Chrome extensions are like power-ups for your browser, adding new features and supercharging your web experience. Extensions are a key tool for teachers and provide some helpful resources for my students.

Related Post: The best Chrome Extensions for students

Over the past few weeks, you may have received a notification that your favorite Chrome extension is no longer available and was automatically disabled. 😭 This happened to me as well, for an extension that I use regularly, so, I did some research to figure out what was happening and why my extension suddenly stopped working.

Moving from manifest V2 to V3

After YEARS of debate and discussion, Google is making every Chrome extension update to “manifest V3.” The goal of this update is to improve security and transparency of all extensions.

Manifest V3 is the newest version of the platform every Chrome extension is built on. Think of it as an upgrade to the underlying code that powers these handy browser add-ons. This transition aims to make extensions more secure, private, and reliable.

Related Post: 5 Chrome extensions that will save teachers time and energy!

Key updates to Chrome extensions

1. Enhanced Security: Manifest V3 prioritizes security by restricting the use of remotely hosted code. This means that extension developers can no longer load and execute code from external servers, reducing the risk of malicious code injection.
2. Improved Privacy: The update includes changes to how extensions can access and modify web content, enhancing user privacy. For instance, there are stricter limits on extensions’ ability to intercept and modify network requests.
3. Performance Boost: Manifest V3 encourages developers to use more efficient coding practices, leading to faster and more responsive extensions. This translates to a smoother browsing experience, especially when using multiple extensions.

The update to V3 isn’t without controversy.

Bad news for ad blockers

These changes have several implications for teachers who rely on Chrome extensions in their classrooms:

• Content Filtering and Ad Blocking: This extension update limits some of the capabilities of ad-blocking extensions, like uBlock origin. This limitation has been a key point of debate. There is a new version of uBlock, but it’s not as effective as the original.
• Old extensions: extensions that are no longer being maintained will cease to work. Unfortunately, there are a lot of extensions that are no longer being updated. You have probably already started to receive notifications about extensions that have been automatically disabled.

The enhanced security features of Manifest V3 ultimately benefit teachers and students by providing a safer and faster browsing environment. By reducing the risk of malicious extensions, schools can better protect their networks and user data.

Finding alternatives

As the transition to Manifest V3 progresses, here are some steps you can take to ensure a smooth experience:

1. Auto Update – a Chrome extension that is being actively maintained will automatically update to V3. You don’t need to do anything. This includes popular tools like Grammarly, Bitmoji, Loom, etc. These popular extensions will update automatically!
2. Find Alternatives – extensions that aren’t updated to V3 will be automatically disabled. If you click on the notification, you will be prompted to view alternate extensions as a replacement.
3. Get rid of unused extensions – if you aren’t actively using an extension, get rid of it! Too many extensions can slow down your computer and may be collecting your browsing data. If you don’t need it, get rid of it!

Note: If you are the Google Admin for your school, there are a few additional details you should understand. I recommend that you check out this blog post for IT administrators.

Making extensions better

The Chrome Web store has been a bit of a mess, historically. Malware, outdated listings, and shady tools have been far too common. Rest assured, Google has NO plans to discontinue Chrome extensions. The update to V3 proves that they are heavily invested in browser extensions. Hopefully manifest V3 will clean things up and make it easier for teachers and students to find useful tools for the classroom.