When it was first released, the browser plugin was free so it was incorporated into a lot of web browsers. This meant that loading times for games and other software that needed Flash to run were shorter. There are a number of reasons that Flash Player was so popular, one being that flash files were very small. It works by running content from SWF files, which is an Adobe specific file format for multimedia and animations. The software is a runtime, or a system that describes the library that coding language runs on. At one point, the software was required to run most interactive applications on the internet. In its prime, Flash Player was a must-have. Outdated, unsafe software has met its end-of-life Learn about the terminology that Microsoft uses to describe software updates.Software to view multimedia has long been surpassed by competitors This update is an optional update in Windows Server Update Service (WSUS). To get the standalone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website. This update is an optional update in Windows Update. How to obtain and install the update Windows Update To resolve this issue, reinstall the third-party version. When this update is applied, registry settings for the third-party provided version of Adobe Flash Player may be removed. Method 2: Reinstall your Windows operating system, but do not apply this update. Method 1: Reset your device to an earlier system restore point. This feature must be explicitly enabled and a system restore point must have been created on your Windows device before you apply this update.įor more information about system restore point, see Back up and restore your PC. Note If you must use Adobe Flash Player again on your device after this update has been installed, use one of the following methods: After you apply this update, it cannot be uninstalled. This update removes Adobe Flash Player that is installed on any of the Windows operating systems that are listed in the 'Applies to' section. For more information about how to remove Adobe Flash Player, see the Uninstall Flash Player | Windows topic on the Adobe website.

If you installed Adobe Flash Player manually from another source, it will not be removed. This update only removes Adobe Flash Player that was installed by your version of Windows. For more information, see Adobe Flash end of support on December 31, 2020.Īpplying this update will remove Adobe Flash Player from your Windows device.Īfter this update has been applied, this update cannot be uninstalled. Adobe Flash Player is out of support as of December 31, 2020.

Flash player windows 8.1