How to Remove Flash Player from Windows PC
Adobe Flash Player has reached its end of life in 2019
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Key notes
- The Microsoft Flash removal tool will help you remove any traces of Flash.
- You can find the removal tool in the official Microsoft Update Catalog.
- It's important to know that Flash removal won't interfere with your OS.
- If you still have content on your PC, you can open it with Flash add-ons from Opera One.
The Microsoft Update Catalog has been refreshed to include a tool that will remove all traces of Adobe Flash Player from your operating system.
The giant tech company has been preparing to kill Flash Player for some time now and it now facilitates all the details to make sure that no traces of this program are left behind.
The official removal date was December 31st, but if you still have it on your PC, you should perform this action using the Flash removal tool.
How is removing Flash Player going to affect my OS?
It’s important to know that using the Flash removal tool won’t affect Flash-related plugins that come with various browsers, such as Chrome or Firefox. In their turn, browsers have stopped supporting this add-on anyway.
Once you’ve made this action and removed Flash Player from your device, you won’t be able to restore it. In case you want to use Flash Player again, you will need to reinstall or reset Windows 10.
Or you may need to restore the device to an earlier restore point.
As expected, by applying this update, you might get errors when trying to access older Flash-based media content. Newer and safer content is HTML5-based.
Eventually, all websites and apps will have to move forward toward Flash-free content.
How do I use the Flash removal tool?
In order to permanently remove any trace of Adobe Flash Player from your Windows PC, you need to use the Flash removal tool. It is included in the Microsoft Update Catalog.
More specifically, the catalog now includes KB4577586, also named Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player (followed by the OS version and specs). You need to download and use the appropriate tool version for your OS.
1. Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog.
2. Search for KB4577586 in the search box.
3. Scroll down to the Windows version that you’re using.
4. Click on the Download button next to it.
5. Execute the downloaded file by double-clicking on it.
6. Restart your PC when asked.
Note: If your Windows version is not listed, check back later.
What browser still supports Flash Player?
Even though you can’t use Flash without proper add-ons, we recommend using Opera One when doing so due to it’s enhanced security features.
This great browser comes with social media integration, great tab management, and, most importantly, a free, built-in VPN. Plus, it also features a built-in AI and Ad Blocker.
Find out more about Opera VPN by reading our dedicated article.
Opera One
Opera is a great free browser that you can still use to open your Flash content seamlessly.Do you think this move will heavily impact your online activity? Share your opinion with us using the comments section below and let us know whether you succeeded in removing Flash from your PC.
