Microsoft Edge Add-ons Warns uBlock Origin and Other Manifest V2 Extensions of Removal

Until now, these warnings mostly showed up inside the browser. Putting them on store listings means users can see that an add-on is on its way out before they install it, or before they ever open Edge's extension settings. Microsoft planned this step months ago.

What the new store warning says, and what it doesn't​

The wording needs a careful read. "No longer meets Microsoft Edge standards" could sound like a malware finding. It isn't one. In this case, the "standards" are the extension platform version. Manifest V2 is the older Chromium extension format, and Microsoft is replacing it with Manifest V3. The warning doesn't mean the add-on has been flagged as malicious or unsafe.

The store wording is also different from what Edge Canary showed earlier for installed extensions. In an earlier report, Windows Report said that in a recent Canary build uBlock Origin 1.75.0 remained visible on the Extensions page, but Edge disabled its toggle, displaying the message: "This extension was disabled as it is no longer supported in Microsoft Edge." Canary also provided an option to search for similar extensions, so users could find alternatives on the Edge Add-ons Store after an affected add-on was disabled.

The new store banner says an extension may be removed soon. That's a forecast, not a done deal. Windows Report says warnings for installed extensions showed up in Edge Beta, Dev and Canary, but not in Stable, when it tested. Its screenshot showed uBlock Origin still enabled in Canary despite the warning.

Those two reports don't quite agree: one Canary build showed uBlock Origin disabled, another showed it enabled with a warning. That fits how Microsoft is running this. Microsoft's timeline says warnings will appear to "some users," not everyone at once. Igor'sLAB points out that because of this staged approach, one computer may already be affected while no change is yet visible on another system with the same basic Edge version. Your experience depends on your Edge channel, your rollout group and when you look.

Quick summary:

• The store banner is a deprecation notice. It isn't a malware verdict or proof that an extension has been removed.
• Installed-extension warnings have been reported in Canary, Dev and Beta, but Stable hadn't shown them in Windows Report's testing.
• Because the rollout is staged, two PCs on the same Edge version can behave differently.

Microsoft's published timeline​

This didn't come out of nowhere. Microsoft's official Manifest V3 migration timeline on Microsoft Learn lists these milestones:

The store warning is the mid-September milestone becoming visible. It's a few weeks late for some readers, but the rollout was always meant to be staggered.

The Microsoft Edge team's August 7, 2026 blog post set the consumer schedule. Changes start in Canary, Dev and Beta, then gradually reach Stable, with the goal of finishing the consumer transition by the end of 2026. The same post says managed devices won't be affected during the consumer rollout. Microsoft also said MV2 extensions will be gradually turned off by default over the coming months, with users notified in advance and pointed to recommended MV3 versions where they exist.

What comes after the warning​

The store banner raises a practical question: what happens to these listings next? Microsoft's Message Center post MC1467356 is aimed at administrators and lists more consequences than the consumer announcements do. Microsoft says MV2 extensions will begin showing deprecation warnings on the Manage Extensions page (edge://extensions) and on Microsoft Edge Add-ons product detail pages. MV2 extensions will no longer appear in Add-ons search. It also states that MV2 extensions will be disabled by default for consumer users; users will initially be able to re-enable them, and this option will phase out over time, and that new installs of MV2 extensions from Microsoft Edge Add-ons will be blocked.

So the banner is the first step. After it, according to Microsoft's own plan:

1. The extension drops out of Add-ons search results.
2. Edge disables installed copies by default.
3. You can turn them back on for a while, then that option goes away too.
4. New installs from the store are blocked.

That makes the Canary behavior easier to read. A disabled toggle in one build and a warning on an enabled extension in another are just two points along the same path.

How many people does this actually hit?​

Microsoft says very few. The Edge team said 95% of the top MV2 extensions on the Edge Add-ons website have already moved to MV3. As Malwarebytes summarized, Microsoft counted 58 MV2 extensions with "meaningful usage," only three of which lack a publicly available MV3 alternative.

That's encouraging, but it shouldn't be taken as a promise. In WindowsForum's earlier coverage we noted that this is a store-level migration statistic, not a guarantee that a replacement behaves identically or works with a company's particular web applications. Malwarebytes made a similar point: some popular privacy tools will lose features or stop working.

uBlock Origin is the best-known example, and the reason is technical. Microsoft's migration guidance explains that in Manifest V3, network request changes move to the declarativeNetRequest API. Microsoft keeps the observational parts of the old Web Request API but recommends declarativeNetRequest in most cases. For content blockers built around the older blocking model, that's a real redesign, not a version-number bump.

Microsoft's documentation lists other structural changes developers have to deal with:

• No remotely hosted code. Extensions can only run JavaScript included in their own package.
• Runtime host permissions. Users can allow or restrict site access at runtime, instead of granting broad access at install.
• Stricter content scripts. Content scripts get the same permissions as the page they're injected into, and cross-origin requests go through background scripts.
• Service workers replace background pages.
• Manifest key changes. For example, action replaces browser_action and page_action, and host_permissions is split from permissions.

Microsoft says the goals are less fragmentation for developers and better privacy, security and performance for users. MC1467356 says MV3 enforces stricter permissions, blocks remotely hosted code, and reduces the attack surface associated with legacy MV2 extensions. Critics argue that some of the security gain comes at the cost of what power-user tools can do. Both points can be true.

Chrome already went through this​

Edge is following Google's lead. In WindowsForum's earlier reporting, we noted that Chrome's own published timeline says Manifest V2 was disabled for all Chrome users with Chrome 138 in July 2025, and that Chrome 139 removed the enterprise policy that had temporarily preserved MV2 support. Edge kept MV2 support for longer, and that extra time is now running out.

What to do now​

Home users​

1. Open edge://extensions and check each add-on for a deprecation notice.
2. For anything you rely on, check the developer's store listing or announcements for a Manifest V3 version. Many popular extensions have already updated, so for those you'll just get a normal update.
3. If there's no MV3 version, compare alternatives now rather than waiting for Edge to disable the extension.
4. Don't panic about the "standards" wording. It's about the platform version, not a sign of malware.

Developers​

Microsoft's advice is simple: migrate to Manifest V3 and submit the update through Partner Center. Because migration touches service workers, permissions and request handling, test the new build properly. Passing store submission doesn't prove it works.

IT administrators​

Managed devices aren't affected during the consumer rollout. Don't read that as an indefinite exemption, though. The Message Center post says managed devices are unaffected during the consumer rollout. A policy ExtensionManifestV2Availability will be provided to continue maintaining MV2 support. Managed devices are affected once enterprise deprecation begins. The M365 Admin summary of the same notice gives a schedule: rolling out in early January 2027 and expected to complete by late April 2027 for Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD. After that, the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy will be removed and MV2 extensions will stop working on all devices, including managed devices with the policy previously set.

Microsoft's policy documentation says ExtensionManifestV2Availability is supported on Windows and macOS from Edge 123. It has four settings: Default, Disable, Enable, and EnableForForcedExtensions. That documentation, last updated in May 2026, still says the migration timeline "hasn't been established," so the Message Center post is the more current source on dates. For now:

• Inventory every MV2 extension your users have, especially ones that are force-installed or allow-listed through ExtensionInstallForcelist or ExtensionInstallAllowlist.
• Mark which ones are security controls and which are just conveniences.
• Test MV3 replacements against your line-of-business web apps before January.

The bottom line​

The store banner isn't a disaster, but it's a clear sign of what's coming. Microsoft is doing what it said it would, and most users will notice nothing more than a routine extension update. If you rely on one of the few holdouts, especially an older content blocker, now is the time to find a replacement, while the warning still says "may be removed soon" and not "removed."

Is your Edge setup still running anything on Manifest V2? Check edge://extensions and tell us in the forums what you find, and what you're switching to.