Uninstall Flash Player: Mac, Windows 10

As we have already spoken about in this article, Adobe Flash player support ended on the 31st December, 2020, and Adobe began blocking Flash content from running in Flash Player as of January 12, 2021. This EOL (End of Life) date effectively kills Adobe Flash Player. It is now recommended that you remove Adobe Flash Player from your computer as soon as possible. This article will explain how to uninstall Flash Player for both PC and Mac.

Why uninstall Adobe Flash Player? 

You can keep Flash Player on your system if you want, and it will remain there unless you uninstall it. Adobe recommends that you remove it as it will help secure your system, considering the fact that Adobe does not plan on updating Flash Player any more, or adding security patches after the 31st December 2020. This effectively makes Flash Player a security risk for your device. After the 12th January 2021, Flash Player was disabled on most sites and replaced with HTML5.

How to uninstall Adobe Flash Player on Windows 10?

To uninstall Flash Player for Windows, you will need to first download the official Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller.

• After downloading the uninstaller, you need to close all browsers, windows, tabs and apps that are currently open. The uninstaller does not work if any programs that use Flash are open.
• Double click on the Uninstaller to begin the process.
• You will be prompted to confirm, select yes.
• Once the download is complete, you will be asked to restart your computer.
• When you are back on the home screen, press the Windows key + R at the same time to show the Run command.
• Copy and paste the following text and click OK. C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash
• This will open the aforementioned folder. Delete all the files in this folder.
• Now repeat this process for the following folders:
  • C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash
  • %appdata%\Adobe\Flash Player
  • %appdata%\Macromedia\Flash Player
• Restart your computer. Now Adobe Flash Player should have been fully uninstalled.

How to uninstall Adobe Flash Player on Mac?

To uninstall Flash Player for Mac, you will need to first download the official Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller. There are two different versions of the Uninstaller to choose from, depending on your version of Mac OS, so you will need to first determine which version you need.

• After downloading the file, the uninstaller will appear in your Downloads folder.
• Double click on the Uninstaller icon, and open the file when prompted.
• When the Uninstaller begins you will need to close all open browsers, windows, tabs and apps that are currently open. The uninstaller will not work if anything is currently using Flash.
• The uninstaller will continue and inform you upon completion.
• You will now want to delete the following files from your computer:

<home directory>/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash\ Player <home directory>/Library/Caches/Adobe/Flash\ Player

• To verify the successful uninstallation, restart your computer.

Any more Flash Player questions? Check out our forum!