Adobe officially ended support for Flash Player on December 31, 2020. Now Microsoft is going in for the final kill. Windows 10 has a “Optional Update” that eliminates Adobe Flash from the computer.
Adobe Flash’s days are over. However, there are potentially millions of computers across the globe that still have the SWF file player installed.
Microsoft is now readying Adobe Flash Killer Update that will wipe out any and all traces of the platform. The company is planning to send the “optional” update through multiple channels, and finish off Adobe Flash Player before hackers can misuse it to wreak havoc.
Microsoft could broadly release a Windows 10 update that will remove Adobe Flash Player?
Adobe Flash Player officially moved out of support on December 31, 2020. It took the parent company, Adobe, and all the major web browser makers about three years to put their plans in place.
The majority of the web world has abandoned Adobe Flash as a container for multimedia content. The most prevalent and popular option is HTML5. However, web developers and website designers have a few other powerful technologies to build immersive and engaging websites.
With the Flash Player officially crossing the end-of-support date, Microsoft is not taking any chances. The company has initiated the process of ridding Windows 10 of the platform for good.
Microsoft will reportedly release a Windows 10 update that will automatically and permanently remove Adobe Flash Player. The company will release the update through Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update, and WSUS.
With this Windows 10 update you can uninstall Adobe Flash Player https://t.co/HXtUmLKDlQ via @entrepreneur #entrepreneur #socialmedia pic.twitter.com/5aYq2OGYau
— Real Marsha Wright® | www.RECIPROCATE.network (@marshawright) January 6, 2021
Microsoft had introduced the optional Flash-removing update available in October on the Windows Update Catalog. However, the company never rolled it out to the broader user base of the Windows 10 operating system.
Microsoft could roll out the Flash removal update more widely in early 2021. However, the update will reportedly remain optional. In other words, Microsoft won’t auto-initiate the download and install of the update.
Incidentally, Microsoft has indicated that it will start recommending users install the update. However, the company will hold off for a few months. Only after the update becomes available through Windows Update and WSUS, will Microsoft start urging Windows 10 users to install the update and get rid of Flash Player once and for all.
Major web browser makers have already stopped supporting Adobe Flash Player:
Mozilla released Firefox web browser version 84 back in December. This was the final version to support Flash. The next update, expected to arrive on January 26, 2021, will take Firefox to v85, and it won’t have Flash support.
Adobe Flash Player is officially dead. Here's how to uninstall it https://t.co/CugYneoD4m
— SinisaTrifunovic(BarnacusBailey) (@teslaboulevard) January 6, 2021
Similarly, Google will release a Chrome web browser update this month. The Chrome v88 will be completely stripped of Flash Player. Even the Chromium base will be devoid of the same. This means Microsoft Edge web browser should block Flash Player as “out of date”.
Adobe has offered the Flash Player Removal utility on its website. Although Flash Player was a vital component of computing in the 90s and the early 2000s, users must follow Adobe’s uninstall instructions to rid their computers of Adobe Flash Player.