You can now uninstall Flash on Windows 10 and 8.1 using KB4577586

Martin Brinkmann
Oct 28, 2020
Updated • Oct 28, 2020
Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows
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Microsoft has released an optional update for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 that will remove all traces of Adobe Flash Player from the operating systems when installed. Adobe Flash will be retired at the end of 2020 and companies like Microsoft, Google, and Mozilla have announced that they will drop support for the product in their browsers and systems.

KB4577586 will remove the native Flash Player installation on Windows 10 and 8.1 devices it is installed on. The update is only available on the Microsoft Update Catalog website and not via Windows Update, WSUS or other update management systems at the time of writing.

KB4577586, the Update for the removal of Adobe Flash Player, is released early by Microsoft to provide Microsoft customers with ample time to test the update and the removal of Flash Player on Windows systems.

Microsoft notes that Adobe Flash Player cannot be installed again once the update has been applied to a system. The only recourse after the installation of the update is to either reset the device to an earlier system restore point (prior to the installation of the Flash removing update), or to reinstall the entire Windows operating system.

Administrators can download the update from the Microsoft Update Catalog site. The update is made available for all supported operating system versions, and as such listed on two pages and in 38 different versions total. Major versions of Windows the Flash removing update is provided for are Windows 10 version 2004 and 20H2, Windows 10 version 1903 and 1909, Windows 10 version 1809, and Windows 8.1.

Select the download link next to the update version that you require to get started with the downloading and installation of the update. The Microsoft Update Catalog website opens a popup that contains the download link. Click on the download to download the update to the local system, and execute the downloaded file once it has been downloaded.

remove flash windows 10

Windows Installer displays a confirmation prompt, and the selection of Yes proceeds with the update installation. The installation does not require a reboot, and Adobe Flash Player functionality should be removed from the system and Microsoft's web browser. You can check the AppData/Roaming folder under the user directory to find out if the Macromedia folder is no longer there. Flash content won't load anymore in Microsoft browsers once the update is installed.

Update: there appears to be some confusion regarding the update and the removal of Flash. The update removes Flash support in Internet Explorer and legacy Edge only, and not in the new Microsoft Edge browser. End

Note that the removal does not affect other browsers, e.g. Google Chrome, that may ship with Flash Player functionality.

The update will eventually be pushed via automatic updating systems such as Windows Update, as Flash Player won't be supported after 2020 anymore.

Now You: do you still access Flash content? (via Deskmodder)

Summary
You can now uninstall Flash on Windows 10 and 8.1 using KB4577586
Article Name
You can now uninstall Flash on Windows 10 and 8.1 using KB4577586
Description
Microsoft has released the optional update KB4577586 for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 that will remove all traces of Adobe Flash Player from the operating systems when installed
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Anonymous said on December 6, 2020 at 10:45 pm
    Reply

    it says if you still need flash IE 11 and Edge legacy will be able to run the plugin.. it will be treated as any supported third-party plugin. how exactly do you reinstall the adobe specific package back into your win 10 system after this KB is applied?

  2. KeZa said on November 1, 2020 at 6:32 pm
    Reply

    Also something to uninstall on Windows7?

    1. bawldiggle said on November 5, 2020 at 2:20 pm
      Reply

      Me too ?
      Is there anything to be removed from Win-7 ? … and how ?

  3. Wayfarer said on October 29, 2020 at 9:28 pm
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    Mighty nice of MS. Or it might be if this worked.
    I’m sick and tired of removing Flash over the years only to see it crop up again, if only in the crap it leaves behind.
    Trouble is, the usual suspect isn’t Adobe, but MS.

  4. Anonymous said on October 29, 2020 at 7:20 am
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    Can we get update like this to remove Edge?

    1. A.Nonymous said on October 29, 2020 at 3:27 pm
      Reply

      Supposedly, you can use Powershell to remove it, although I don’t know if the forthcoming Windows 10 20H2 update permits that…

    2. A. Nonymous said on October 29, 2020 at 3:15 pm
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      Supposedly, you can use Powershell to remove the “new” Edge:
      https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-uninstall-the-edge-browser-in-windows-10/

      However, I don’t know if this works with the baked-in “new” Edge for Windows 10 v.20H2…

      1. Corky said on October 30, 2020 at 10:05 am
        Reply

        That was actually posted by Martin a while ago.
        https://www.ghacks.net/2020/07/07/how-to-remove-the-new-microsoft-edge-if-uninstallation-is-blocked/

        It does work to remove the new (Chromium) Edge in 20H2 however doing so means all entry points to Edge will be replaced with the old Edge that resides in the Windows\SystemApps folder and that can’t be removed through official methods.

  5. Peterc said on October 29, 2020 at 12:50 am
    Reply

    UPDATE to my previous post:

    SUMo’s developer got back to me in double-quick time saying that SUMo doesn’t actually use Flash at all and that what I noticed was a weird display glitch that they had become aware of. (The glitch? Instead of seeing a preview of the actual SUMo window in Task List, in the Alt-Tab list, and on Taskbar hover, you see a message box containing the text “C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe.” Weird, right?) Hopefully, they’ll fix it soon, because the program itself is working *great*. (You can optionally configure it to check for updates to portable programs, and if there’s a better, more comprehensive update-checker for Windows apps and utilities, I haven’t run into it yet.)

  6. pHROZEN gHOST said on October 28, 2020 at 11:54 pm
    Reply
  7. Anonymous said on October 28, 2020 at 8:57 pm
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    Why does Microsoft need to create yet another problem update? Am I the only one silly enough to think Windows has an add or remove programs app that will cover basic removal and there are a plethora of 3rd party apps that will run Windows uninstall then ferret out the leftovers.

    1. Ben said on October 30, 2020 at 2:54 am
      Reply

      Because this will eventually roll out to all users, most of which aren’t tech savvy and don’t know that Flash should be uninstalled after December.

  8. Peterc said on October 28, 2020 at 8:16 pm
    Reply

    My favorite update checker for applications and utilities, SUMo [Software Update Monitor] from KC Softwares, seems to rely on C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\FlashUtil_ActiveX.exe for at least some of its functionality. I have an email into the developer asking what they’re planning to do when Flash reaches end of life. If I get an answer, I’ll try to remember to post it here.

    1. Peterc said on October 29, 2020 at 3:24 pm
      Reply

      [I posted an update on SUMo a few comments down, before my first post appeared for my to reply to. Short Version: SUMo doesn’t use Flash but there’s a “preview window” bug that makes it *look* like it does.]

      1. Peterc said on November 29, 2020 at 9:25 pm
        Reply

        I happened to come across this page in my browser history and thought I might as well follow up. It turns out I had a Flash ActiveX component on my system, probably bundled with Windows 10. (I haven’t deliberately installed Flash on any of my systems for maybe a couple/few years.) I ran Microsoft’s uninstaller and now SUMo’s Taskbar preview thumbnail is blank, instead of referencing Flash. And if you hover over the blank thumbnail, you now get a preview of the actual SUMO window. Anyway, apart from the blank Taskbar thumbnail, SUMo seems to be working great.

  9. Mothy said on October 28, 2020 at 7:56 pm
    Reply

    do you still access Flash content?

    Not anymore after recently replacing an old NAS (Network Attached Storage) system that needed Flash for its management console with a new one that works without it. So I plan to use this update to remove Flash from my Win 8.1 Pro system.

    1. Mothy said on October 30, 2020 at 2:32 pm
      Reply

      Ran this last night, it removed all Flash files from C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash (folder is still there) without requiring a reboot. Flash option is gone now from Control Panel and IE (ex. via Manage Add-ons).

  10. John G. said on October 28, 2020 at 3:48 pm
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    I haven’t seen this advice in the article “Update: there appears to be some confusion regarding the update and the removal of Flash. The update removes Flash support in Internet Explorer and legacy Edge only, and not in the new Microsoft Edge browser. End. Note that the removal does not affect other browsers, e.g. Google Chrome, that may ship with Flash Player functionality.” Thanks @Martin! :]

    1. John G. said on October 29, 2020 at 1:00 pm
      Reply

      Sorry for answering myself, but I have noticed an unexpected question that @owl has pointed out in above post about the problem of removing Flash in Internet Explorer, mainly in order to access to goverment sites that required this plugin (and also these sites required by the way Internet Explorer to work fine, such double disgrace). I wonder a way to block KB4577586! :[

  11. computer said no said on October 28, 2020 at 3:05 pm
    Reply

    I will continue to use flash as long as is feasible to do so as pale moon browser has no plans to block flash within the browser..it all now depends on the flash sites in general.

    1. John Wold said on October 30, 2020 at 5:36 am
      Reply

      However, you need to disable updates to the flash plugin that Pale Moon uses.

      Adobe will deploy an update that will disable the plugin on December.

      1. computer said no said on October 30, 2020 at 12:52 pm
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        @john wold.
        I have flash installed on my linux system and i do not intend to update it from now on.Certain flash sites i still like to use and pale moon will allow me to still access them after december unless the sites go under of course.

  12. Red said on October 28, 2020 at 11:31 am
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    I don’t get it… I have Windows 10 version 20H2, and 19042.572. I tried almost 6-7 different 64 of that KB… says it’s not for me.

    1. Corky said on October 28, 2020 at 8:14 pm
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      Have you missed the next page like i did, the update catalogue only shows 25 entries per page so if you’re looking for you have to click the little next link at the top right.

      2004 and later (20H2) x64 should be the second entry on page two.

    2. Martin Brinkmann said on October 28, 2020 at 12:10 pm
      Reply

      If you run a 64-bit version of Windows 10 20H2, you need this one: Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player for Windows 10 Version 2004 for x64-based systems (KB4577586)

  13. John G. said on October 28, 2020 at 11:12 am
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    This is just not a good idea because I have a browser that still allows Flash to play some Flash games, and also it allows Java for some goverment sites. Microsoft should be able to uninstall Flash or whatever from its W10 built OS without uninstall other non-W10 installations. By the way, W10 2004 H2 disable all restore points and DEP protection for all programs, always the same. :[

    1. Yuliya said on October 28, 2020 at 9:53 pm
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      This should only remove the built-in ActiveX Flash for IE.
      You can always keep Chrome PAF with standalone Flash support.

      1. owl said on October 29, 2020 at 1:15 am
        Reply

        @Yuliya,
        > This should only remove the built-in ActiveX Flash for IE.

        He (John G) and I are concerned about another topic-related issue:
        Internet Explorer users will be redirected to Microsoft Edge if incompatible sites are opened | gHacks Tech News
        https://www.ghacks.net/2020/10/23/internet-explorer-users-will-be-redirected-to-microsoft-edge-if-incompatible-sites-are-opened/
        In other words, “we will not be able to receive public services.”
        If they cannot be resolved, we must waive their right to “tax refunds, medical deductions, etc.”
        Therefore, it is not possible to “remove IE and Flash” easily in our nationality.

      2. John G. said on October 29, 2020 at 12:35 pm
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        @owl
        I agree, that was what I wanted to explain. Furthermore my concern is same as yours: “we will not be able to receive public services”, in other words, goverment sites. I wonder if redirecting can be avoided in the future with some nice patch or something. So sad anyway, it seems that progress is always two steps behind the official institutions or politicians acts. :[

  14. hammer1800 said on October 28, 2020 at 10:53 am
    Reply

    not work on my computer win 10 1809

  15. Fumb Duck said on October 28, 2020 at 10:24 am
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    Hmm, I don’t see a 20H2 version of this anywhere there..

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on October 28, 2020 at 12:05 pm
      Reply

      You can use the version for Windows 10 version 2004.

      1. Aelisya said on October 28, 2020 at 2:56 pm
        Reply

        Thanks,
        After installing it and a reboot poof no flash in W10 2009.
        Now same update for Edge (chromium(for disabling the components earlier)) and we are rid of hundreds of flash security problems

  16. Yuliya said on October 28, 2020 at 9:36 am
    Reply

    Yes, I was wondering wth happens to Server/LTS in this regard. What a silly idea to boundle flash into Windows was that one…

    1. Yuliya said on October 28, 2020 at 9:51 pm
      Reply

      I have just installed it on LTSC 1809 x64; ActiveX Flash is gone! \(^o^)/

  17. Peter Miller said on October 28, 2020 at 9:10 am
    Reply
  18. 1some said on October 28, 2020 at 9:02 am
    Reply

    some1 is a bit on the Dunning-kruger side.
    The update removes the IE ActiveX Flash Player. Chredge uses PPAPI, which the just need to remove with an Edge update. The NPAPI Firefox uses, you need to uninstall yourself.

    1. some1 said on October 28, 2020 at 1:58 pm
      Reply

      Jokes on you, I saw that in the comments of AskWoody… but I just enjoy crapping on Microsoft!

    1. Flash said on October 28, 2020 at 11:47 am
      Reply

      From the article above:

      > Note that the removal does not affect other browsers, e.g. Google Chrome, that may ship with Flash Player functionality.

      From the Bleeding computer article linked in your link as a source:

      > In our tests, the Flash Player (32-bit) version bundled in Windows 10 and managed via the Control Panel is removed by this update.

      > The Adobe Flash Player component built into Microsoft Edge and other browsers, though, was still installed after installing the update.

      Looks like the update performed as it is supposed to and the author at askwoody.com got confused.

      Windows update does not touch Flash bundled with Chrome and the new Edge — only the “native” Flash component.

    2. Paul(us) said on October 28, 2020 at 9:35 am
      Reply

      Lol! Serously does it maybe something completely different?

      1. Corky said on October 28, 2020 at 6:02 pm
        Reply

        It does ‘remove’ Flash as it removed the System32\Macromed\Flash folder, unfortunately it leave everything else behind like all the sxs files and user specific files.

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