Windows 10 Removal of Adobe Flash Player

Microsoft is currently working on an update to remove Adobe Flash Player from the system. The update should be performed on machines running Windows 10 version 2004 and later to the latest version 20H2.

Adobe has officially removed “Flash Player” and discontinued its support on December 31, 2020. Therefore, users were urgently advised to remove Flash Player immediately to protect their systems. Therefore, Microsoft has taken its responsibility to the users. It released an update that automatically removes unwanted software.

On a Windows 10 machine, the update is listed under Settings > Windows Update as follows.

  • Update to remove Adobe Flash Player for Windows 10 version 2004 for x64-based systems (KB4577586)”.

If you have already upgraded to the latest version, you may consider this a

  • “Update to remove Adobe Flash Player for Windows 10 version 20H2 for x64-based systems (KB4577586)”.

Windows 10 Removal of Adobe Flash Player

Microsoft began implementing update KB4577586 for systems running Windows 10 on February 16, 2020. Windows 10-based machines (x86, x64, ARM64) running versions 1809, 1909, 2004 and 20H2 will receive the update. The implementation will also include several versions of Windows Server, including 1909, 2004, 20H2 and Windows Server 2019.

Microsoft has already released the same update on October 26, 2020 for Windows 8.1, Windows Embedded 8 Standard and Windows Server 2012.

Installing Windows 10 KB4577586

The update is installed through Windows Update and takes no longer than 10 minutes. To check the installation status, go to Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update. Click View Update History and expand More Updates under Update History to see the list of updates and their status.

Windows 10 update KB4577586 Flash Player Removal

You should receive the update automatically if you have not already done so, and we recommend that you wait. However, you can download and install the update manually if you know the correct version from the Microsoft update catalog.

Important Notes

This update only removes the Flash Player that was installed by the Windows operating system with the previous update. It does not remove an instance of Flash Player that was manually installed by a third-party vendor. The version you download from a web browser, for example from adobe.com, is a third-party version and is not removed by this Windows update.

Unlike most Windows updates, this update is a permanent installation that cannot be uninstalled. This means that you cannot restore Flash Player after you uninstall it.

This update may also remove registry settings for the installed third-party version of Flash Player. You can reinstall the third-party version to resolve this issue.

To remove a third-party version of Flash Player, go to Apps & Features in Windows 10. Look for the word “Flash”, if it appears, remove it. If it doesn’t appear, don’t worry because you never installed it.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Adobe Flash Player closed?

Adobe has decided to give up Flash because it has moved to HTML5 for its software and it is very expensive to support Flash.

Will the Flash Player still work after 2020?

Adobe will no longer support Flash. But it can be used as long as the browser can use it. But once the “power in place” removes access to the plugin, it’s bye-bye Flash. Adobe will no longer support Flash.

Does Windows 10 require Adobe Flash Player?

The Flash player is integrated into Microsoft Edge in Windows 10. You do not need to install Flash Player.

Feedback,adobe flash player for windows 10 chrome,kb4580325,html5 download for windows 10,adobe flash player update,adobe flash player games,alternative to flash player for windows 10,windows update 4577586,remove flash from chrome,kb4580364,how to enable adobe flash player,should i uninstall adobe flash player reddit,Privacy settings,How Search works,microsoft starts removing flash from windows,microsoft starts removing flash from devices,microsoft removing flash from devices,microsoft removing flash windows devices,microsoft starts flash from windows,kb4577586,windows 10 flash player download,microsoft flash from windows devices