Adobe Releases Final Flash Player Update: How to Uninstall Flash in Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome

CJ Robles, Tech Times 09 December 2020, 09:12 am

Adobe released the final Flash Player update on December 8 and urged users to uninstall the program as it ends its support for on yearend.

According to Tech Radar, the update is called AIR 32, which seemed like a sendoff to the software that has been a vital part in web content, animation, audio, and video creation. It remained afloat since its launch in 1996, but its continuing drop in users led to Adobe's decision to stop the software.

Adobe's final Flash Player update

In the release notes for AIR 32 published on its website on December 8, which marks the scheduled release for the final Flash Player update for all areas beyond Mainland China. The company thanked its consumers and developers who have created millions of amazing Flash Player contents in its 24 years of existence.

Moreover, it took pride of the Flash's "crucial role in evolving web content" in interactivity, audio, video, and animation. "We are excited to help lead the next era of digital experiences," Adobe wrote in the announcement.

Meanwhile, as the company announced it will end its support to Flash Player starting January 1, 2021 while Flash contents will be blocked in Flash Player by January 12 2021, Adobe highly recommends uninstalling Flash Player to help protect their systems.

How to Uninstall Flash in Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome

Since Flash will soon be removed, it is better to disable it as soon as possible. Here's how to uninstall Flash in Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chrome.

How to Uninstall Flash in Windows

Currently, there are three Flash player plug-ins for Windows: NPAPI plug-in for Firefox, ActiveX plug-in for Internet Explorer, and PPAPI plug-in for Chromium and Opera. To uninstall Flash, go to the Control Panel and view the installed programs list. Look for any Flash plug-ins, and uninstall all that begins with "Adobe Flash Player."

How to Uninstall Flash in Windows on Mac OS X

There are two Flash plug-ins for Mac OS X: PPAPI plug-in for Chromium and Opera as well as NPAPI plug-in for Firefox and Safari. To uninstall these plug-ins, go to Adobe website and download the plug-in uninstaller. Run the uninstaller and the Flash software will be removed.

How to Uninstall Flash in Windows on Linux

For Linux, uninstalling Flash depends on how the software was installed. For those usingLinux Mint, Debiann or Ubuntu, you can uninstall it by running the commands below.

For the NPAPI or Firefox:

sudo apt-get remove flashplugin-installer

For the PPAPI or Chromium:

sudo update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree --uninstall

Flash Player on Chrome

Flash Player is included in Chrome's bundled plug-ins. Disabling this plug-in should be done in Chrome settings. In Chrome's location bar, type "chrome://plugins/" and press Enter. Under the Adobe Flash Player plug-in, click on "Disable".

Can we live without Flash Player?

Adobe decided to end the Flash Player support as users have continuously declined, particularly because of the existence of more secure programs like WebGL, HTML5, and WebAssembly. More importantly, Flash has been a trojan horse for various cybercriminals and invasive malware.