Adobe, the company that created it, laid Flash to rest on January 12, 2021. As Flash is no longer developed or supported by its developer, that means that now you can’t download it from adobe.com, and you can’t even run it in your web browser. In other words, Adobe Flash Player is blocked in Windows 10. However, with a bit of tinkering, you can still enable Flash in Edge. If you’re using the new Chromium-based Edge, the answer to “how to unblock Adobe Flash Player on Windows 10?” is a browser extension called Ruffle. On the other hand, if you’re still working on an older version of Windows 10 and prefer the old Microsoft Edge, you don’t have to install anything, and you can still enable Flash on Windows 10. Without further ado, read this tutorial if you want to find out what you can do if Adobe Flash Player is blocked on your Windows 10 PC:
NOTE: Since December 31, 2020, Adobe stopped supporting Flash Player, and starting with January 12, 2021, the company also started blocking Flash content from running. According to the Adobe Flash Player EOL General Information Page, it is also strongly recommended to uninstall Flash Player from your computers and devices to remove the security issues that came with having this software installed.
A website that asks tells you it couldn't download Flash in Edge
In Windows 10’s old Microsoft Edge, Adobe Flash Player is enabled by default. Microsoft has included Adobe Flash Player support in this web browser, so you can allow Flash content to run. However, given the numerous security problems inherent in Adobe Flash, Flash content is not loaded automatically. That’s why the old Edge requires you to approve the loading and running of Flash content every time you visit a web page that uses Flash.
A website that can't load Flash in Edge (old browser version)
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that some sites may also lie and give you fake Adobe Flash Player download links, which are leading to malware files in disguise. Instead of putting yourself at risk by doing that, follow the steps from the following sections of this tutorial if you need to run Flash content on Edge:
The Ruffle Edge extension for Flash
Save the Ruffle ZIP file somewhere on your Windows 10 PC, and extract its contents. Any download location is OK, including your Desktop or Downloads folder.
Extracting the Ruffle Flash browser extension
Switch back to your Microsoft Edge browser, or open it if you closed it. In its address bar, type edge://extensions and press Enter on your keyboard.
The edge://extensions page
On the Edge Extensions page, turn on the Developer mode using its switch from the bottom of the Edge Extensions menu.
Turning on the Developer mode in Microsoft Edge
NOTE: If you don’t see the menu or Developer mode switch from Edge, first click or tap on the hamburger menu button from the top-left corner.
Opening the Edge Extensions menu
Once Developer mode is on, click or tap the Load unpacked button. You can find it on the top-right area of the Edge Extensions page.
Load unpacked Ruffle Flash extension in Microsoft Edge
When you press the Load unpacked button, Microsoft Edge opens a new window called “Select the extension directory.” Use it to browse through your PC to find the folder where you extracted the Ruffle ZIP file. Then, select the Ruffle folder, and click or tap on the Select Folder button.
Select the extension directory
As soon as you do that, Microsoft Edge installs and activates the Ruffle browser extension. You can see it in the list of extensions marked as “From other sources.”
The Ruffle Flash Edge extension is installed and enabled
Finally, you can now try to visit a website that uses Flash. Instead of error messages, dead links, or complete nothingness, Microsoft Edge should now be able to load Adobe Flash Player correctly.
Adobe Flash Player: plugin unblocked in Edge
That’s it: this is how to unblock Adobe Flash Player on Windows 10’s Edge!
NOTE: Don’t forget that Ruffle is in an early development stage and might not always work correctly. Although there’s nothing we can do about that, as only its developers can improve it in time, Ruffle should be able to enable Flash in Edge on most of the websites that need it.
TIP: If you don't know which version of Edge you are using, read: What version of Microsoft Edge do I have?
The puzzle icon from Windows 10’s old Microsoft Edge
Click or tap the puzzle icon, and the “Adobe Flash content was blocked” prompt shows up, giving you a choice to allow Flash in Microsoft Edge. Press “Allow once” to load and run Flash.
Allow Flash in Windows 10’s Microsoft Edge
You can now enjoy the Adobe Flash content for the page that you are visiting.
A website with Flash content running in Windows 10’s old Microsoft Edge browser
However, if you still see no Flash content in Windows 10’s Microsoft Edge and don’t get the puzzle icon like the one described earlier, then Adobe Flash Player is probably turned off. To turn it on, first click or tap on the “Settings and more” button represented by three dots, found in the top-right corner of the browser’s window. Then, in the menu that opens, go to Settings.
Accessing the Settings of the old Microsoft Edge
Choose Advanced on the left sidebar, and then enable the “Use Adobe Flash Player” switch on the right.
Use Adobe Flash Player in Microsoft Edge
If you’re still using Windows 10’s old Microsoft Edge, enabling the Adobe Flash Player plugin in it is the solution that can fix most of your problems for the majority of web pages with Flash content, so try it out. After you do this, you should see the puzzle icon that lets you run Adobe Flash Player on every website with Flash content.
Adobe Flash Player is blocked and officially dead. What happens if you visit a Flash website in Microsoft Edge (new and old)
Regardless of whether you’re using the new default Microsoft Edge browser from Windows 10 (based on the same rendering engine as Google Chrome) or the old Microsoft Edge when you access a Flash website, the Flash content doesn’t load, and usually, nothing is shown. In other cases, you may stumble upon various Flash related messages. For example, some websites might tell you that you have to download, install, or enable Adobe Flash Player. In the New Microsoft Edge, all Adobe Flash Player content is disabled by default, no questions asked. That means that visiting websites with Flash content is practically impossible by normal means. Even if you click or tap on the “Flash Player download” or “Flash plugin required” messages that websites might show you, nothing actually happens.How to enable and unblock Flash in the new Microsoft Edge
The only safe way to enable Flash in Edge at the moment is to download, install, and use a browser extension called Ruffle. Unfortunately, Ruffle is in an early development stage and is not available yet on the Edge Add-ons website or in the Chrome Web Store. That means that you have to download and install it manually. Here’s how to enable Flash on Windows 10: Use Edge to go to Ruffle’s Releases webpage. On it, look for and download the latest Chrome / Edge / Safari browser extension available.How to enable and unblock Flash in Windows 10’s old Microsoft Edge browser
In the old Microsoft Edge, the only sign that a website requires Adobe Flash Player is a puzzle icon displayed on the right side of the address bar. This icon is shown in Edge only when Adobe Flash content is blocked and needs your approval to run.
Discussion (118)
I got this to work ONCE on Edge – Now, it will only display a spinning circle. The little ” i ” to the left of the URL only says: You’re Viewing and Local or Shared File.
SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics it is small web format SWF is used for adobe flash player to play videos Gifts etc Programmers can generate SWF files from within several Adobe products, including Flash.
Yes, this post actually did help unblock Flash. Thank you!!
Followed the instructions for the newest version of Edge (Summer 2020), refreshed the settings, etc. . . . the website (a local radio station) appears amongst the Flash Player sites the respective Edge settings page, but, alas, no streaming audio, meaning the Flash Player isn’t functioning. Or maybe the radio station has dead air (after three attempts on three separate days, I rather doubt that’s the case). Edge/Adobe Flash are useless relics of a time long since passed by.
thank you so much! Have been searching for days to fix this – have to do online inductions and I’m so far behind because of it. However this solved it. Cheers!
Thank you for you great advice!
I have a question, what will happen to millions of pages of flash content? And how will the flash player continue to use (in Chrome for example) if it will no longer be compatible?
I got a new computer, loaded Edge, went through all the horror of Flash, and i can tell you I will NOT be using Edge. Trashcan program.
I followed the directions to turn on for both the adobe flash player and the media auto play settings and still does not allow me to play the game Bejeweled Blitz except for the one time and then it will not load up correctly.
It is super annoying to have to permit flash each time. There should be a way to permanently trust a site to play flash.
I did enable flash on Microsoft edge, even on google chrome, still nothing loads on pages with flash content…could it be something wrong with windows 10?
Did not help still blocked
this clicking of the puzzle every time drives me mad, ive now gone to using a new browser
W10. I do not know how to enable Flash content in Edge. The solutions do not work. There is no puzzle icon, Flash is enabled, Media content set to allow. This is for Arlo camera viewer. Flash runs fine in Internet Explorer 11.
I did like your article said and Adobe Flash is on but every time I try to play a couple of games thru facebook I have to click get Adobe Flash then I have to click allow once every time
W10, Edge. None of these work. There is no puzzle icon, Flash enabled in Settings, permission set to Allow, Adobe Flash current. No live video on Arlo Pro 2, all else works. IE11 works OK. Chrome works OK.
The flash player asks for it to be allowed one time. I click on it for one time and still does not load. How can I fix this?
tried all suggested work arounds and am still getting message that flash is blocked. this occurred after last windows update during week of 10/6/19
Even after following those steps, I try to test flash player on your website in Microsoft Edge and it is STILL broken. You need a feature with “Allow Once” to “Allow Always” for the current web page.
Advances – Adobe Flash ON – Media Play ALLOW still does not work. I hate Edge. Worst browser ever
I’ve done everything my flash player is on, have set allow, still it doesn’t work now what do I do?
I believe that you should allow the user to chose what they want to do. I use a number of pages that still use FLASH on a regular basis and I am getting sick of having to re-enable flash every time I load a page with Flash embedded.
None of this works!! I’ve done it. 50 times-still no flash player. It is very frustrating when Microsoft does this and your computer is ALWAYS messed up after an update. I hate Microsoft!
I have enabled flash on my brand new laptop, but it still won’t let me play this one game on Facebook. Bought new laptop with windows 10 because Microsoft is ending their support for Windows 7, so I guess I find another browser.
Tried it all multiple times, STILL won’t work! Latest Microsoft update blocks it even though I set “ALLOW”!
did all that. still doesn’t work. worked fine until the new update installed 2 days ago. an update that I didn’t ask for, need or want!
No. I have completed all the steps several times and Edge still does not allow WBT in the Red Cross training modules to run Flash. So no, Edge is not managing Flash at all for me.
I think this is another example of making something that works hard.
the way edge handles flash player is horrible, it sucks, stick it up your adobe
I tried all the steps given for blocked flash. My pc was already set to flash player on and the Allow selection. So still no solution for me. Thank you for trying though.
I absolutely despise Microsoft Edge! It won’t even let me enable Flash Player so I won’t even use it. I just use Chrome and haven’t had any issues.
Clicking “use once” every single time I visit commonly used websites, often several times a day, is a huge hassle. Some sort of “yes it’s okay to run Flash” cookie would be much preferable.
STILL NOT WORKING!!!
Microsoft needs to keep the hell outta my computer!
Edge is okay but annoying that I must click on puzzle icon and allow once every time I visit my frequently used site. Can’t find a solution..
Tried ***all*** the above trouble shooting. still fail to play any kind of videos including youtube and facebook. I never see the Puzzle icon on address bar while using youtube or facebook, I think that’s the problem however I don’t know how to fix it?
I have read tutorial and still cannot get it to work
This does not seem to work so I am using a different browser when I know flash will be needed. A better way would be to have a list of sites that is is ok to run flash on.
Followed the steps and Flash Player is still blocked
SUCKS cant run FB royal story no matter changing settings
What is the alternative?
I did everything you suggested and flash is still blocked.
Microsoft Edge’s use of Flash is cumbersome and annoying enough that I no longer use Edge, but use IE instead since it allows Flash without having to renew permission each time
Always says “allow once” every time I use Edge, I’ll use another browser.
I cannot run the old Scrabble Facebook app in Edge. I’ve tried enabling flash, disabling, allow once, allow media files to play, and terminated and reset Edge. I can still play with IE11, and Chrome hit or miss. I realize it’s an old game, but I like it and don’t like to have to switch browsers to play. I think this was handled carelessly.
Indeed, it was handled poorly.
None of these solutions work. Tried them all 3 times!
I do whatever you said in blog, but still not shows flash content,,in mY Microsoft EDGE………..
I have done all that you describe above, but it still blocks adobe flash player and doesnt give you the option of allow always, says just once
Very disgusted with Windows 10 and poor excuse for Adobe flash player.
We keep going backward with Edge. Used to be able to enable Flash to automatically run on specific websites. Now not. I’ve tried really hard to like edge, but now I give up.
None of the fixes work. Since an Windows 10 update yesterday I have to grant permission to Flash Player every time it opens.
What a joke. I watch IPTV from my Cable TV provider on my PC with the Edge browser. Every time I go to the website, Edge asks me if I want to allow Flash to run, I click on that and another window pops up but only allows me to choose “run once” for that website. I want it to run everytime but its not an option. Off to Chrome we go……….
IT SUCKS BRING BACK THE OLD WINDOWS GET YOUR NOSES OUT OF CHANGE
I tried everything that was stated. Settings show it is enabled but it still won’t work. I am very frustrated.
I am visiting a website very frequent and the contents of that website requires flash, so I have allowed flash player under the advance settings for edge browser. but still every time I open the page I need to click on ‘Allow once’ pop up that I get, its annoying how can I allow it permanently?
It still doesn’t work.
Nice that Firefox still works.
Even thought I followed all the instruction from your website, I still cannot play the media file from gztv.cn. Thank you!
Sorry you lose, with all the settings set the way the tutorial says they should be adobe flash player still will not and does not work in EDGE.
I don’t like it a bit. Once a user chooses to allow Flash to run on a given website, then it should run automatically until the user decides to block it again. Having to tell the browser EVERY time to run Flash on the same website is needless aggravation.
i checked there was no media play button listed under adobe flash in the settings.
I have to say this sucks. I understand the need for security but there should be a way to allow flash for a particular site without having to approve it each time you visit it. There should be a one time allow and a continue to allow for this site.
Fully agree. 😉
I hate having to click this everytime I go on a new page, CHANGE IT BACK TO HOW IT WAS.
Did everything suggested in your article and still cannot get Flashplayer to work on some sites. I object to someone else deciding what I can and can’t do on my computer!
You need to have a list of sites I allow always to run Flash.
currently this is not a convent way to allow Flash
You should be able to allow adobe flash for a certain website all the time not just once. I visit a website over and over again in a day and I need to re-authorize the content.
Please fix
Read our tutorial to the very end, and see how that is done.
It would be great if Microsoft would show a brief explanation of why they have Adobe Flash allow once added to their update. Windows 10 has been very virus free for my usage. Allowing Flash once is not that much trouble compared to dealing with getting rid of a bad virus.
I think Microsoft needs to fire the second grader that do there software.
Both flash player and auto updates they keep going down hill since windows 7.
If I put out software like this I would not have been a true software developer for 37 years.
MS Edge I got to any website so fare and I get asked if I want o use once or leave on. but when I go to https://www.history.ca/watch-live/ and enter my login info. I get a screen that says its can’t detect flash player to go install it but I need to force the plugin in to load so I can tell it to load the live streams PLEASE help
I play POGO, and they constantly decide to block “FLASH”. When I tell it to allow, it restarts my game and loses my points in that round. In my opinion, THEY (whoever) should mind their own and stay the hell out of my game. I’ve been playing POGO since 2006, and never had a problem. My advanced settings are on for FLASH and THEY block it anyway, To that I say BULLSHIT!
It is a PIA when trying to play games or read a so-so site and the allow Flash does not always hold.
Is there a way we can allow Flash Content only for specific sites like how we can restrict in other browsers
This is bullshit. It does not allow you to run flash permanently even if you change the settings. Google Chrome is your best bet
It’s a pain in the butt to have to unblock Adobe every time. I wish they would unblock by default!
your way does not work.. I have been dealing with this for over 5 years. I am constantly losing my games, it tells me to check my Adobe, I go into settings, my adobe is on, but it does no good. That stupid symbol constantly comes back, ruins the game you’re playing. I have Norton so any malware, bugs and viruses are taken care of. So it’s not my system.
Not happy
Its a pain in the ass
It’s Jan 2018 and this problem has gotten even worse.
I have Flash enabled to run but is still blocked.
The help files from Edge do not contain current info. There is no “squiggly puzzle” icon to click to enable.
On the rare occurrence of seeing a “Flash Blocked” error window, there is no option to allow.
Win 7 browsers seem to work ok with Flash, but Win 10 systems are blocking it somewhere.
I unblocked as suggested but it did not work. On testing Flash the Adobe website says it is blocked.
stupid and completely uncalled for, I have followed these instructions to unblock and they still are, they have no right to choose how we spend our time online. I hope hackers do something to completely crash internet explorer so they will go back to things being unblocked.
I have repeatedly applied the supposed fix, but still cant access Plarium Stormfall Age of War. Keep receiving bogus messages.
flash content was even blocked on adobe test page. if it is enable it should just work all over no matter where I go. just work with out asking
Frankly, it is a piece of garbage. Turned off flash in all my browsers but Firefox and can not get to work in any other.
sucks… still not able to set Edge to view Flash object, even after following all the hints on allowing this. Reason enough to pull the plug on edge and stay with IE or Chrome… Good bye Microsoft Edge… in your eagerness to protect us, you have made your tool totally worthless….
Flash doesn’t work, puzzle piece never appears. Each windows 10 edition gets worse and worse.
The always allow setting on edge doesn’t work. You still have to individually allow on every new webpage you encounter that uses flash player.
Hi I still get this message no matter what I do. This all started when I downloaded facebook game room on my computer. Facebook has many complaints but has not offered any fixes. I wish you could find the solution. we need to be able to uninstall m. edge. but there does not seem to be solution for this.
I have followed all the recommended advice but still unable to use Flash Player. It is switched on in advanced settings. I am trying to order tickets by the Ticket Master Interactive seating Map on the West Ham site. I had no problem before recent lengthy up-dates for Windows 10. I have only had up once the prompt to allow Flash but although I clicked on allow always nothing happened.
Any more help will be gratefully received
Westammer
I don’t have that puzzle piece icon on my address bar??????!!!
Sometimes in news websites I don’t get the “puzzle piece” icon and Flash is still blocked from playing videos in news websites.
Tried everything still not working. Went to the Adobe site and used there test box, it tells me the Adobe Flash is not enabled, IT IS!
what a crazy thing to do ! this is laying down a possible problem on another mans desk MS should conttact all providers and site which demand Flash and solve the so called problems there and not export the problem to end users
Up to now I never had any problem with Flash
Besides I now have samen problem with Chrome
It looks if a smaal number of big firms are defining what I and You will be able to do
After about 5 hours in 2 days, of trying everything, I finally ran across your site and followed your directions and fixed my problem. Your instructions were invaluable. Thank you very much for your assistance.
I’m glad we could help. 😉
Despite numerous attempts to enable Flash player, Edge refuses to open Flash content.
I guess I have to use Chrome or some other browser from a company that knows how to write software
On a particular website none of the methods explained here is usable.
Flash is enabled in settings. However “Switch on Adobe Flash” message is given by https://szelessav.net/hu while no message is given about blocked content and “puzzle” icon is missing from address bar. So there is no possibility on this website to enable flash player.
What can be do in this situation?
Its extremely annoying, another stupid idea making internet surfing harder not easier.
I have blocked flash content but that puzzle piece icon thing is NOT there, so uh, what should I do? How am I supposed to unblock Adobe flash player without that thing?
this is bull Microsoft should male a patch to fix this problem I know many people must be having this problem
but once I have choose “always allow”, how can I change to” allow once”?
CHANGE IT BACK! I can’t play certain games on my Edge. With the Creator’s version, why do you limit the Creator? That makes NO sense! GIVE US A CHOICE MAN! The choices you have here are of no use to me! GEEZ!
I TOTALLY AGREE. DIDN’T HAVE THIS PROBLEM UNTIL THE LAST UPDATE. THIS IS B/S AND TOTALLY FRUSTRATING!!!
i have my settings set up exactly as instructed and yet pages i go to constantly still ask if want to allow adobe content – i click on “always” whenever the question comes up and it still continues asking if i want to allow content any time i return to that page or any other that is using flash player content
So glad U all think the same way. I had windows 10 but had to do a re-install due to pc issues .. I did not have this issue before the new install. Its so annoying and also I find browser flash games now can get unresponsive and also some freezing. So it seems now that flash is kind of a warning ( use at your own risk ) Also what is point of creating there own flash player.. best to just download from adobe and no issues.. Microsoft should remove this app from there windows and let people go back to downloading it. ^^
I read this information about changing my setting for the Flash Player in Microsoft Edge; it was already “on” to allow the flash content and still Edge blocks the pages and I have to manually allow it to be used.
That is very weird. 🙁
The ridiculous part is when you have a site that expects flash and instead of erroring out, staying on that error page and allowing me to click that stupid puzzle piece to allow flash, the website is coded to display a NEW PAGE (having no flash content) that says your flash is disabled and please enable it. Well just perfect … since the puzzle piece is now gone and I have no way to allow it. ARGH!!
Since the updates today I am having trouble with flash. I have enabled it but some sites give me an option to use it but others do not. I would prefer to make up my own mind whether I want to use flash and not end up stuck in no mans land.
hopeless and hapless Microsoft do it again destroying a good product and making it unusable. I cannot do my online banking as it uses flash and because it is a secure connection the icon does not appear to turn flash on. for that site. The advice to move a slider in settings is out of date it does nothing the sites are still blocked. Pathetic MS trying to force us to do things their way makes Edge unusable for millions of online banking customers. And I have had to type this twice because CAPTCHA only works on flash as well ffs
Hate the way I have to research how to use flash to access half my searches with edge so use it less and less.
The button top turn it on is a joke! Does nothing!
Really hate this. Flash Player is enabled in Advanced Settings but I still get the content blocked message and can only allow once, not in general for website. Makes Edge less usable for many things. I’m back to Firefox.
Fully Agree, i have the same problem…
switching to chrome…
even my web site having training video are blocked and it this annoying for my client.
Awful way of dealing with Flash. I’ll use another browser
I hate having to click this everytime I go on a new page, CHANGE IT BACK TO HOW IT WAS.
this is annoying while playing games like tanki online
How can I fix it.