Flash is not as popular as it once was and you hardly see any websites using it. However, if a certain website requires that you have Flash for the site to work, then you’re going to need to download and install Adobe Flash Player on your Mac.
Flash’s days are numbered as Adobe plans to stop supporting it, but that day hasn’t come yet. That means you can still download the Flash Player and enable it in various web browsers on your Mac machine.
Should You Download Adobe Flash Player From Any Website?
There are many sites that offer a free and quick download of Flash Player, but beware of those sites. Many sites use Flash Player as a way to spread viruses and malware to your computers. To avoid this malware, the best way to get Flash Player is to download it from the official Adobe website.
1. Download Adobe Flash Player for Mac
Instead of simply searching for a Safari extension, you need to download Adobe’s Flash Player for Mac and install it separately. Here’s how to get it from the Adobe site:
- Open the Flash Player site in your browser.
- Click the button that says Download Flash Player.
-
Choose a convenient location to save the Flash Player setup file. The desktop should be a good place to save the file.
- Wait for the download to begin and finish. This shouldn’t take too long.
2. Install Adobe Flash Player on a Mac
Now that Flash Player is downloaded, you can install it using these steps:
- Double-click the downloaded DMG file.
- When the Flash Player setup is mounted, double-click the Flash Player icon to begin to install it.
- Your Mac will ask for your approval before launching the setup. Click Open to approve the app.
-
Tick the terms and conditions option and click Install.
- Enter the password for your user account and click Install Helper.
- Select Done when the Flash Player is installed.
3. Enable Adobe Flash Player in Various Browsers on a Mac
Simply installing the Flash Player won’t activate it in your web browsers. Many browsers block the Flash usage and so you need to manually turn on the Flash Player option in these browsers to view the Flash content.
We’ve already covered how to activate Flash in Chrome. For convenience’s sake, we’ll show you how to do it here, along with the two other popular browsers for the Mac.
Activate Flash Player in Safari:
Starting with Safari 14, the browser no longer supports Flash content of any kind. Here’s how to activate Flash on older versions of the browser:
- Open Safari, click the Safari menu at the top, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Websites tab.
- Tick the Adobe Flash Player box on the left under Plug-ins.
-
Select On from the When visiting other websites dropdown menu on the right pane.
Turn On Flash Player in Google Chrome:
- Launch Chrome, click the three dots at the top-right corner, and select Settings.
- Select Privacy and security on the left and click Site settings on the right.
- Scroll down and click Flash.
-
Turn the toggle that says Block sites from running Flash (recommended) to the ON position.
Enable Flash Player in Firefox:
Firefox doesn’t offer the option to activate Flash for all your sites. To use Flash, you need to accept the prompt that appears when you are visiting a website with some Flash content.
Follow these steps:
- Open a site that uses Flash content.
- A new icon will appear next to the padlock icon near the address bar. Click it.
-
Select Allow and the site you are on will be allowed to run Flash content.
4. How to Check if Flash Player Works on Your Mac
After installing and enabling Flash in various browsers, you probably want to check if Flash is working properly.
You can do a trial run of Flash as follows:
- Head to the Adobe Flash Player Help site in your browser.
- Depending on which browser you use, you may need to accept a prompt to run Flash.
- Click Check Now on the page to start verifying the status of Flash Player.
-
If you see your Flash Player version, that means the Flash Player was successfully installed. Otherwise, you’ll need to re-enable or re-install Flash.
5. How to Update Adobe Flash Player on a Mac
Like other apps, it’s important to keep the Flash Player up to date on your Mac. Here’s how to ensure you keep Flash as up to date as possible:
- Click the Apple logo at the top-left and choose System Preferences.
- Click Flash Player.
- Enable the Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended) option.
-
Click the Check Now button to check for and install any updates.
What to Do if the Flash Player Won’t Work on Your Mac?
There are instances where you’ll find that the Flash Player doesn’t work. This usually happens when you have an old version of Flash running on your Mac. It’s actually Apple that blocks this old version from running to secure your Mac against vulnerabilities in the Flash Player.
Updating to the latest Flash Player version should fix this problem.
Is Adobe Flash Player Safe?
Many security firms advise against the use of Flash Player and that’s mainly because of the vulnerabilities that it has. A hacker can exploit one of these vulnerabilities and harm your computer or your data.
Generally, you should only use Flash Player when it’s absolutely necessary. If a site has two ways to do something–one that requires Flash and one that doesn’t–go for the non-Flash option without a second thought.
Also, Adobe is going to end support of Flash Player by the end of 2020. After this, you won’t get any updates or patches for security issues. This is one more reason why you should avoid using Flash unless it’s your only option.
Accessing the Flash Content on the Sites You Trust
Flash has gone from ubiquitous to virtually non-existent but you may need to access a few sites that still use it. If you ever come across one, use the above guide to download, install, and enable Flash Player on your Mac machine.
If you’re only installing Flash to play games on the web, you can download those games to your computer to play them without the internet. This also means you can keep playing them if the site stops working.