How to uninstall Adobe Flash Player on Mac


Adobe has finally ended support for Flash Player from 1 January 2021, and it will altogether disable the plug-in from 12 January. However, the software will continue to remain on your system. It is wiser to uninstall Adobe Flash Player from your Mac. Here’s why;

Why should you remove Adobe Flash from Mac?

In 2017, Adobe asked developers to explore other open formats for Flash-like content, as it would cease development & distribution of the Flash Player by the end of 2020. And now that the day has come, Adobe strongly suggests that users remove Flash from their Mac & PCs as:

“Uninstalling Flash Player will help to secure your system since Adobe does not intend to issue Flash Player updates or security patches after the EOL date.”

So, to ensure that your Mac is safe from any harm, you should quickly uninstall the software.

While not too complicated, there are a few steps involved in the process. First and foremost, confirm if your device has Flash or not. Click on the Apple icon →  System Preferences → look for the Flash icon.

A missing icon means your device does not have Flash, and you are good to go. But if it is present, move on to the next step.

Determine your Mac’s OS version

  1. Click the Apple icon & select About This Mac.
  2. Here, note the version of your macOS. Determine your Mac OS version to uninstall Flash Player

Depending upon your macOS version, download the correct Adobe Flash Player uninstaller

How to uninstall Adobe Flash Player on your Mac

First, you have to download and run uninstaller on your Mac

Uninstall Adobe Flash on Mac OS X 10.4 or later

  1. Double click on the downloaded file to run it.
  2. In the new window, double-click the Uninstaller icon, click Open if it asks for permission. Double click on Adobe flash uninstaller icon on Mac and click open
  3. Here, select Uninstall, and if prompted, enter your device password. Click on Uninstall to remove Adobe Flash Player on Mac
  4. Close or Force Quit all open browsers.
    Note: Don’t quit the uninstaller window; it will stop the uninstallation process.
  5. Once the uninstallation is completed, click Done.
  6. Open Finder, press Command+Shift+G, copy-paste this path /Library/Preferences/Macromedia/FlashPlayer, and delete this directory. Open Finder press Command+Shift+G and copy paste this command on Mac
  7. Again, press Command+Shift+G, copy-paste this path /Library/Caches/Adobe/Flash Player, and delete this directory as well.
  8. To verify, restart your Mac and open this link in your browser to check Flash Player’s status.

Run Adobe Flash uninstaller on your Mac OS X 10.1 to 10.3

  1. Double-click to open the uninstaller and then double-click the Uninstaller icon to run it.
  2. Click Continue to start the process.
  3. Close all open browsers and other apps that might use Flash Player.
  4. Once completed, the uninstaller will close automatically.
  5. Restart, open the browser, & check the status via this website.

If you feel this is too much of a hassle, you can use an app cleaner for Mac to get rid of Flash.

Uninstalled Adobe Flash Player successfully on Mac!

Flash has been an integral part of my growing days, and deleting it from my Mac, certainly makes me nostalgic. But it is what it is! If you are in the same boat, check out the Internet Archive website, as they plan to preserve Flash games and animations forever.

What are your childhood memories with Flash? Share them in the comment section below.

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author avatar
Arshmeet Tech Writer
A self-professed Geek who loves to explore all things Apple. I thoroughly enjoy discovering new hacks, troubleshooting issues, and finding and reviewing the best products and apps currently available. My expertise also includes curating opinionated and honest editorials. If not this, you might find me surfing the web or listening to audiobooks.

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