Adobe has finally officially ended support for its Flash browser plug-in and the company will begin blocking content from running in Flash Player as of January 12.
The shutting down of Flash shouldn’t even be noticeable for most users, as most popular browsers have already stopped supporting the format. iPhone and iPad users won’t even need to read the rest of this article (unless they also own a Mac), as the iPad and iPhone have never supported Flash.
Adobe’s Flash Player has suffered from malware and security vulnerabilities since its introduction many years ago. The risks meant Apple and Microsoft were forced to continually offer security fixes due to newly exposed Flash flaws.
Adobe is recommending that all users immediately remove the software “to help protect their systems.” Here’s how to remove it from your Mac:
Deauthorizing Flash on your Mac
- Go to “System Preferences” -> “Flash Player” (found at the bottom of the System preferences dialog).
- In the top right, click the “Advanced” tab.
- Choose “Deauthorize This Computer…”
Fully remove Adobe Flash
- Open a Finder window then select “Applications,” open “Utilities” (or search for the “Adobe Flash Player Install Manager” app).
- Open “Adobe Flash Player Install Manager” -> click “Uninstall.”
- You’ll get a confirmation when Flash Player has been successfully removed.
