Adobe Flash Player for Mac lets you access Flash content in Web sites when using browsers like OS X's Safari. The plug-in integrates seamlessly and through a preference pane, gives you control over the type of access each Web site has to your system. The only downside to using it is that it suffers from performance issues.
Adobe Flash Player for the Mac is a plug-in, not a Mac OS X application. When you try to uninstall Adobe Flash Player from your Mac, you might find that this plug-in is not so easy to delete. For example, you might see this message. Step 2: Click the Uninstall button in the new window called Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller, where it says 'This program will remove Adobe Flash Player from your computer.' Step 3: Input your Mac's username and password and select 'Install Helper'. Adobe Flash Player software is a cross-platform browser plug-in that delivers breakthrough web experiences and is installed on more than 98% of Internet-connected desktops.
Pros
Configurable: The plug-in adds a new preference pane in System Preferences where you will be able to adjust your local storage, camera, mic and peer-assisted networking settings to either allow the feature for all Web sites, on a per-request basis, or to deny all requests.
Per-site settings: All the features listed above support per-site settings for even more precise control.
Advanced options: The app lets you delete all Flash-related data and settings as well as audio and video license files, deauthorize the computer, and access trusted locations for developer testing.
Cons
To run the uninstaller, double-click the Uninstaller icon in the window. If you see a message asking if you want to open the uninstaller file, click Open. The Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller is a useful utility for troubleshooting and for testing detection schemes. The Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller executes on both the 64-bit and 32-bit version of the Mac operating systems.
Performance issues: Despite its long history with OS X, this software tends to slow down your computer and drain your battery.
Bottom Line
If you're constantly visiting Flash-based Web sites, you will have to install either this plug-in, or a browser like Google Chrome, which has built-in Flash support. Generally, the better way to go would be to use Chrome since there will be a lower performance impact on your system. But if Chrome is not your kind of browser, then this plug-in remains a viable solution for enjoying Flash content on your Mac.
What do you need to know about free software?
These instructions are NOT applicable to Flash Player included with Google Chrome. Visit the Flash Player Help page for instructions on enabling (or disabling) Flash Player in various browsers.
If you use Windows, see Uninstall Flash Player | Windows.
If Flash Player is installed on your computer, the following box displays the version of Flash Player and your operating system. If Flash Player is not installed, an error message appears.
If your Flash Player installation was not successful, use the following solution to reinstall.
Click the Apple icon and choose About This Mac.
The Mac OS version appears in the About This Mac dialog.
2. Run the uninstaller applicable to your Mac OS version
- Run the uninstaller on Mac OS X 10.4 and later, including macOS
Note:
Beginning with Flash Player 11.5, uninstalling the Flash Player resets the AutoUpdateDisable and SilentAutoUpdateEnable settings in mms.cfg to their default values:
- AutoUpdateDisable=0
- SilentAutoUpdateEnable=0
Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller For Mac
If you are running the Flash Player uninstaller as part of your deployment process, redeploy any custom changes to either AutoUpdateDisable or SilentAutoUpdateEnable.
Run the uninstaller on Mac OS X 10.4 and later, including macOS
Remove Adobe Flash Mac
Download the Adobe Flash Player uninstaller:
- Mac OS X, version 10.6 and later: uninstall_flash_player_osx.dmg
- Mac OS X, version 10.4 and 10.5: uninstall_flash_player_osx.dmg
The uninstaller is downloaded to the Downloads folder of your browser by default.
In Safari, choose Window > Downloads.
If you are using Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), click the Downloads icon displayed on the browser.
To open the uninstaller, double-click it in the Downloads window.
Note: If the Flash Player installer window does not appear, choose Go > Desktop in the Finder. Scroll down to the Devices section and click Uninstall Flash Player.
To run the uninstaller, double-click the Uninstaller icon in the window. If you see a message asking if you want to open the uninstaller file, click Open.
- Bookmark or print this page so that you can use the rest of these instructions after you close your browser.
To close all browsers, either click the browser name in the Uninstaller dialog, or close each browser manually and then click Retry.
Note: Do not click Quit in the Uninstaller window. It stops the uninstallation process.
After you close the browsers, the uninstaller continues automatically until the uninstallation is complete. When you see the message notifying you that the uninstallation succeeded, click Done.
Delete the following directories:
- <home directory>/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player
- <home directory>/Library/Caches/Adobe/Flash Player
Download the Adobe Flash Player uninstaller:
- Mac OS X, version 10.3 and earlier: uninstall_flash_player_osx_10.2.dmg (1.3 MB) (updated 05/27/08)
Choose Window > Downloads to view the downloaded uninstaller.
Save the uninstaller file in a convenient location.
To open the uninstaller, double-click it in the Downloads window.
To run the uninstaller, double-click the Uninstaller icon in the window. If requested, enter your computer user name and password and click OK.
Bookmark or print this page so that you can use the rest of these instructions after you close your browser. Close all browsers and other applications that use Flash Player, including instant messaging applications, SWF files, and projectors (EXE files that play SWF files). Otherwise, the uninstaller cannot finish (even though it appears to finish).
Once the uninstaller finishes, the window closes automatically.
You can verify that uninstallation is complete by following these steps:
Open your browser and check the status of Flash Player.
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Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller For Mac
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