Adobe Flash was already dead, but an upcoming Windows update will kill it some more

Adobe Flash Banner
Adobe Flash Banner (Image credit: Adobe)

What you need to know

  • Adobe Flash will be removed from Windows 10 by July 2021.
  • Microsoft outlines the update process that will remove Flash in a blog post.
  • Older versions of Windows will have Flash removed as well, including Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012.

The impending death of Adobe Flash on Windows 10 has been known for some time. Microsoft started removing Flash Player from its Edge browser last year. Adobe Flash reached its end of support on December 31, 2020. Soon, it will be removed from Windows through an update. An updated blog post by Microsoft spells out when the upcoming "Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player" will roll out.

The update that permanently removes Adobe Flash from Windows 10 will roll out at some point in July 2021.

  • Starting in June 2021, the KB4577586 "Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player" will be included in the Preview Update for Windows 10, version 1809 and above platforms. It will also be included in every subsequent Latest Cumulative Update.
  • As of July 2021, the KB4577586 "Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player" will be included in the Latest Cumulative Update for Windows 10, versions 1607 and Windows 10, version 1507. The KB will also be included in the Monthly Rollup and the Security Only Update for Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Embedded 8 Standard.

As explained by Microsoft, even older versions of Windows will receive the update that removes Flash. The company also notes that any PC upgraded to Windows 10 version 21H1 or later will have Flash removed.

Since we've known about the death of Flash for quite some time, we've had time to reminisce about the tool. Our senior editor shared his ode to Adobe Flash at the end of last year.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.