Google sets August 31 for full Manifest V2 extension removal

Google has set August 31, 2026 as the date it will remove all Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store, marking the final end to a transition that has lasted more than four years.

Manifest V3 becomes the sole supported extension platform. The company positioned Manifest V3 as a more secure and better-performing base for browser extensions going forward. It has already disabled support for Manifest V2 in July 2025 and more recently eliminated a loophole that allowed users to re-enable the older extensions.

The restrictions in Manifest V3 have affected certain categories of extensions, including ad blockers. Many users and developers sought to keep Manifest V2 available because of those limitations.

Chrome Web Store will no longer deliver updates to Manifest V2 extensions. Older extensions have been barred from being added to the store for the past few years. The backend ability to deliver updates to existing installations remained available until now.

As of August 31, 2026 that update capability ends completely. Google will remove all Manifest V2 extensions from the store on that date.

The four-year phase-out reaches its conclusion. The death of Manifest V2 support has been underway for well over four years. The August 31 deadline provides the official and complete end of older Chrome extensions.