Microsoft plans to fully remove Adobe Flash from Windows 10 in the summer through a set of software updates.
According to an updated blog post detailing the timeline for removing Flash, Microsoft outlines two main update paths that will remove Flash from Windows 10. The first is a cumulative update that will start rolling out in July. The other is through Windows 10 version 21H1, which is expected to start rolling out later this month.
Further, Microsoft plans to make the Adobe Flash removal update available for older operating systems, including Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard.
It’s worth noting, however, that the update only removes Flash installed by Windows, and won’t remove the software if it was installed from another source. Those looking to uninstall Flash from other sources can check out this help page for details.
The upcoming Flash removal update — literally called the Windows 10 “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” — is just the latest in a long-running series of changes set to reduce and eventually eliminate Flash. Microsoft also started removing Flash from its Edge browser, as have other major browsers (some dropped support as far back as 2016). Adobe also officially stopped supporting Flash at the end of 2020.
However, while software makers hurry to drop Flash, others are trying to save thousands of old games and animations built using Flash.
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