Google Chrome automatically disabled uBlock Origin? Here's how to turn it back on

Google Chrome recently disabled uBlock Origin extensions automatically for a majority of users, if not everyone. A few days ago I opened Chrome and noticed a pop-up saying uBlock Origin was disabled. Of course, I wasn’t alone. Thousands of users who rely on uBlock Origin to keep their browsers free from ad-spam are in the same boat too.

But it turns out that there are still a couple of ways you can get the extension working again. The first is to simply toggle it on again. Multiple users have confirmed that once Chrome disables the extension automatically, don’t remove it from your browser. Unfortunately, I caved in and removed it from mine. So I haven’t been able to test the same on my end.

However, if you’ve not removed it yet, then just head over to Chrome’s extensions settings and toggle it back on. In case you removed it from your browser already, you’ll notice that you can no longer click the “Add to Chrome” button for uBlock Origin on Chrome’s Web Store. But, it seems some smart users have discovered a quick workaround for that too.

It just involves tweaking the backend code using Chrome’s ‘Inspect element’ feature. I’ve tested this myself and can confirm that it works. Here’s how it works.

1. Head over to uBlock Origin’s page on the Web Store.
2. Right-click on the grayed out “Add to Chrome” button and click select “Inspect element.”
   
3. Now, make sure the button appears as highlighted when you’re hovering your cursor in the Inspect element console.
4. Click on “Edit as HTML” and look for the word “disabled” in the code. It should be fairly easy to spot.
   
5. Replace the word “disabled” with “enabled” and exit the Inspect element console.
   
6. The “Add to Chrome” button should now be usable. Just click on it and install uBlock Origin again.
   

This should help you get back the extension on your Chrome browser. Just note that there’s a possibility Google might patch this in the future. Feel free to let me know if the steps helped you get back the extension or not. In case you have another unique workaround to get uBlock Origin back on Chrome, share it in the comments section below. Thanks in advance!