What Happens to Ad Blocking in Arc when Google upgrades to Manifest V3?

Ad blocking extensions using the older Manifest V2 specification will continue to function in Arc for desktop as late as June 2025

The Browser Company on the Arc FAQ:

Ad blocking extensions using the older Manifest V2 specification will continue to function in Arc for desktop as late as June 2025.

Arc is in maintenance mode and will no longer release new features, and that means their only updates are keeping up with Chromium versions, which will ditch Ad blocking support in the coming months.

This sucks.

I use Arc browser to this day, even when I know it’s a dead project.

There are three main use cases I use Arc for:

  • Development related work: As a webdev, chromium browsers are required to work with. It’s where most of the users are and it’s were the developer tools are. I need a chromium browser to avoid installing chrome.
  • Youtube –and more broadly, Google Services: I like the containerization of profiles, which were available in Firefox before but I was not aware of it. I like to contain my google stuff in a profile to pretend that it’s more difficult for google to identify me when browsing.
  • Work Related stuff: Most workplaces use Google workspace account to manage employee mail, calendars, and meetings. This lives in a different profile, so I don’t mix stuff between my personal profile and this.

What is great about this setup is I can have all this functionality under the same window instead of using a window for the work profile. I can use youtube music on the personal profile and open my work email in the Arc window. No need to snipe around where is each window.

A one window setup is very convenient because I can use Raycast keyboard shortcuts to always land in the intended Arc window.

It also is easier to work with because I can send all links of google meet right into the work profile, and with the use of Velja, I can send all my slack links to Arc. This combination of being able to always open work stuff in the work profile is really something I don’t want to get rid of.

Since the state of the web is not very good, it’s openness allows us to still more or less make the experience manageable.

Auto cookie closers, ad blocking, and other styling extensions are almost required to be able to read most mainstream sites, let alone to escape tracking and the infinite amount of ads.

So probably as most people will do, I’ll switch browsers whenever the experience in arc degrades with the ditching of Ad blockers and other extensions.

Life goes on.