Can You Unblock Flash Player? Facts and Alternatives

Last Updated: August 25, 2021 Tested

As of December 2020, Adobe has discontinued support for Flash. This means you can no longer download Flash Player from Adobe's website and there will be no further updates. Furthermore, all the major web browsers have disabled the Flash Player plugin. If you still need to access Flash content, you'll need to find an alternative. This wikiHow teaches you a few alternatives to Flash Player.

Question 1 of 1:

Using Alternatives to Flash

1
Use HTML5. HTML5 is the preferred alternative to Flash. It can do almost everything Flash can do using a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It does not require a third-party plug-in, it's more secure than Flash, and it's more friendly for mobile devices. Most content creators have already started converting all their Flash content to HTML5. If you have a modern web browser, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari, you already have an HTML5-enabled web browser.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Access classic Flash content at Archive.org. Internet Archive is a website dedicated to preserving popular internet content from the past. They have recently started hosting classic Flash content using a Flash emulator called Ruffle. The emulator is installed on their servers, so there is no need to download and install a plug-in. Use the following steps to access classic Flash content at Internet Archive.
- Go to https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_flash in a web browser.
- Browse Flash titles on the main page or use the search bar to the left.
- Click a Flash game or animation and wait for it to load.
- Click the "Power On" icon in the center of the screen to play the Flash game or animation.
Advertisement
3
Download the BlueMaxima Flashpoint archive. BlueMaxima Flashpoint is the most comprehensive archive of Flash content on the internet. It allows you to download classic Flash content to your computer and play it locally using an included version of Flash Player. There are two versions of Flashpoint. Flashpoint Ultimate contains the entire archive of Flash content. It requires 532 GB of hard drive space. It can be downloaded using a torrent client or you can download the 7-Zip file. Flashpoint Infinity contains the core Flashpoint browser and Flash Player. It requires only 2 GB of hard drive space to install, but you will need to download individual Flash games and animations to play them. Use the following steps to download and install BlueMaxima Flashpoint:^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Go to https://bluemaxima.org/flashpoint/downloads/ in a web browser.
- Click Download Torrent or Download 7Z Archive to download Flashpoint Ultimate. Click Download Installer to download Flashpoint Infinity.
- Open the flashpoint installer when it finishes downloading.
- Select a location to install Flashpoint to.
- Open the Flashpoint folder when it finishes installing.
- Double-click Start Flashpoint.
- Use Flashpoint to browse Flash content.
- Select a game or animation and click Play.
4
Download and Install Ruffle. Ruffle is a Flash emulator. It's not perfect, but it can play most Flash content. It can be installed as browser extension, or as a stand-alone app for your operating system. You can install it on an internet server if you are hosting Flash content on your own website. Use the following steps to download and install Ruffle:^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Go to https://ruffle.rs/#releases in a web browser.
- Click the latest version of Ruffle for your web browser or operating system, or click Self-hosted to download Ruffle for your web server.
- Go to https://ruffle.rs/# in a web browser.
- Follow the instructions to install Ruffle for your operating system, web browser, or server.

Community Q&A

Question

On my Chromebook, when I press to unblock Flash, it does not do anything. Are there any alternative solutions?

Community Answer

Adobe has blocked the flash plugin for browsers by force now. This means you can't override the flash block in any way.