How to Disable Adobe Flash

You have two options for disabling Adobe Flash in most browsers.

If you need or want to keep Adobe Flash around for whatever reason, you can set your browser to ask for permission to run the plugin. That way you will have full control over where and when Flash runs.

The other option is to option is to disable Flash from working altogether. You won’t get the permission request notifications, so you’ll have to re-enable flash manually if you need it to run on a specific website, but this is going to be the most secure option as Flash won’t be running at all.

Here’s how to achieve either outcome in all the major web browsers.

Safari

To force permissions: head to Safari > Preferences > Security, and click “Website Settings” next to the Internet plug-ins option. In this new menu, find and select Adobe Flash Player from the list of plug-ins, then set the When Visiting other websites option to “Ask”, then click “done” to save your changes and close the window.

To disable entirely: use the same method as above to open the Flash settings, but set the When Visiting other websites option to “Block” instead. Click “done” to save and close.

Chrome

While Chrome once included an option to disable browser plugins entirely, the latest versions of the browser removed that feature. Instead, the only option for disabling Flash on Chrome is to force permissions. Go to Settings > Advanced > Content Settings > Flash. Then, in the option for Flash, turn on “Ask First.” You can also add specific websites to either block entirely or allow to play Flash content without needing permission first.

Firefox

The most recent versions of Mozilla’s web browser will limit Adobe Flash (and other, similar plugins) and force permissions by default, so no change is necessary.

Internet Explorer

To force permissions: Click Gear icon to open settings tab, then go to Manage Add-ons > Toolbars and Extensions > Shockwave Flash Object. Right click Shockwave Flash Object, and select More Information. In this window, select “remove all sites,” then delete the asterisk. Close the windows and restart your browser.

To disable entirely: Follow all the steps above, until you open the More Information window by right-clicking Shockwave Flash Object. Then, click the Disable button located at the bottom-right of the window.

Edge

Edge doesn’t provide an option requiring Flash to ask permission to run. Instead, you’ll only be able to disable the plugin entirely. To do so, navigate to Settings > View Advanced Settings, then turn the Use Adobe Flash option to “off.”