what happened to flash player on mac?
adobe retired flash player. its end of life page says adobe stopped supporting flash player beginning december 31, 2020, and blocked flash content from running in flash player beginning january 12, 2021. adobe strongly recommends that all users immediately uninstall flash player to help protect their systems.
this guide follows adobe's and apple's pages as we read them in november 2026. see also what happened to skype on mac.
download the ReMynd desktop app to search text you saw in a focused window, by app and date.
what does flash player's end of life mean?
it means no updates or security patches, and flash content no longer runs in flash player. adobe says that after the end of life date it will not issue flash player updates or security patches. adobe says it announced the end of life in july 2017, and that it gave more than three years of advance notice.
| what you might try | what adobe or apple says now |
|---|---|
| play flash content in flash player | adobe blocked flash content from running in flash player |
| get a security update | adobe will not issue flash player updates or security patches |
| download flash player from adobe | adobe has removed its flash player download pages |
| download it from another site | adobe says you should not use unauthorized versions |
| run flash content in safari | apple's release notes say safari no longer supports flash |
adobe adds that unauthorized downloads are a common source of malware and viruses.
when did safari stop running flash?
safari 14 stopped running flash content. apple's release notes for that version list one removed feature: safari no longer supports flash. apple says that version was released on september 16, 2020, and ships with macos big sur.
adobe's page says the same from its side: that safari version no longer loads flash player or runs flash content. adobe also says major browser vendors have disabled and will continue to disable flash player from running.
is flash player still on my mac?
adobe says flash player may remain on your system unless you uninstall it. it adds that some users may continue to see reminders from adobe to uninstall flash player.
in our read, a flash player entry you find on a mac today is a leftover from an old install, since adobe no longer offers the download.
how do you uninstall flash player on a mac?
adobe's mac uninstall page has steps for mac os x 10.4 and later, including macos. its steps, in order:
- check your version: click the apple icon and choose about this mac.
- download adobe's uninstaller for your version and open it from your downloads.
- double-click the uninstaller icon, click open if you are asked, then click uninstall.
- close your browsers when the uninstaller asks, either by clicking the browser name in its dialog or by closing each one and clicking retry. do not click quit, which stops the uninstall.
- click done when you see that the uninstallation succeeded.
- in your home folder, delete library/preferences/macromedia/flash player and library/caches/adobe/flash player.
- restart your mac, open your browser and check the status of flash player.
adobe notes that these instructions do not apply to flash player included with google chrome.
what replaced flash?
adobe points to open standards as viable alternatives for flash content. it says open standards such as html5, webgl and webassembly have continually matured over the years and serve as viable alternatives. it also says major browser vendors are integrating these open standards into their browsers and deprecating most other plug-ins.
where does ReMynd fit?
microsoft's work trend index asked workers about searching for information. it was published may 9, 2023, and surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 markets. 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information. the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need.
ReMynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision on a mac, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded. in our view, it helps when you remember reading something in a browser tab but not which site it was on.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided ReMynd was running then and the window was not excluded. on a mac it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac. ReMynd also runs on windows 11 (x64 or arm64). for screen history, see find something you saw on your screen.
limits of this guide
- it follows adobe's end of life page, adobe's mac uninstall page and apple's safari release notes; we did not run adobe's uninstaller.
- adobe's uninstall steps name mac os x versions and macos in general, not each current macos release by name.
- we did not test any tool that claims to play old flash files; adobe's end of life page names none.
ReMynd is photographic memory for your computer. forgot where you saw something? just ReMynd it.
download the ReMynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.