Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player

Company type	Software
Industry	Multimedia software
Predecessor	FutureSplash Player, Macromedia Flash Player
Founded	1996 (1996)
Founder	FutureWave Software
Fate	Discontinued (end of support on 31 December 2020)
Successor	None
Area served	Worldwide (except China and certain enterprise editions where support continues)
Owner	Adobe Inc.
Parent	Adobe Inc.

Adobe Flash Player—referred to as Shockwave Flash in browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome—was a now-obsolete software designed for displaying multimedia content, running rich web applications, and delivering streaming audio and video developed on the Adobe Flash framework. It functioned either as a browser plug-in or as a standalone application on compatible devices. Initially created by FutureWave under the name FutureSplash Player, it was rebranded to Macromedia Flash Player after Macromedia acquired FutureWave in 1996. Adobe took over Macromedia in 2005 and continued its development. Presently, maintenance is handled by Zhongcheng within China and by Harman International for enterprise clients outside China, in cooperation with Adobe.

Flash Player executes SWF files produced with tools like Adobe Flash Professional, Adobe Flash Builder, or third-party software such as FlashDevelop. It supports playback of video, raster graphics, vector graphics, 3D graphics, embedded audio, and utilizes an object-oriented scripting language named ActionScript, which is based on ECMAScript. Browsers including Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge Legacy, and Google Chrome incorporated a sandboxed version of the Flash Player plug-in to enhance security.

During its height, Flash Player was widely used to power numerous web-based games, animations, and graphical user interface components embedded within websites. Adobe disclosed in 2013 that more than 400 million of over one billion connected desktop users updated to the latest Flash versions within six weeks of release. Despite its popularity, the platform attracted criticism for subpar performance, excessive battery drain on mobile devices, multiple security flaws, and being a proprietary system controlled solely by Adobe. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, openly criticized Flash Player in a public letter outlining why Apple chose not to support it on iOS devices. The emergence of modern web standards further diminished dependence on Flash and similar third-party plugins.

As a result of these issues, Adobe officially ended support for Flash Player on 31 December 2020; its download page was taken down soon after. Starting 12 January 2021, versions above 32.0.0.371 worldwide ceased running Flash content and instead display a static warning message. Nevertheless, the software continues to be supported in mainland China and specific enterprise editions.

Features

Adobe Flash Player serves as a runtime environment that executes and renders content from SWF files by running programs written in the ActionScript language. This capability allows dynamic manipulation of text, data, vector graphics, raster graphics, sound, and video during runtime. With user consent, the player can access certain hardware components such as webcams and microphones.

Flash Player was also embedded within the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), offering a cross-platform framework for developing desktop and mobile applications across operating systems like Windows, Linux, macOS, along with some mobile platforms including iOS and Android. Applications created for AIR can utilize extended features such as file system access, native code extensions, window management integration, taskbar or dock functionality, and hardware interaction with sensors like Accelerometers and GPS devices.

Data formats

Flash Player inherently supports multiple data formats accessible through ActionScript:

• XML: Since version 8, XML data is handled as an XML Document Object Model and manipulated using ActionScript. ActionScript 3 incorporates ECMAScript for XML (E4X), simplifying XML processing.
• JSON: Starting with version 11, Flash Player can import and export data in JSON format, facilitating integration with web services and JavaScript.
• AMF: Application data is stored locally via Local Shared Objects, which function similarly to browser cookies. Flash Player reads and writes these files using the binary Action Message Format (AMF), allowing efficient data transfer without the need for extensive parsing or validation.
• SWF: Adobe has released the SWF file format specification, enabling initiatives like SWX Format to utilize SWF and AMF for server-side communication with Flash applications. SWX encodes data as standard SWF bytecode executed by Flash Player. Moreover, open-source tools such as SWXml convert XML documents into SWF/AMF on servers, enabling native ActionScript object loading without client-side parsing.

Multimedia formats

As a platform for graphics and multimedia, Flash Player supports both raster graphics and vector graphics, with native decoding and playback capabilities for several multimedia formats:

• MP3: Introduced in Flash Player 4, it supports decoding and streaming of MPEG-2 Audio Layer III audio, accessible either through HTTP or embedded within SWF files.
• FLV: Enables playback of video and audio contained in Flash Video files (FLV and F4V), a container format developed by Adobe Systems and previously by Macromedia. It supports multiple video codecs such as Sorenson Spark, VP6, and H.264. Video display benefits from hardware acceleration technologies including DirectX Video Acceleration and OpenGL. FLV is extensively employed by platforms like YouTube, Hulu, Yahoo! Video, and BBC Online. Streaming of FLV files can be performed via the RTMP using software like Adobe Flash Media Server or delivered through progressive HTTP download.
• PNG: Supports decoding and rendering of 24-bit opaque and 32-bit semi-transparent Portable Network Graphics images. From Flash Player 11 onwards, encoding PNG bitmaps via ActionScript is also supported.
• JPEG: Decodes compressed JPEG images natively. With Flash Player 10, support was added for the advanced JPEG-XR format developed by Microsoft Corporation, which provides enhanced compression and quality options including both lossy and lossless modes with alpha channel transparency. Encoding of JPEG or JPEG-XR bitmaps via ActionScript became available starting with Flash Player 11.
• GIF: Decodes single-frame compressed Graphics Interchange Format images; however, multi-frame GIF animations only display their initial frame.

Streaming protocols

• HTTP: Facilitates interaction with web servers through HTTP requests and POST data submissions. Access via HTTP or sockets is limited to websites that host a designated XML cross domain policy file, which helps prevent abuses such as cross-site request forgery, cross-site scripting, and denial-of-service attacks. Platforms including Digg, Flickr, and Photobucket allow Flash connections by implementing these policies.
• RTMP: Enables real-time audio and video streaming using the Real-Time Messaging Protocol created by Macromedia. RTMP is available in both unencrypted TCP and encrypted SSL variants. The RTMPT variant can be wrapped inside HTTP requests to circumvent firewalls that permit only HTTP traffic.
• TCP: Uses Transmission Control Protocol sockets through ActionScript to transfer plain text, XML, or binary data (supported from ActionScript 3.0 onward). Servers must provide an XML-based cross domain policy on Port 843 to authorize socket connections. This configuration allows AS3 applications to communicate with a variety of server software, including databases such as MySQL.

Hardware acceleration

Prior to Flash Player 10, GPU acceleration was not supported. Version 10 introduced basic shader capabilities via the Pixel Bender API but did not include GPU-accelerated 3D vertex processing. Flash Player 11 brought a significant advancement with the launch of Stage3D (code-named Molehill), a low-level API delivering full GPU acceleration comparable to WebGL. The partial GPU features provided by Pixel Bender were removed in Flash Player 11.8, which caused redevelopment challenges for projects like MIT's Scratch.

Modern versions of Flash Player are optimized for hardware acceleration in both video playback and 3D graphics on numerous devices, offering performance levels similar to those of HTML video. Additionally, Flash Player has been implemented as the primary user interface renderer on several mobile platforms.

Compilation

ActionScript 3 code executes up to ten times faster than ActionScript 2; however, Adobe's ActionScript 3 compiler is non-optimizing and generates bytecode that is less efficient compared to solutions like CrossBridge.CrossBridge compiles C++ code for Flash Player using the LLVM compiler, producing bytecode that runs approximately ten times faster than Adobe’s compiler due to more advanced optimizations.

With Flex 4.7, Adobe introduced ActionScript Compiler 2 (ASC2), which enhances compilation speed, optimizes bytecode, and supports method inlining, thereby improving runtime efficiency.

By 2012, the multiplatform language Haxe could generate Flash Player applications outperforming those compiled with the Adobe Flex SDK.

Development methods

Flash Player applications and games are primarily created using two approaches:

• "Flex" applications: Developed using the Adobe Flex Framework, which provides customizable graphical user interface components along with tools for data handling and networking. Flex applications experience reduced startup times despite requiring a 500 KB framework download. Common development environments include Adobe Flash Builder and FlashDevelop.
• "Pure ActionScript" applications: Created without relying on the Flex framework, these applications offer enhanced flexibility and better performance. The majority of Flash Player video games utilize pure ActionScript. Open-source UI component libraries such as MadComponents supply interface elements while maintaining smaller SWF file sizes.

Both approaches grant full access to Flash Player’s features, including support for text rendering, vector and bitmap graphics, video playback, audio processing, as well as camera and microphone input. Additionally, Adobe AIR extends these capabilities by enabling file system access, native extensions, desktop integration, and hardware connectivity.

Development tools

Adobe provides five principal tools designed for Flash Player development:

• Adobe Animate: used for graphic creation, animation, and scripting tasks
• Adobe Flash Builder: focused on enterprise application creation and debugging
• Adobe Scout: a visual profiling tool aimed at optimizing performance
• Apache Flex: an open-source SDK for compiling Flash and AIR applications, managed by the Apache Foundation
• CrossBridge: a free SDK enabling cross-compilation of C++ code for Flash Player

Several third-party options are also available:

• FlashDevelop: an open-source IDE tailored for ActionScript with AIR debugging capabilities
• Powerflasher FDT: a commercial IDE dedicated to ActionScript development
• CodeDrive: a Visual Studio 2010 extension supporting ActionScript 3 programming
• MTASC: a compiler for ActionScript
• Haxe: a multi-platform programming language

Game development

Adobe supplies the complimentary Adobe Gaming SDK (), which consists of open-source AS3 libraries built on the Flash Player’s Stage3D APIs to enable GPU-accelerated graphics:

• Away3D: a 3D graphics and animation engine accelerated by GPU technology
• Starling: a 2D GPU-accelerated graphics framework that emulates the Flash display list API
• Feathers: a skinnable GUI library built on Starling with GPU acceleration
• Dragon Bones: a 2D skeletal animation library utilizing GPU acceleration

Commercial game engines such as Unity 3D and Unreal Engine 3 support Flash Player (Stage3D) as their runtime platform. Before Stage3D’s introduction, popular 2D and isometric engines like Flixel were commonly employed.

Adobe also created the CrossBridge toolkit, which cross-compiles C/C++ source code to run within Flash Player using LLVM and GCC compilers. This toolkit takes advantage of high-performance memory access operations ("Domain Memory") to facilitate efficient in-memory data handling. CrossBridge is primarily aimed at game developers, providing tools for building, testing, and debugging C/C++ projects targeting Flash Player.

Prominent online games developed with Flash include Angry Birds, FarmVille, and AdventureQuest (initially released in 2002 and still active as of 2020).

Desktop platforms

Adobe Flash Player was distributed in two primary formats:

1. A plugin compatible with multiple web browsers
2. A standalone "projector" player designed for directly opening SWF files

On February 22, 2012, Adobe stopped issuing new NPAPI Flash plugins for Linux; however, version 11.2 continued to receive security patches. In August 2016, Adobe reinstated support for Linux browsers beginning with version 24.

The Extended Support Release (ESR) versions of Flash Player on macOS and Windows provided security updates without introducing new features or bug fixes. Adobe ended the ESR branch in August 2016 to concentrate exclusively on the standard release line.

Release history across desktop operating systems

Operating system		Initial version	Latest version	Support status
Windows	XP or newer	1	34.0.0.330 (China-specific) 50.x (Harman enterprise) 32.0.0.465 (final public update excluding China)	2017–present 2021–present 2001–2020
	2000		11.1.102.55 and 10.3.183.90	1999–2013
	98 and ME		9.0.289.0	1998–2011
	95 and NT 4.0 (IA-32)		7.0.14.0	1996–2005
	3.1		3	1996–1998
macOS	10.12 or later	5.0.41.0	34.0.0.330 (China-specific)	2017–present
	10.10 or newer		50.x (Harman enterprise) 32.0.0.465 (final public update excluding China)	2021–present 2014–2020
	10.9		29.0.0.171	2013–2018
	10.6 – 10.8 (IA-32, x86-64)		22.0.0.209	2009–2016
	10.5 (IA-32, x64)		10.3.183.90	2007–2013
	10.4 (IA-32, PPC) – 10.5 (PPC)		10.1.102.64	2005–2011
	10.1 – 10.3		9.0.289.0	2001–2011
Classic Mac OS	Versions from 7.6.1 to 9.2.2 (PowerPC)	1	7.0.14.0	1996–2005
	Versions from 7.6.1 to 8.1 (Motorola 68000 series)		3	1996–1998
Linux desktops		4.0r12	50.x (Harman enterprise) 34.0.0.137 (final public update China-specific) 32.0.0.465 (final public update excluding China)	2021–present 2017–2021 1999–2020
Oracle Solaris and OpenSolaris		4.0r12	11.2.202.223 and 10.3.183.90	2004–2013
IRIX		4.0r12	4.0.r12	1999

Version 10 was compatible with Windows 98/Me when using KernelEx. HP released Version 6 tailored for HP-UX, while Innotek GmbH provided versions 4 and 5 for the OS/2 platform; additional versions were distributed for the Be Operating System (BeOS) as well.

Mobile platforms

By 2011, Flash Player had established itself as the leading standard for desktop online video delivery, featuring adaptive bitrate streaming, digital rights management (DRM), and fullscreen capabilities. Nevertheless, Apple's decision to exclude Flash support from iOS browsers compelled Adobe to shift its strategy, providing Flash experiences through native mobile applications using the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR).

Up until 2012, Flash Player 11 was compatible with Android devices equipped with ARM Cortex-A8 processors or higher. In June 2012, Google declared that Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) would no longer include native Flash support, and Adobe discontinued Flash updates for Android by August of the same year.

Flash Player was accessible on a range of mobile and tablet devices from brands such as Acer, BlackBerry 10, Dell, HTC, Lenovo, Logitech, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, SoftBank, Sony (including Sony Ericsson), and Toshiba. By 2012, Adobe halted development of browser-based Flash Player for mobile platforms in favor of HTML5 but continued to support Flash content on mobile via AIR, allowing developers to create native apps on selected systems.

Adobe focused on enhancing Flash performance for ARM architectures (ARMv6 and ARMv7) utilized in Cortex-A and ARM11 processors, targeting NVIDIA Tegra and Texas Instruments OMAP 3 chips. In 2009, Adobe announced plans to extend Flash functionality to television sets through Intel’s Media Processor CE 3100. ARM Holdings regarded this initiative as a significant advancement for mobile software.

Despite these initiatives, ARM/Linux netbooks encountered difficulties related to video playback and software fragmentation by mid-2009.

LeapFrog Enterprises incorporated Flash Player with touchscreen capabilities into its Leapster Multimedia Learning System. The most recent version for Linux/ARM-based Nokia Internet tablets running Maemo OS2008 was version 9. Other iterations were available for Symbian OS and Palm OS devices. Additionally, the Kodak Easyshare One included integrated Flash Player support.

The following table outlines the historical availability of Flash Player across various mobile platforms:

Platform	Final version
Android 4.0+ with ARM Cortex-A8	Flash Player 11.1.115.81
Android 2.2–3.x with ARM Cortex-A8	Flash Player 11.1.111.73
Dreamcast	Flash Player 4.0
Maemo	Flash Player 9.4
PlayStation 3 Firmware 2.50	Flash Player 9.1 (update 3)
PSP Firmware 2.70	Flash Player 6
Pocket PC 2003	Flash Player 7
webOS (Palm and HP)	Flash Player 10
Windows Mobile 5	Flash Player 7

Other hardware

A number of CPU emulators have been created to run within Flash Player, including those simulating Chip8, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and the Nintendo Entertainment System. These emulators facilitate playing games originally designed for these classic platforms inside the Flash environment.

End of life

On July 25, 2017, Adobe declared it would discontinue support for the worldwide edition of Flash Player starting January 1, 2021, encouraging developers to transition towards HTML5 technologies. This move was coordinated with major industry players such as Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla. All leading web browsers planned to phase out Flash Player by December 31, 2020; Microsoft removed it from Windows through Windows Update in January 2021. Adobe also embedded a "time bomb" mechanism that disabled existing installations after January 12, 2021.

Beginning mid-2020, users were prompted by Flash Player to uninstall the software voluntarily while Adobe eliminated all download links for its installers. By late January 2021, browsers including Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox had permanently disabled Flash support. Nevertheless, legacy Flash content can still be accessed via emulators such as Ruffle, although these are not officially endorsed by Adobe.

Google Chrome

Beginning with Chrome 76, Flash was turned off by default, requiring users to manually activate it on a per-site basis for each browsing session. Microsoft Edge, built on the Chromium engine, implemented a similar policy. In January 2021, Chrome designated the Flash plugin as "outdated" and blocked it entirely, culminating in its complete removal in version 88, which was launched on January 20, 2021.

Mozilla Firefox

Flash was disabled by default starting with Firefox 85 and could only be enabled manually for individual sites during each session. Released on January 26, 2021, Firefox 85 eliminated Flash support altogether. The Extended Support Release (ESR) version 78 ESR discontinued Flash compatibility on November 2, 2021.

Microsoft Windows

On October 27, 2020, Microsoft issued update KB4577586 for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 that uninstalled the embedded Adobe Flash Player from Internet Explorer 11 and Edge Legacy browsers. This security update was rolled out automatically in July 2021. Despite this, ActiveX-based Flash Player plugins may still operate within Internet Explorer after applying the update.

Apple Safari

Apple ceased supporting Flash Player in Safari version 14, coinciding with the launch of macOS Big Sur.

Fallout

Although numerous warnings were issued well in advance, some websites—including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission—continued to utilize Flash beyond December 31, 2020. While most sites migrated shortly thereafter, several educational organizations struggled due to the lack of alternatives for their Flash-dependent content.

Mainland China

The China-specific edition of Flash remains maintained by Zhongcheng. Its standalone Projector versions are usable worldwide without relying on the "Flash Helper Service," although some tracking scripts remain embedded. These versions can be found through a less conspicuous "Debug" page. After the global plugin was discontinued, users adapted this Chinese variant to eliminate geographic restrictions, remove tracking elements, and disable the built-in "time bomb," making it functionally similar to the former global release. These modified distributions aim to provide enhanced security while avoiding advertisements and privacy concerns. However, initiatives such as the "Clean Flash Installer" have encountered legal obstacles, including a DMCA takedown initiated by Adobe in October 2021.

Enterprise

Adobe collaborated with Harman to extend support for enterprise users of Flash Player until at least 2023. The Harman-maintained version is identified as version 50.x to distinguish it from other releases.

Web browsers

ActiveX and Flash Player remain supported in Internet Explorer 11 and in IE mode within Edge. Several Firefox derivatives that preserve NPAPI and Flash compatibility include Basilisk, Pale Moon, K-Meleon, and Waterfox Classic. Additionally, multiple Chromium-based browsers from China—such as 360 Secure Browser—continue to support Flash through PPAPI and/or NPAPI plugins.

Following Flash’s official end-of-life, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) developed a custom Chromium browser with the Adobe Flash Player "time bomb" deactivated, allowing continued access to critical Flash-dependent financial reporting tools.

Adobe Flash Player Projector

While Adobe no longer distributes it directly, all iterations of the Adobe Flash Player Projector (also known as the Standalone version) do not contain the "time bomb" feature present in later plugin releases. This absence permits ongoing playback of supported Flash file formats, such as SWF files, without requiring any alterations.

Preservation initiatives for content

The Internet Archive offers Flash content playable in contemporary browsers through the integration of the Ruffle emulator within its Emularity platform. Additional emulators, including CheerpX, facilitate Flash Player emulation across multiple websites. The Flashpoint Archive project has safeguarded more than 38,000 Flash games and animations created with Adobe Flash Player, making them available for download.

Open source contributions

Adobe has released certain Flash components as open source via the Open Screen Project or by donating them to various organizations. By 2021, the majority of these components are considered outdated. These releases include: the ActionScript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2), which implements ActionScript 3, donated to the Mozilla Foundation; the Adobe Flex Framework, contributed and rebranded as Apache Flex under the Apache Software Foundation, now replaced by Apache Royale; and the CrossBridge C++ cross-compilation toolset, made available on GitHub.

Accessibility and user experience

Earlier versions of Flash often necessitated uninstalling previous editions before installing updates; however, starting with version 11.2 on Windows, options for automatic updates were introduced. Support for Linux is partial, with Adobe working alongside Google to deliver Flash functionality via Chrome on Linux systems.

Embedding Flash applications within HTML pages can lead to inconsistent input behavior, causing a less than ideal user experience as keyboard and mouse interactions may differ from those on purely HTML-based sites.

Privacy considerations

Flash Player utilizes persistent local storage known as Local Shared Objects, analogous to HTTP cookies or Web Storage in web browsers. This mechanism allows websites to store non-executable data on users’ devices—such as authentication credentials, game scores, session identifiers, user preferences, saved documents, or temporary files—with access limited to content from the same domain.

Such local storage can be employed for collecting user analytics, raising privacy concerns regarding user profiling. Users have the option to disable or restrict local storage through Adobe’s "Settings Manager," accessible either via Adobe’s website or by right-clicking on Flash content and selecting "Global Settings." However, disabling local storage may impair website features like saving preferences or game progress.

Starting with Flash Player 10.1, major browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari respect privacy mode settings by preventing local storage data from being saved during private browsing sessions.

Security issues

Adobe publishes security bulletins detailing updates; however, Flash Player release notes frequently omit specific information about fixed vulnerabilities, making it difficult for users to gauge urgency. Users can confirm their installed Flash version through a test page and utilize uninstallers to remove outdated plugins from their browsers.

In February 2010, Adobe issued an apology for failing to address a known vulnerability for more than one year. Later that year, Adobe revealed critical security flaws actively exploited in Flash Player, Reader, and Acrobat—including vulnerabilities impacting Android devices—leading to advisories recommending disabling or limiting Flash use on mobile platforms. Further critical vulnerabilities discovered in 2013 also exposed Android users to risks such as arbitrary code execution.

Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report identified remote code execution vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Flash Player as the second most targeted exploits in 2009. The report advised employing browser extensions that disable Flash on untrusted websites. McAfee forecasted that Adobe products—particularly Reader and Flash—would remain primary targets for attacks in 2010. Kaspersky Lab reported that during Q3 2012, 47.5% of users encountered critical vulnerabilities in Flash Player that allowed cybercriminals to circumvent built-in security protections.

Steve Jobs publicly criticized the security track record of Flash Player citing Symantec’s findings. Adobe responded by noting that in 2009 Flash had fewer reported vulnerabilities compared to other internet technologies.

On April 7, 2016, Adobe issued a security update addressing a zero-day memory corruption vulnerability (CVE-2016-1019) exploited by the Magnitude exploit kit. This flaw enabled remote code execution and malware installation.

Vendor lock-in

Flash Player 11.2 imposed playback limitations on specific content unless it was digitally signed by Adobe, compelling content creators to secure licenses directly from Adobe. This strategy, combined with Adobe's handover of Flex to the Apache Software Foundation, drew criticism for prioritizing Adobe's proprietary tools and restricting the freedom of independent developers.

By January 2013, Adobe lifted these limitations, making all premium functionalities broadly accessible and free for Flash applications, thereby removing licensing charges and royalty obligations.

Apple controversy

In April 2010, Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, released an open letter detailing Apple's rationale for excluding Flash support on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices. He raised issues concerning Flash Player’s openness, reliability, security vulnerabilities, performance inefficiencies, and poor integration with touchscreen technology. Jobs also asserted that Flash was a common contributor to system crashes on Macs and labeled it as "buggy." Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen responded by stating that Mac crashes were not primarily caused by Flash but also involved the Apple operating system itself.

Jobs highlighted that a significant portion of online video was already accessible on iOS through HTML5-compatible formats supported by major platforms like YouTube, thereby diminishing the necessity for Flash Player on mobile devices.

Mainland China–specific variant

Beginning with version 30, Adobe halted direct distribution of Flash Player within mainland China and collaborated with 2144.cn to release a localized variant via a dedicated portal. This edition features a persistent "Flash Helper Service" that cannot be closed by users; it collects user data and delivers advertisements by running encrypted code obtained from a remote server. This partnership started around 2017, and with the rollout of version 30, Adobe disabled the global Flash Player version in mainland China, effectively requiring users to switch to this specialized release. Concerns were raised regarding potential implications tied to Internet censorship enforced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

This modification mainly affected users operating Chromium-based browsers, Firefox, and Internet Explorer on Windows 7 and earlier versions. Meanwhile, Microsoft continued distributing Flash Player for Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy through Windows Update on Windows 8 and subsequent releases. Since 2021, this China-specific edition remains the sole publicly supported version of Flash Player.

Release history

• FutureSplash Player 1.1
  • Introduced new scripting capabilities
  • Provided options to disable menu features and memory optimization

• Macromedia Flash Player 2 (June 17, 1997)
  • Emphasized vector graphics, animation, limited audio support, and bitmap handling
  • Added stereo sound output, enhanced bitmap integration, interactive buttons, Library feature, and color tweening

• Macromedia Flash Player 3 (May 31, 1998)
  • Brought in alpha transparency and licensed MP3 compression technology
  • Enhanced animation quality, playback performance, digital art tools, publishing options, and basic scripting interactivity

• Macromedia Flash Player 4 (June 15, 1999)
  • Enabled streaming MP3 audio and introduced Motion Tween animation
  • Initially distributed separately from browsers; by 2000 bundled with AOL, Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer; became default in Windows XP
  • Achieved an installed base covering 92% of Internet users

• Macromedia Flash Player 5 (August 24, 2000)
  • Major scripting breakthrough with introduction of ActionScript
  • Allowed customization of authoring environment interface
  • Macromedia Generator separated design from content but was phased out in favor of Flash Remoting and ColdFusion integration

• Macromedia Flash Player 6 (March 15, 2002)
  • Added support for Flash Remoting (AMF) and SOAP Web Services
  • Introduced live/on-demand audio/video streaming via RTMP protocol
  • Implemented accessibility features through Microsoft Active Accessibility
  • Incorporated Sorenson Spark codec for Flash Video

• Macromedia Flash Player 7 (September 10, 2003)
  • Supported progressive audio/video streaming over HTTP
  • Released ActionScript 2.0 featuring object-oriented programming enhancements
  • Improved development tools including charts/graphs generation, PDF/Illustrator import capabilities, mobile development support
  • Launched "Flash Platform" in 2004 to extend beyond authoring tools; introduced Flex and Breeze products; enabled mobile content playback through Flash Lite

• Macromedia Flash Player 8 (September 13, 2005)
  • Supported runtime loading of GIF/PNG images and On2 VP6 video codec
  • Improved performance via bitmap caching, live filters application, blend modes
  • Added file upload/download functionality along with new text-rendering engine (Saffron Type System)
  • Replaced fscommand with ExternalAPI interface
  • Adobe acquired Macromedia in December 2005

• Adobe Flash Player 9 (June 22, 2006)
  • Debuted ActionScript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2), enabling ActionScript 3.0 compatibility
  • Added E4X XML parsing support, binary socket connections, regular expressions handling, namespaces management
  • AVM2 was later open-sourced as Tamarin by Mozilla Foundation

• Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 1 (November 9, 2006)
  • Introduced fullscreen mode capability

• Adobe Flash Player 9 Updates through late 2007 enhanced security measures; added support for H.264 video codec and AAC audio; introduced F4V video format based on ISO media file standard; last version compatible with Windows 98/ME systems

• Adobe Flash Player 10 series (October 15, 2008 – February 21, 2010)
  • Incorporated advanced functionalities such as three-dimensional transformations; Pixel Bender image filters; Speex audio codec; RTMFP protocol enabling peer-to-peer communication; hardware acceleration; improved graphics APIs

• Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (June 10, 2010)
  • Enhanced memory management and garbage collection processes
  • Added hardware-accelerated H.264 decoding alongside HTTP Dynamic Streaming support
  • Introduced multi-touch APIs along with privacy mode compatibility; macOS-specific UI improvements integrating Cocoa and Core Animation

• Adobe Flash Player 10.2 (February–April 2011)
  • Launched Stage Video pipeline utilizing hardware acceleration; incorporated IE9 hardware acceleration support; enabled multi-monitor fullscreen functionality

• Adobe Flash Player 10.3 (May–September 2011)
  • Integrated media measurement analytics for desktop video playback
  • Added acoustic echo cancellation features and strengthened privacy controls; last unofficially supported version for Mac OS X 10.5 and Windows 2000

• Adobe Flash Player 11 series (from October 2011 onward)
  • Desktop-only Stage3D hardware-accelerated graphics rendering supporting DirectX/OpenGL across platforms; native H.264/AVC camera encoding; native extensions available for desktop/mobile platforms; unlimited bitmap dimensions; protected HTTP Dynamic Streaming support
  • Mobile enhancements included H.264/AAC playback capabilities; front-facing camera access; background audio playback support

• Adobe Flash Player versions 11.1–11.4 updates introduced security improvements; native text input UI for Android via StageText; sandbox bridge functionality; licensing framework for premium gaming features; push notifications for iOS AIR applications; expanded Stage3D GPU profile compatibility

• Adobe Flash Player Extended Support Releases (ESR)
  • Versioned ESRs included:
    • 11.7 (April 2013), replacing earlier ESRs on Mac/Windows
    • 13.0 (May 2014), superseding previous ESRs
    • 24.0 (December 2016), replacing ESR on Linux

• Adobe Flash Player versions from release 12 to final iterations
  • Continued enhancements in installation processes (.pkg installer support), improved browser compatibility including IE11 support; refined graphics buffer handling and zoom level management
  • Final releases concentrated on security updates and platform maintenance up to version 32, distributed until December 2020

• End of Life
  • Version 32 of Adobe Flash Player (June–December 2020) incorporated a shutdown mechanism that disabled all Flash content playback after January 12, 2021

See also

• Adobe AIR
• Adobe Shockwave
• Apache Flex
• Java applet
• Microsoft Silverlight
• Ruffle (software) (a WebAssembly-based reimplementation of Adobe Flash Player for the web)

Further reading

• Exploring Flash Player Internals Using Adobe Scout – an article detailing the inner workings of the player and the Adobe Scout profiling utility

External links

• Flash Tester (tool for verifying authentic legacy versions)