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{{plugin-warning|name=Adobe Flash|security-text=at [http://www.adobe.com/support/security/#flashplayer Adobe's website]}}
'' Mozilla applications are regularly updated for security and stability; however, Mozilla does not provide updates for plug-ins. Plug-ins can cause crashes and hangs and may contain security vulnerabilities. Visit [http://www.adobe.com/support/security/#flashplayer Adobe's website] for information on security and stability issues affecting Adobe Flash.''


[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flash Adobe Flash] (formerly Macromedia Flash) or simply "Flash", refers to the  Flash Player and browser plugin needed to handle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWF SWF] web page animations and interactive content.  Even though the Flash plugin is referred to as "Shockwave Flash",  it should not be confused with the [[Shockwave]] plugin that handles "Shockwave for Director" content.


==Installation==
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flash Adobe Flash] (formerly Macromedia Flash), refers to the Flash Player and browser plugin needed to handle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWF SWF] videos, web page animations and interactive content.  Even though the Flash plugin is also referred to as "Shockwave Flash",  it should not be confused with the [[Shockwave]] plugin that handles "Shockwave for Director" content.
You can check to see what version, if any, of the Flash plugin is being detected in your Mozilla browser via [[about:plugins]].  You can also test your Flash plugin [http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about/ here].  


To install Flash (or to upgrade to a higher version) download the Flash installer from the [http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer Adobe Flash Player Download Center] or from [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org PluginDoc].  If you cannot find a Flash Player download for your OS, [http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/alternates/ find it manually on this page].   See [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html PluginDoc's Flash FAQs] for details on installation. 
==Enabling and disabling Flash==
Installed plugins, including Flash,  can be disabled and enabled in the Add-ons Manager (see [[Issues_related_to_plugins#Managing_installed_plugins |Managing installed plugins]] for details).  To disable or enable Flash:
#Open the Add-ons Manager by clicking "Add-ons" in the Firefox (or Tools) menu ("Tools -> Add-ons Manager" in SeaMonkey) or by entering '''about:addons''' in the Location (address) bar. 
#Click on "Plugins" in the left panel  of the Add-ons Manager (as shown [[Issues_related_to_plugins#Managing_installed_plugins |here]]).
#Find the entry for the Flash plugin ("Shockwave Flash" on Windows).
#*'''Firefox 23, SeaMonkey 2.20 and above:''' Use the drop-down menu and select "Never Activate" to disable the plugin. Select "Always Activate" to enable the plugin. [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=549697]
#*'''Firefox 22, SeaMonkey 2.19 and below:''' Click the "Disable" button to disable the Flash plugin. If the Flash plugin is disabled,  click the "Enable" button to enable the plugin.
'''Note:''' On Windows, the Flash plugin is detected via [[plugin scanning]].   If you have [[Flash#Installing_Flash_on_Windows|installed the Flash plugin]] but it does not appear in the Add-ons Manager, open [[About:config|about:config]] and make sure that the preference '''plugin.scan.plid.all''' has not been set to "false" (if it has, right-click on it and select Reset to set it back to "true"). [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/966755]


If your system can't run the latest Flash Player (see the [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/productinfo/systemreqs/ system requirements]) you can download Flash 9 for Windows, Linux or Mac OS X [http://www.adobe.com/go/kb406791 here].  (Windows users should download the "Netscape" installer for Firefox and other Mozilla browsers.) Archived Flash versions can be downloaded  [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_14266 here].
==Testing Flash==
'''Note:''' If the Flash plugin is installed, make sure it is enabled in the Firefox (3.0 and above) or SeaMonkey 2 Add-ons Manager ([[#Enabling and disabling Flash|see above]]); otherwise,  the Flash test will not work and the "Shockwave Flash" plugin entry will not be displayed in the [[About:plugins|about:plugins]] list.
 
To see if the Flash plugin is working and what version is being used, visit one of these pages:
* http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/
* http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/find-version-flash-player.html
   
If Flash is not installed,  this may trigger the Plug-in Finder Service,  which you can use to download and install the Flash plugin on Windows ([[#Installing Flash on Windows|see below]]). At time of writing,  the Plug-in Finder Service is triggered but fails to install the Flash plugin on Linux or Mac OS in Firefox 3 and above (you will need to manually download and install the plugin).  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=416396] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=527883] 
 
You can also see what version (if any) of  the Flash plugin is being detected using [[about:plugins]] (see the linked article for details).  If Flash is installed and enabled, the ''about:plugins'' list will include an entry similar to the following:
'''Shockwave Flash'''
:File: NPSWF32_13_0_0_214.dll
:Path: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\NPSWF32_13_0_0_214.dll
:Version: 13.0.0.214
:State: Enabled
:Shockwave Flash 13.0 r0
 
In Flash versions 11.2 and above, the file name includes the plugin version.  For example, for Flash plugin version 11.2.202.235 on Windows, the plugin file name would be "NPSWF32_11_2_202_235.dll".  In older Flash versions, for example,  plugin version 10.3.183.18 on Windows, the file name would simply be "NPSWF32.dll".
 
'''Note:'''  The [[about:plugins]] list is generated from data stored in the "pluginreg.dat" file.  In some cases,  the stored data may be incorrect.  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=313700]  To refresh the list,  [[Kill application|close the browser]] and delete the "pluginreg.dat" file, located in the [[Profile folder|profile folder]] in current Mozilla browsers.
 
==Installing or updating Flash==
To install Flash or to update to the latest version for your operating system, visit the [http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ Adobe Flash Player Download Center]  (see the [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/tech-specs.html system requirements] and [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/faq.html FAQ] pages for more information).  Adobe has recently started to bundle other applications from other vendors with the download so make sure to '''opt out''' of any programs or tools you don't want ''before'' clicking the button.  Note that recent installers are only helper applications that  download the actual application from the Adobe site, thus they are smaller in size than previous downloads. 
 
You can download the full installer for your operating systemwithout any bundled software, from the [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html Adobe Flash Player Distribution] page. Note that, for Mac OS, Flash 10.2 and above is Intel-onlyFlash 10.1 r102 is the last supported version for PPC Mac. [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=630468#c17] Archived Flash versions can be downloaded [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html#main_Archived_versions here].
 
After downloading the Flash installer,  [[Kill application|completely close your Mozilla application]] and  run the installer.  In current versions, the INSTALL button  is disabled until you check-mark the box in the  Adobe Flash Player installation dialog where it says, "I have read and agree to the terms of the license agreement".  See  [http://user-assistance.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html this blogspot article] for details, including a screenshot. 
 
Starting with Flash Player 11.2 on Windows, an option for silent, automatic updates is selected by default when you install Flash.  This feature will download and install Flash Player updates in the   background, without any user interaction.  See [http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/background-updater-windows.html this Adobe article] for more information.  [http://forums.adobe.com/thread/981567]   


===Installing Flash on Windows===
===Installing Flash on Windows===
There are two Flash players offered for Windows users: the Flash ActiveX control for Internet Explorer/AOL and the Flash plugin for Firefox/Mozilla/Netscape/Opera browsers.  Each must be installed separately, since the Flash plugin installer does not add the ActiveX control and vice versa. In other words, it's possible to have the Flash 8 plugin installed for Mozilla browsers and the Flash 9 ActiveX control installed for Internet Explorer, and both will work. 
If the Flash plugin is not installed and you visit a page that has Flash content that requires the plugin,  the Plug-in Finder Service (PFS) can download and install Flash for you (see [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/install-flash-plugin-view-videos-animations-games this article] for details) but it may offer an outdated version. '''Note:''' Mozilla may either remove the PFS or change the process for downloading missing plugins, at some future date. [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=836415] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=836420] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=848160]
 
You can see what version of the Flash plugin is installed by entering  [[about:plugins]] in the Location Bar of your Mozilla browser and finding the entry for "Shockwave Flash". For example, on Windows XP with Flash 9.0 r115 installed,  you should see:
*'''Shockwave Flash'''
:File name: C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash\NPSWF32.dll 
:Shockwave Flash 9.0 r115


Note:  To see the full path to the plugin file NPSWF32.dll as shown above, instead of just the file name, use [[about:config]] to change the value of ''plugin.expose_full_path'' to "true".
You can install or update Flash by downloading the plugin installer from [http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ Adobe's Flash Player download page] or from the [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html  Adobe Flash Player Distribution] page.  


If you see two versions of Shockwave Flash listed in [[about:plugins]], this can occur if the Flash plugin file "NPSWF32.dll" is located in the Mozilla browser's [[installation directory]] plugins folder and another copy is detected in a different location, e.g.,  the <tt>C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash</tt> folder on Windows XP.  In such cases, the copy in the browser plugins folder takes precedence.  The installation of Flash 9.0 r45 or later should detect and remove the Flash plugin from the plugins folder of detected browsersIf it doesn't, manually delete the "NPSWF32.dll" file from the browser plugins folder so that the newer version can be used.
Once the download completes, exit Firefox and run the installerYou normally don't need to uninstall Flash before updating to the latest version, since the Flash installer automatically removes the older versionHowever, you will need to [[#Windows_uninstall|uninstall your current Flash version]] if you are downgrading from a higher version.


'''Starting with Flash 9.0.r45''' the Flash plugin installer for Firefox and other Mozilla-based browsers does not copy any files to the browser plugins folder.   Instead, the files "NPSWF32.dll", "flashplayer.xpt" and related files are placed in the Macromed\Flash folder located in the Windows System directory (e.g., <tt>C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash</tt>) and the installer removes any copies found in the installation directory of  detected browsers.  A Windows registry entry is created enabling each Mozilla browser to detect Flash via [[plugin scanning]] (PLID scan).  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=540895]
'''Important:''' There are two Flash players offered for Windows users: the Flash ActiveX control for Internet Explorer/AOL and the Flash plugin for Firefox/Mozilla/Opera browsers.  Each must be installed separately, since the Flash plugin installer does not add the ActiveX control and vice versa.  


'''Flash 9.0.r28 and earlier''' versions of the Flash plugin installer copied these two files to the [[installation directory]] of Firefox and other detected Mozilla browsers:  
'''Flash 9.0.r28 and earlier''' versions of the Flash plugin installer copied these two files to the [[installation directory]] of Firefox and other detected Mozilla browsers:  
Line 28: Line 57:
* '''flashplayer.xpt'''  to  the ''components'' folder or the ''plugins'' folder (for [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#win-scripting  scripting support]).   
* '''flashplayer.xpt'''  to  the ''components'' folder or the ''plugins'' folder (for [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#win-scripting  scripting support]).   
You would then have needed to copy these two files to the plugins folder of undetected browsers (e.g., zip builds).  Note that an XPI package that was available for Flash 9.0.r28 and earlier using the "Install" link at [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/windows.html#Flash PluginDoc] also copied the Flash plugin files to the Windows System directory's Macromed\Flash folder and added a registry entry so that all Mozilla browsers could find the files through [[plugin scanning]], using a Windows registry [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/notes.html#scan-plid PLID scan] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=2175271#2175271]
You would then have needed to copy these two files to the plugins folder of undetected browsers (e.g., zip builds).  Note that an XPI package that was available for Flash 9.0.r28 and earlier using the "Install" link at [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/windows.html#Flash PluginDoc] also copied the Flash plugin files to the Windows System directory's Macromed\Flash folder and added a registry entry so that all Mozilla browsers could find the files through [[plugin scanning]], using a Windows registry [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/notes.html#scan-plid PLID scan] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=2175271#2175271]
'''Starting with Flash 9.0.r45''' the Flash plugin installer for Firefox and other Mozilla-based browsers does not copy any files to the browser plugins folder.  Instead,  the files "NPSWF32.dll",  "flashplayer.xpt" and related files are placed in the Macromed\Flash folder located in the Windows System directory (e.g., ''C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash'') and the installer removes any copies found in the installation directory of  detected browsers.  A Windows registry entry is created enabling each Mozilla browser to detect Flash via [[plugin scanning]] (PLID scan).  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=540895]
*If [[about:plugins]] shows multiple copies of NPSWF32.dll it usually means an outdated Flash plugin in the  ''[[installation directory]]\plugins'' folder.  The installation of Flash 9.0 r45 or later should detect and remove the Flash plugin from the plugins folder of detected browsers.  If it doesn't, exit the browser and manually delete the "NPSWF32.dll" file from the plugins folder so that the newer version can be used.
====Windows installation issues====
*To install Flash, you must be logged into Windows with an account that has Administrator access or permissions.  [http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/191/tn_19166.html#main_Advanced] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1644315]
* If the [http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ Flash test page] still detects an older version after updating Flash, see if  the Flash plugin "NPSWF32.dll" exists in your Mozilla browser's [[installation directory]] "plugins"  folder and remove it, if found.  Note that the "plugins" folder no longer exists by default.
*If you still see the older version in [[about:plugins]] or in the Add-ons Manager Plugins list,  [[Kill application|close the browser]] and delete the "pluginreg.dat" file, located in the [[Profile folder|profile folder]] in current Mozilla browsers.  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=9771293&sid=50e97324eaab909fa6447ec09055f167#p9771293]  See [[Issues related to plugins#Identifying installed plugins|Identifying installed plugins]] for help finding and removing old versions of the Flash plugin.
*Mozilla browsers use [[plugin scanning]] to locate installed plugins.  Flash and other installed plugins that are normally detected in locations [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Adding_Extensions_using_the_Windows_Registry#Plugins specified in the Windows registry] for [http://www-archive.mozilla.org/projects/plugins/plugin-identifier.html#definitions PLIDs] will not be detected if the preference '''plugin.scan.plid.all''' has been set to "false".  To resolve,  open [[About:config|about:config]] and reset the preference to "true" (the default value). [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/938258]
*If you see the error,  ''You do not have sufficient disk space to complete this installation''.  This is a known issue when installing the Flash Player plug-in on a Windows machine that does not have any drive labeled "C".  See [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/error-do-have-sufficient-disk.html  this Adobe help article] and [http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FP-907 related Adobe bug report] for workarounds.  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=555286] [http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/messageview.cfm?forumid=72&catid=675&threadid=1394020]
For other installation issues,  see the Adobe article [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/installation-problems-flash-player-windows.html Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows].


==Uninstalling Flash==
==Uninstalling Flash==
===Windows and Mac===
An uninstaller can be downloaded from Adobe.com to remove Flash from  Mac or Windows systems.  After downloading, make sure you [[kill application | completely exit your Mozilla browser]] and close all other Internet applications before you run the uninstaller.
An uninstaller can be downloaded from Adobe.com to remove Flash from your system. See the Flash Player TechNote, [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_14157  How to uninstall the Adobe Flash Player plug-in and ActiveX control].  After downloading, make sure you [[kill application | completely exit your Mozilla application]] or other Internet browser before you run the uninstaller.   
 
===Mac uninstall===
See [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html Flash Player Help | Uninstall Flash Player | Mac] at Adobe.com for a link to download the uninstaller and detailed instructions.


===Windows uninstall===
===Windows uninstall===
The  Flash uninstaller from Adobe.com also removes the Flash ActiveX control needed in Internet Explorer and AOL.  On Windows systems,  the Flash uninstaller may hang at 93% completion.  To finish the uninstall, open the Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete), click the "Processes" tab, select "killbrowser.exe", click <End Process> and say "yes" to the resulting dialog box. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=2386863#2386863].
See [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html Flash Player Help | Uninstall Flash Player | Windows] at Adobe.com for a link to download the uninstaller  and detailed instructions. Adobe's uninstaller will remove Flash from your system, including both the Flash Player plugin for Mozilla applications and the Flash Player ActiveX control used by Internet Explorer and AOL.


The Flash uninstaller may not remove all Flash plugin files from all locations so you should search for and delete the following files, if found:
'''Warning:''' Some software may not work properly unless the Flash ActiveX control is installed.  [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/917244?page=5#answer-348511]  [http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-All-in-One-Software-and/HP-6500-Vista-Solution-Center-screen-blank/m-p/152055]  [http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=54351.0]  If you only want to remove the Flash plugin for Firefox and other Mozilla applications,  and leave the Flash Player ActiveX installed, just remove the "Adobe Flash Player Plugin"  from the Windows Control Panel list of installed programs ([[#Uninstall using Windows Control Panel|see below]]).
* NPSWF32.dll
* flashplayer.xpt
* GetFlash.exe
* GetFlash.exe.manifest
* NPSWF32_FlashUtil.exe


'''Flash 9.0 r45 and above:'''  You can also uninstall Flash for Mozilla-based browsers using the "Adobe Flash Player Plugin" entry in the Windows Control Panel list of installed programs ("Add or Remove Programs"[http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=541276]. If you also installed Flash for Internet Explorer, you will see a second entry"Adobe Flash Player ActiveX" which is for the Flash ActiveX control needed for Internet Explorer and the AOL browser.
====Uninstall using Windows Control Panel====
'''Flash 11, Flash 10, and Flash 9.0 r45 or above:'''  You can uninstall the Flash plugin for Mozilla applications (and keep the Flash ActiveX control, if installed) by selecting and removing just the "Adobe Flash Player Plugin" entry from the Windows Control Panel list of installed programs (e.g., [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307895 Windows XP "Add or Remove Programs"] or [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Uninstall-or-change-a-program Windows 7/Vista "Programs and Features"] list).   If you see an entry for "Adobe Flash Player ActiveX", this is the Flash ActiveX control needed for Internet Explorer and AOL.  Flash Player ActiveX may also be required for other software to work properly (see above).  Note: It's possible to have two different versions of Flash Player installed; for example, Adobe Flash Player 11 ActiveX for Internet Explorer and  Adobe Flash Player 10 Plugin for Mozilla browsers.  


'''Flash 9.0 r28 and below:''' Windows Add/Remove Programs may have an entry for "Adobe Flash Player ActiveX" but this will only remove Flash for Internet Explorer and AOL.  To completely remove Flash from your system, [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_14157 download the uninstaller from Adobe.com].  To remove Flash from Mozilla browsers only,  delete the Flash plugin files shown above from all locations. [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#win-uninstall]  
'''Flash 9.0 r28 and below:''' Your Windows list of installed programs may have an entry for "Adobe Flash Player ActiveX" but this will only remove the Flash Player for Internet Explorer and AOL.  To completely remove Flash from your system, [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html download the Flash uninstaller from Adobe.com].  To remove Flash from Mozilla browsers only,  delete these Flash plugin files from all locations. [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#win-uninstall]  
* NPSWF32.dll
* flashplayer.xpt


===Linux and Solaris===
===Linux and Solaris===
Line 53: Line 94:
* [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_15381 Flash Player (Netscape Plug-in) for Solaris ReadMe]
* [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_15381 Flash Player (Netscape Plug-in) for Solaris ReadMe]


If you installled via apt-get/aptitude (Debian/Ubuntu):
If you installed via apt-get/aptitude (Debian/Ubuntu):
sudo apt-get remove flashplugin-nonfree  
sudo apt-get remove flashplugin-nonfree  


If the uninstall don't work:
If the uninstall don't work:
1. type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Find the option plugin.expose_full_path and change the value to "true" (double-clicking the preference name will toggle the setting).
1. type '''about:config''' in the address bar and press Enter. Find the preference ''plugin.expose_full_path'' and change the value to "true" (double-clicking the preference name will toggle the setting).
2. type about:plugins and locate the flash plugin. Remove the plugin files (both .so and .xpt)
2. type '''about:plugins''' and locate the flash plugin. Remove the plugin files (both .so and .xpt)


==Flash Settings Manager==  
==Flash Settings Manager==  
You can adjust your Flash settings, including privacy, security, and notifications of available updates, in the Flash Settings Manager, which can be opened from the context menu of any embedded Flash object, including the "Adobe Flash Player is installed" Flash object shown [http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/about/ here] (right-click on where "<Flash version> Installed Successfully" is displayed).  See [http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html Flash Player Settings Manager] for more information on these settings.
You can adjust your Flash settings in the Flash Player Settings Manager.  Some settings can be accessed from the context (right-click) menu of a Flash object during playback.  Other settings, such as global settings for privacy, storage, security, and automatic notification of Flash Player updates,  are accessible via links in the Adobe support document, [http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html Flash Player Help - Settings Manager]


==Troubleshooting==
==Troubleshooting==
If Flash isn't working properly, first make sure that the latest version of Flash is installed and enabled (see above) before trying the following solutions. 
'''Warning:'''  Installing an old version of Flash may be suggested as a workaround for some Flash issues; however, this can make your system vulnerable to security exploits that have been addressed in the latest Flash version. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=3389951#3389951]  Also, Mozilla adds outdated Flash plugin versions to its [https://addons.mozilla.org/blocked/ Add-ons Blocklist] as a security measure.  In some cases, this may may result in "infobar" notification in the browser.  In other cases, outdated Flash plugins may be disabled in the Firefox or SeaMonkey Add-ons Manager or, starting in Firefox 17, may require [[Issues related to plugins#Click_to_Play|Click to play]] activation.[https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2012/10/11/click-to-play-plugins-blocklist-style/] [https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2012/10/11/click-to-play-coming-firefox-17/]
If your problem isn't listed below:
If your problem isn't listed below:
*See [[Video or audio does not play]] for add-on solutions and other solutions.
*See the [[Video or audio does not play]] article.
*Read [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html PluginDoc] and Adobe's [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_15511 Flash Player Support FAQ].
*Go to Adobe's [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/video-playback-issues.htm Video playback issues] page and [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/video-playback-issues.html#html5_video check if you can see an HTML5 video] to help determine if your issue is with Flash or with an outdated display driver. [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/945955#answer-394156]
*Search for answers or post a question to Adobe's [http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/categories.cfm?catid=184&forumid=44 Macromedia Flash Player forum].
*Visit the [http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/ Adobe Flash Player Support Center]
*[[#Uninstalling Flash| Uninstall Flash]] (see Adobe's instructions [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html here for Windows] and [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html here for Mac OS]) and then [[##Installing_or_updating_Flash|reinstall Flash]].
*Search for answers or post a new question to Adobe's [http://forums.adobe.com/community/webplayers/flash_player Flash Player] forum.


'''Warning:''' Installing an older version of Flash may be suggested as a workaround for some Flash issues; however, doing so will make your system vulnerable to security exploits that have been addressed in the latest Flash version. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=3389951#3389951]
===Browser hangs playing Flash videos===
If Firefox or SeaMonkey hangs (locks up, freezes, or stops responding) when you play Flash videos, try disabling hardware acceleration in Flash settings or, on Windows Vista and above, try disabling protected mode in Flash. See [[#Performance or display issues with certain Flash videos |Performance or display issues with certain Flash videos]] and [[#Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows|Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows]] (below) for details.


===Websites ask you to install or update Flash when Flash 10 is installed===  
===Flash Protected Mode issues on Windows Vista and above===
Some websites will ask you to install or update Flash when you already have the Flash 10 plugin installed. This is not a problem with your Mozilla browser or your Flash plugin, but with certain websites that misidentify Flash 10 as Flash 1 due to a faulty detection schemeContact the website and ask them to correct the problem or, on Windows, you can try the site in Internet Explorer, since the Flash ActiveX detection may work even though the plugin detection does notAs a last resort you can [[#Uninstalling Flash|uninstall Flash 10]] and [[#Installation|install Flash 9]].  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=952755] [http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/webforums/forum/messageview.cfm?forumid=44&catid=184&threadid=1399940]
Starting in Flash 11.3 the Flash Player plugin used in Firefox and SeaMonkey runs in a [http://blogs.adobe.com/asset/2012/06/inside-flash-player-protected-mode-for-firefox.html Protected Mode] by default on Windows Vista and above.  This  security feature has been causing problems for some Firefox or SeaMonkey users since it was introduced in Flash 11.3.  See [[#Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows|Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows]] (below) for suggested solutions and workarounds, which also apply to Flash 11.4 and above.
 
====Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows ====
''The suggested solutions and workarounds in this section apply to Flash 11.3 and above''
 
Starting in Flash 11.3 the Flash Player plugin used in Firefox and SeaMonkey runs in a [http://blogs.adobe.com/asset/2012/06/inside-flash-player-protected-mode-for-firefox.html Protected Mode] on Windows Vista and above. When Flash is running in Protected Mode, you will see two "FlashPlayerPlugin_''<version>''.exe processes in Windows Task Manager (e.g., “FlashPlayerPlugin_11_300_271.exe”).   This security feature can cause crashes, freezes, slow or busy script warnings,  ''An error occurred.  Please try again later'' messages at YouTube,  Adobe Flash "plugin has crashed" or "stopped working" errors,  loss of browser focus, large numbers of empty FAP****.tmp files  or other problems after visiting websites that use Flash.  Mozilla and Adobe are working on these issues, so make sure to keep Firefox, SeaMonkey, and Adobe Flash updated to take advantage of bug fixes. [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/965465] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=768802] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=774281][https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=787014] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=2526893] [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/962798] [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/965190] [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/975727] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?resolution=---&query_format=advanced&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&longdesc=protected%20mode&component=Flash%20%28Adobe%29&component=Plug-ins&product=Core&product=Plugins&longdesc_type=substring]
 
As a workaround, you can disable Flash Protected Mode ([[#Disabling Protected Mode in Flash 11.3|see below]]) or you can downgrade the Flash plugin to a version previous to 11.3, such as Flash 11.2 or 10.3; however,  older Flash versions have security vulnerabilities and may be [https://addons.mozilla.org/blocked/ blocklisted].  To downgrade Flash, [[#Windows_uninstall|uninstall the Flash plugin]] via Windows Control Panel "Programs and Features" (or use Adobe's uninstaller),  and then install the older plugin version.  See Adobe's [http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1022066 How do I revert to a previous version of Flash Player?] page for detailsAlso note that the latest Flash 10.3 plugin installer was previously recommended because it included all known security patches.  As of July 9, 2013, however, Flash 10.3 will no longer be maintained.  [http://forums.adobe.com/thread/889580] [http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2013/05/extended-support-release-updated-to-flash-player-11-7.html]
 
'''Important:''' Before downgrading Flash or disabling Flash Protected Mode:
*Older RealPlayer versions have compatibility issues with Mozilla browsers and Flash Protected Mode (see [[RealPlayer#RealPlayer_Browser_Record_Plugin_extension|RealPlayer - RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension]] for details) so, if RealPlayer is installed, update it to the latest version (15.0.6 or above) or uninstall RealPlayer if you don't need it.
*Older versions of [http://www.trusteer.com/product/trusteer-rapport Trusteer Rapport] (an application promoted by some banks for malware protection) may cause the Flash plugin to crash or stop working (e.g., you may see an ''Adobe Flash Player <version> has stopped working'' error, shown [https://bug789696.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=660162 here]).  If you have this software installed, either update Trusteer Rapport  to the latest version (1205.8 or above), turn off the program ("Start menu -> All Programs -> Trusteer Rapport -> Stop Rapport"), uninstall the program if you don't need it, or contact [http://www.trusteer.com/support/report-problem Trusteer Support]. [http://forums.adobe.com/message/4664956#4664956] [https://support.mozilla.org/questions/935857] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=787014] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=789880]
*Older versions of [http://www.f-secure.com F-secure] Internet security software may degrade network performance (e.g., increased ping time and slower download speed) on sites that use Flash.  If possible, update to F-Secure 2013, disable "enhanced process monitoring" in older F-Secure products (F-Secure Advanced settings -> Computer -> Deepguard) or contact [http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/home_global/support/get-support-online F-Secure support]. [https://support.mozilla.org/forums/contributors/708683?#post-49269] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=791099]
*You should also check for problematic extensions (see [[#Extension_issues|Extension issues, below]]) and disable hardware acceleration in Flash settings ([[#Performance_or_display_issues_with_certain_Flash_videos |see below]]) to see if that resolves the issue. [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/flash-player-113-crash-mozilla.html]
 
====Disabling Protected Mode in Flash 11.3====
To disable (or re-enable) Protected Mode in Flash 11.3 and above, use one of these methods:
* (Starting in Firefox 38) In the Firefox (Tools) menu, click "Add-ons -> Plugins -> Shockwave Flash Options (button)", '''clear the "Enable Adobe Flash protected mode" checkbox''' and restart the browser. (To re-enable Flash Protected Mode,  re-check the checkbox.) [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1133000]
*(Starting in Firefox 35 on Windows 7/Vista, Firefox 36 on Windows 8) '''Toggle the "dom.ipc.plugins.flash.disable-protected-mode" preference to "true" in [[About:config|about:config]]''' and restart the browser. (To re-enable Protected Mode, set the preference back to "false").  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1112709].  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1108035] [http://www.ghacks.net/2014/12/21/how-to-disable-flash-player-protected-mode-in-firefox/]v
*'''Edit the Flash mms.cfg file'''
To disable Protected Mode, use a text editor to add the line '''ProtectedMode=0''' to the Flash "mms.cfg" file, located in one of these locations: [http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1018071#TemporaryWorkaround]<br>
(Windows 32bit) <tt>C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash</tt> <br>
(Windows 64bit) <tt>C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash</tt><br>
For example, on a Windows 7 64-bit system,  open the ''C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash'' folder, copy the file "mms.cfg" to the desktop, open it in Notepad,  add a new line '''ProtectedMode=0''' and then close Notepad, saving your changes.  Next,  go back to the ''C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash'' folder,  rename the original file to "mms.cfgBAK" (to save it as a backup) and then drag and drop in the modified "mms.cfg" file from the desktop.  To re-enable Flash Protected Mode, either restore a backup of the original mms.cfg file, if you saved one, or else re-edit the mms.cfg file to remove the '''ProtectedMode=0''' line you added.  Updating Flash Player or installing a newer version does not automatically re-enable Protected Mode.  [http://forums.adobe.com/message/4588765#4588765] [http://techdows.com/2012/06/disable-flash-players-protected-mode-for-firefox.html] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=2485553&start=15] [http://forums.adobe.com/message/4595212#4595212] [https://support.mozilla.org/forums/contributors/708573?#post-48772]


===Flash player not working on certain websites===
===Flash player not working on certain websites===
If Flash video or other Flash content plays  on some websites but not others, the website may be experiencing heavy traffic or having other problems.  Try  [[clearing the cache]] and reloading the video (read [[Video_or_audio_does_not_play#Other_solutions|this article]] for other solutions).  For issues specific to YouTube Flash videos, read [http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/topic.py?topic=10559 Solving Video Player issues (YouTube Help Center)].  
Note: For issues specific to YouTube Flash videos, visit the [http://www.google.com/support/youtube/ YouTube Help Center].  


Flash content may also fail to load on certain websites if you use a "spoofed" [[General concepts#User agent|user agent]] (UA).  For example, if you go to the Firefox menu and click "Help -> About Mozilla Firefox" and it shows <code>Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1)</code>,  then your UA is spoofed to show that you are using Internet Explorer 7 ("MSIE 7.0") instead of Firefox.    If you use the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/59 User Agent Switcher] extension,  restore the default user agent in the Tools menu.  Otherwise,  open [[about:config]], find all '''general.useragent''' preferences with a '''user set''' status, then context-click (right-click) on those preferences and select "Reset" to restore the default values.  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=899445]
If Flash video or other Flash content plays on some websites but not others, the website may be experiencing heavy traffic or having other problems.  Try  [[clearing the cache]] and reloading the video and then try the suggestions listed below (read [[Video_or_audio_does_not_play#Other_solutions|this article]] for other solutions).


===Flash videos stop after 2-3 seconds===
====Check Flash storage settings====
YouTube or other Flash videos may initially load but stop playing after 2 or 3 secondsThis is a bug in the Flash plugin which should be fixed in Flash 10.  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=436686#c66As a workaroundrestart the browser or look through [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=436686 bug 436686] for other solutions, such as using the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/433 Flashblock] extension to select those videos you wish to play while blocking out other Flash content [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=436686#c71] or, in Firefox 3 and SeaMonkey 2, by disabling and re-enabling the Flash plugin in the Add-ons manager and then reloading the webpage with the Flash content.  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=436686#c83]   Read the forum topics [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=617400 here] and  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=634218 here] and [http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Flash-based+videos+and+sound+do+not+play+correctly this Firefox Support article] for more information.
Some websites may require that Local Shared Objects (Flash cookies) are enabled in your Flash settingsTo check the [http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/help02.html Flash local storage settings] for a specific site, right-click the Flash content that does not play and select "Settings", then click the Local Storage iconAlso open the [http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help//settings_manager03.html Global Settings Manager] to ensure that you have specified disk space to allow third-party content to store data on your computer. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/bbc-cookies-policy.shtml#s4Note:  Starting in Firefox 4, if Flash Player 10.3 or above is installed you can clear Flash cookies from within Firefox, via (Tools) "Clear Recent History -> Everything -> Cookies" ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=625496 bug 625496]).
 
====Check user agent====
Flash content may also fail to load on certain websites if you use a "spoofed" [[General concepts#User agent|user agent]] (UA).  For example, if you go to the Firefox menu and click "Help -> About Mozilla Firefox" and it shows <code>Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1)</code>, then your UA is spoofed to show that you are using Internet Explorer 7 ("MSIE 7.0") instead of Firefox.    If you use the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/59 User Agent Switcher] extension,  restore the default user agent in the Tools menu.  Otherwise,  open [[About:config|about:config]], find all '''general.useragent''' preferences with a '''user set''' status, then context-click (right-click) on those preferences and select "Reset" to restore the default values. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=899445]
 
===Performance or display issues with certain Flash videos===
Flash hardware acceleration can cause performance or display issues with certain Flash videos (e.g., high [[Firefox CPU usage|CPU usage]], system instability,  [[Firefox hangs|hangs]], white or green screen, double image split by horizontal green line,  no full-screen video, distortion, sound plays but no video).  As a workaround, you can turn off hardware acceleration in your [http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/help01.html Flash Player display settings]. [http://forums.techguy.org/web-email/1074527-solved-cnn-video-doesnt-play.html] 
#Right-click on any Flash video or animation (or on the Flash logo on [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/video-playback-issues.html#main_Solve_video_playback_issues this Adobe help page]).
#Click "Settings" and uncheck “Enable hardware acceleration" in the Display tab.
This may only be a temporary solution, as long as the Flash setting to turn off hardware acceleration is stored as an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_shared_object LSO] (Flash cookie), as reported for Flash 10.3 in  [http://forums.adobe.com/thread/886783 this Adobe forum thread].  Clearing cookies in Firefox deletes this type of cookie, as will using an extension such as BetterPrivacy[http://forums.adobe.com/message/3707795#3707795] [http://forums.adobe.com/message/3707795#3707795] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=625495] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=508167] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=12225917#p12225917]
 
On Windows, you can also disable hardware acceleration by adding the line '''DisableHardwareAcceleration=1''' to the Flash "mms.cfg" file, as suggested in [http://forums.adobe.com/message/5808165 this Adobe forum thread].  The mms.cfg file is located here
: (Windows 32bit) <tt>C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash</tt>
: (Windows 64bit) <tt>C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash</tt>
Instead of disabling hardware acceleration in Flash, you could try updating your graphics drivers, to see if that resolves the issue. [http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/403/kb403107.html] [http://forums.adobe.com/thread/789167] [http://forums.adobe.com/message/2910317] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=541075]
 
===No audio when Flash video originates from an external site===
A Flash video originating from an external website may be embedded on a web page, such as a blog that embeds a video from YouTube.  If the audio fails to play, open the [http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html  Flash Player Settings Manager] and select the [http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager03.html Global Storage Settings Panel].  An Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager applet will load as a Flash object. Check the box, “Allow third-party Flash content to store data on your computer” then try the video again.  [http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/08/16/solution-to-fix-youtube-or-other-embedded-flash-video-no-sound-in-external-websites/]


===Flash audio not working - Windows===
===Flash audio not working - Windows===
First check your [http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/volume.mspx Windows Volume Control] to make sure the sound isn't muted or turned down.  On Windows Vista, open a web page in your Mozilla application that should have sound, then click the volume icon in the Windows task bar, click on "Mixer"  and check the [http://www.vista4beginners.com/Volume-Mixer Volume Mixer] per-application settings. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=645319]
'''''Note:''' If Flash 11.3 is installed, first read: [http://forums.adobe.com/message/4505324#4505324 Flash Player 11.3 Audio Update] at Adobe's forum.''
   
* Try the troubleshooting steps in Adobe's Flash Player Help page, [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/flash-player-games-video-or.html Flash Player games, video, or audio don't work | Windows]
Flash audio can also fail in Internet Explorer as well as Firefox and other Mozilla browsers if your Windows audio driver is outdated, if the default device for sound playback does not match the installed audio card, or if the registry key <code>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32</code> is missing an entry for "WaveMapper" (value data "msacm32.drv").  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=450036]  For more information,  see [http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb402691&sliceId=1 Flash Player audio failure on Windows (Adobe TechNote)]
*Check your [http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/volume.mspx Windows Volume Control] to make sure the sound isn't muted or turned down.  On Windows 7/Vista, open a web page in your Mozilla application that should have sound, then click the volume icon in the Windows task bar, click on "Mixer"  and check the [http://www.vista4beginners.com/Volume-Mixer Volume Mixer] per-application settings. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=645319]    
*Flash audio can fail in Internet Explorer as well as Firefox and other Mozilla browsers if your Windows audio driver is outdated, if the default device for sound playback does not match the installed audio card, or if the registry key <code>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32</code> is missing an entry for "WaveMapper" (value data "msacm32.drv").  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=450036]   
*Flash audio may also fail or may only play while you are rolling over the play buttons, if you have too many Flash audio players loaded (the limit seems to be around 15). Note that this is a bug in the Flash plugin for Firefox and other Mozilla browsers that  should have been fixed in Flash 10; it does not affect Internet Explorer, which uses the Flash ActiveX control.  If you see this issue, you can try the same workarounds [[#Flash videos stop after 2-3 seconds|given above]]  (restart the browser; disable and re-enable the Flash plugin; use the Flashblock extension to selectively load Flash content).  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=289873] [http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FP-191]


Flash audio may also fail or may only play while you are rolling over the play buttons, if you have too many Flash audio players loaded (the limit seems to be around 15).  Note that this is a bug in the Flash plugin for Firefox and other Mozilla browsers that should be fixed in Flash 10; it does not affect Internet Explorer, which uses the Flash ActiveX controlIf updating to Flash 10 does not resolve the issue, try the same workarounds [[#Flash videos stop after 2-3 seconds|given above]]  (restart the browser; disable and re-enable the Flash plugin; use the Flashblock extension to selectively load Flash content).  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=289873] [http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/FP-191]
===Plugin-container issues===
Starting in Firefox 3.6.4 on Windows and Linux, the Flash plugin is isolated from the browser process and runs in a separate "plugin-container" process ("plugin-container.exe" on Windows).  On Mac OS in Firefox 4 and above, this process is named "Firefox Plugin Process (Shockwave Flash)"See [[Plugin-container and out-of-process plugins]] for more information about this crash protection feature.


===Excessive CPU use with G-Mail===
*'''Flash content blocked:'''  If you are unable to view Flash content on certain websites, make sure that your [[Firewalls|firewall]] is not blocking plugin-container.  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=9527579#p9527579] [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1939469]
When used with G-Mail, Flash can cause Firefox to repaint the screen constantly, resulting in near 100% CPU use. This problem is fixed in trunk builds of Firefox, and will be fixed in Firefox 3.  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=409337] [http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/roc/archives/2007/12/driveby_debuggi.html]
*'''The Adobe Flash plugin has crashed:'''  If you see a dialog box with the message, ''The Adobe Flash plugin has crashed'' instead of Flash content, either the plugin has crashed or Firefox has detected that it has stopped responding.  Try the suggestion  [[Plugin-container and out-of-process plugins#Plugin hang detector|here]] to turn off the hang detector. If you still have problems:
 
** Try turning off hardware acceleration in your [http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/help01.html Flash settings] ([[#Performance or display issues with certain Flash videos|see above]]). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=575326]
===Quicktime plugin takes over Flash===
** On Windows Vista and above: Try disabling protected mode in Flash ([[#Flash Protected Mode issues on Windows Vista and above|see above]]). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=769721#c28]
If you see a Quicktime symbol with a question mark where the Flash content should be, it means that [[Quicktime]] has taken over Flash content; in particular, the ''application/x-shockwave-flash'' MIME type for Flash media (.swf extension).  Note: For security reasons, the Flash media handler is disabled starting in Quicktime 7.3.1  so this should not be an issue in current Quicktime versions.  [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307176]   (To see which plugins are being detected and the MIME types handled, enter [[about:plugins]]  in your Mozilla browser Location Bar.)  To fix this:
*On Windows, open [[Quicktime#Quicktime browser settings |Quicktime Preferences]] (accessible from the Windows Control Panel),  go to the Browser tab and select the "MIME settings" button.   <u>Uncheck</u> "Flash media" or "Flash file" (if found) under "Miscellaneous".  Click OK, then restart your browser. 
*On Mac OS,  go to the Quicktime System Preferences and deselect the Flash MIME types (under the Advanced tab in recent OS X versions [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=2965118#2965118]).
If the problem persists, remove the file "pluginreg.dat" from the "Firefox" or "Mozilla" folder in the  [[profile folder]] location.  '''Important:''' On Windows,  also open the Mozilla Suite/SeaMonkey or Firefox ''<[[installation directory]]>\plugins''  folder (e.g., ''C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins'') and remove all "npqtplugin.*.dll" files found.  Your browser will then detect the Quicktime plugins based on the MIME types selected in your [[Quicktime#Quicktime browser settings |Quicktime Preferences]]. [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#new-quicktime]


===Extension issues===
===Extension issues===
[[Problematic extensions]]  can interfere with Flash content.   You can selectively disable your extensions to see if one of them is causing the issue (Firefox [[Safe Mode]] will disable all extensions).  You can also test the problem site using a newly-created [[Profile Manager |profile]].
[[Problematic extensions]]  can interfere with Flash content, such as those listed below (this list is not complete). You can selectively disable your extensions in the Add-ons Manager to see if one of them is causing the issue (restarting in Firefox or SeaMonkey [[Safe Mode]] will disable all extensions).  You can also test the problem site using a newly-created [[Profile Manager |profile]].


====User Agent Switcher====
'''Amazing Media Browser''' <br>
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/59 User Agent Switcher] extension allows you to spoof your user agent so that websites may think that you are using a different browser or operating systemThis can can cause problems on websites that depend on that information to activate the Flash plugin. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=899445]  Select the "Default" entry  in the User Agent Switcher list to restore your correct user agent.  
Flash content will not display if the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1468 Amazing Media Browser] extension is installed, if the "Block all embedded objects" preference is set to "Yes"Change the preference setting to "No" to allow embedded media such as Flash to display.


====NoScript====
'''NoScript''' <br>
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/722 NoScript] extension can block Flash content on untrusted sites, even content from trusted sites (e.g. YouTube.com) if embedded on an untrusted site.  [http://noscript.net/faq#qa4_7]  You can temporarily allow JavaScript globally, which will also permit Flash and other blocked content [http://noscript.net/faq#qa1_12].
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/722 NoScript] extension can block Flash content on untrusted sites, even content from trusted sites (e.g. YouTube.com) if embedded on an untrusted site.  [http://noscript.net/faq#qa4_7]  You can temporarily allow JavaScript globally, which will also permit Flash and other blocked content [http://noscript.net/faq#qa1_12].


====Adblock conflict====
'''OneClick YouTube Downloader'''<br>
Flash content may not display if the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/10 Adblock] extension is installed and OBJ-TABS are enabledDisable OBJ-TABS in Adblock's options or try updating to the latest version of Adblock, or uninstall Adblock and install [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1865 Adblock Plus]. [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#new-objtabs].
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/13539 OneClick YouTube Downloader] extension can prevent YouTube videos from playing.  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1548195]  
 
====Amazing Media Browser====  
Flash content will not display if the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1468 Amazing Media Browser] extension is installed, if the "Block all embedded objects" preference is set to "Yes".  Change the preference setting  to "No" to allow embedded media such as Flash to display.


====Flashblock conflict====
'''RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin'''<br>
If you're using Flash Player 8 and the [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/433 Flashblock] extension, you need Flashblock 1.3.3 or higher. [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#new-flashblock].  
'''''Note:''' RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin  extension versions 15.0.5 and below were added to the [https://addons.mozilla.org/blocked/ Mozilla Blocklist]''<br>
The [[RealPlayer#RealPlayer_Browser_Record_Plugin_extension|RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension]]  can interfere with Flash content or cause other issues.  If you have RealPlayer installed, update the program to the latest version or else disable or remove the extension, if enabled.   See the [[RealPlayer]] article for more information.


If you've removed Flashblock you need to take the following code out of [[userChrome.css]] or [[userContent.css]]:
'''User Agent Switcher''' <br>
  object[classid$=":D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"],
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/59 User Agent Switcher] extension allows you to spoof your user agent so that websites may think that you are using a different browser or operating system.  This can can cause problems on websites that depend on that information to activate the Flash plugin.  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=899445Select the "Default" entry in the User Agent Switcher list to restore your correct user agent.
  object[codebase*="swflash.cab"]
  { -moz-binding: url("chrome://flashblock/content/flash.xml#obj"); }


===ActiveX plugin conflict===
===ActiveX plugin conflict===
'''''Note:''' The ActiveX plugin was added to the [https://addons.mozilla.org/blocked/ Mozilla Blocklist] on June 7, 2012 and should be disabled by default.''
The Mozilla [[ActiveX]] plugin can conflict with the Flash plugin and cause errors when visiting sites with Flash content,  including:
The Mozilla [[ActiveX]] plugin can conflict with the Flash plugin and cause errors when visiting sites with Flash content,  including:
*"Illegal Operation In Plug-In" referring to "Shockwave Flash"  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=3146902#3146902]
*"Illegal Operation In Plug-In" referring to "Shockwave Flash"  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=3146902#3146902]
*"This application has failed to start because xpcom_core.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."   [http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_parentId=176245] 
*"This application has failed to start because xpcom_core.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."
In Firefox 3 (or SeaMonkey 2),  you can disable the ActiveX plugin via "Tools -> Add-ons (or Add-on Manager) -> Plugins"; otherwise,  exit the browser and look for the file "npmozax.dll" in the [[installation directory]] plugins folder.  If found, rename the file  "Xnpmozax.dll" to disable the ActiveX plugin.  If Flash content plays correctly afterwards, [[ActiveX#Uninstalling_the_ActiveX_plugin_on_Windows|remove the ActiveX plugin]].
In Firefox 3 (or SeaMonkey 2) and above,  you can disable the ActiveX plugin via "Tools -> Add-ons (or Add-on Manager) -> Plugins"; otherwise,  exit the browser and look for the file "npmozax.dll" in the [[installation directory]] plugins folder.  If found, rename the file  "Xnpmozax.dll" to disable the ActiveX plugin.  If Flash content plays correctly afterwards, [[ActiveX#Uninstalling_the_ActiveX_plugin_on_Windows|remove the ActiveX plugin]].
 
===QuickTime plugin takes over Flash===
''Note: This issue should no longer exist in QuickTime 7.3.1 or above.  See the [[QuickTime]] article for help updating QuickTime for Windows. Mac users can update via the OS X Software Update feature. After updating, you may also need to delete the "pluginreg.dat" file from the [[profile folder]] location [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=236201] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=313700]''


===Delay or hang waking from standby===
If you see a QuickTime symbol with a question mark where the Flash content should be, it means that [[QuickTime]] has taken over Flash content; in particular, the ''application/x-shockwave-flash'' MIME type for Flash media (.swf extension)To see which plugins are being detected and the MIME types handled, enter [[About:plugins|about:plugins]]  in your Mozilla browser Location Bar.  '''Note:'''  For security reasons, the Flash media handler is disabled starting in QuickTime 7.3.1 so this should not be an issue in current QuickTime versions.  [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307176] If you are using an old version of QuickTime (before 7.3.1):
You may experience excessive delay waking the computer from hibernation or standby mode, such that the browser may appear to "hang". High CPU usage may also be observedThis issue has been reported with Flash 8.    On Windows, updating to [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/ Flash Player 9] should resolve the issue.  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=265172]  [http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about/ This page] will tell you what Flash version is installedAs a workaround, close the browser before placing the computer in standby/hibernationNote: Flash is not the only cause of problems after waking from hibernate or standby.  
*On Windows XP and below, open [[QuickTime#QuickTime browser settings |QuickTime Preferences]]  (accessible from the Windows Control Panel),  go to the Browser tab and select the "MIME settings" button.   <u>Uncheck</u> "Flash media" or "Flash file" (if found) under "Miscellaneous".  Click OK, then restart your browser.  Note that QuickTime MIME settings are no longer configurable as of Windows Vista (only file associations can be configured).
*On Mac OS 10.5 and below,  go to the QuickTime System Preferences and deselect the Flash MIME types (under the Advanced tab in recent OS X versions [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=2965118#2965118]).  Note that, as of  Mac OS 10.6, QuickTime MIME settings are no longer configurable.
If the problem persists, remove the file "pluginreg.dat" from the "Firefox" or "Mozilla" folder in the  [[profile folder]] location'''Important:''' On Windows,  also open the Mozilla Suite/SeaMonkey or Firefox ''<[[installation directory]]>\plugins''  folder (e.g., ''C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins'') and remove all "npqtplugin.*.dll" files found.  Your browser will then detect the QuickTime plugins based on the MIME types selected in your [[QuickTime#QuickTime browser settings |QuickTime Preferences]]. [http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/flash.html#new-quicktime]


===Memory Use===
===Illegal Operation in Plugin error ===
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/433 Flashblock] extension will help reduce memory usage by giving you control over the loading of flash images.  Also, version 8.0.24.0 of Flash plugin can continually consume memory while you are on a web page that includes Flash content. [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=334322] Workarounds are to remove the Flash plugin, block Flash content, or manually navigate away from pages with Flash. This problem is supposedly fixed in the latest [http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/  Flash Player 9].
An Illegal Operation in Plugin error referring to "Shockwave Flash" can result from an [[#ActiveX plugin conflict| ActiveX plugin conflict  (see above)]] or  for other reasons, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware malware],  as described in [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=328474 bug 328474and [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=397661&start=150 this forum topic].


===Crashes===
===Not detected due to disabled plugin scan for PLIDs - Windows===
Many crashes are caused by older versions of Flash, or even by recent versions. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=2826815#2826815]  If the crash still occurs with the latest version, follow [http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_15511 Adobe's troubleshooting advice]. If this advice does not help, please [http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform report a bug to Adobe].
[[Plugin scanning]] explains how to prevent your Mozilla browser from detecting plugins installed in directories specified in the Windows registry for PLIDs by setting the '''plugin.scan.plid.all''' preference to '''false'''.   The problem with disabling the PLID plugin scan is that it disables all plugins that are detected this way, including Flash. A workaround is to  copy NPSWF32.dll and flashplayer.xpt from ''C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash'' to the [[installation directory]] plugins folder. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1190025] .  


The Adobe's implementation of the browser plugin is notorious for crashing Firefox. Fortunately there are alternatives, notably [http://www.gnashdev.org/ gnash] (GPL license) and [http://swfdec.freedesktop.org/wiki/ swfdec] (LGPL license).
An alternative solution is to re-enable plugin scanning for PLIDs and disable the unwanted plugins using the Add-on Manager instead. See [[Issues related to plugins#Background|here]] for more information.


===Flash files do not play===
===Flash files do not play===
*Some users find that direct links to Flash files (.SWF)  will not open automatically in the browser, but instead cause the file [[File types and download actions#Opening dialog|Opening dialog]] box to appear, asking whether to save the file or to open it in a suitable application.  This can happen when the  server does not send the Flash file with the correct MIME type.  In other cases,  the Flash installation may be faulty, which can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling Flash. [http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_threadId=150333&comments_parentId=150007]  In Firefox 3 or SeaMonkey 2, the issue can also occur if the (Helper) Applications entry for Flash content is set to "Always ask" instead of "Use Shockwave Flash".    See [[Opening files using plugins]] for more information.
Some users find that direct links to Flash files (.SWF)  will not open automatically in the browser, but instead cause the file [[File types and download actions#Opening dialog|Opening dialog]] box to appear, asking whether to save the file or to open it in a suitable application.  This can happen when the  server does not send the Flash file with the correct MIME type.  In other cases,  the Flash installation may be faulty, which can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling Flash. In Firefox 3 or SeaMonkey 2, the issue can also occur if the (Helper) Applications entry for Flash content is set to "Always ask" instead of "Use Shockwave Flash".    See [[Opening files using plugins]] for more information.


*Flash files that were created with SwishMAX will not play with Flash Player 9. [http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=4a8d52ae] For a user the only workaround is to install [http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html#fp8 Flash Player 8]A zipped archive of Flash Player 8 installers is available [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_14266 here].  For web masters a patch for SwishMax is available [http://forums.swishzone.com/index.php?showtopic=37572 here].
===The plugin for this content has been disabled ===
If you see a box with the message, ''This plugin is disabled. <u>Manage plugins...</u>''  or ''The plugin for this content has been disabled. Click here to manage your plugins'' instead of Flash content on web pages,  make sure that "Shockwave Flash" has not been disabled in the Add-ons manager Plugins listAlso check in [[About:plugins|about:plugins]] and make sure that Shockwave Flash is properly detected; if it isn't,  close the browser and delete the file "pluginreg.dat" from the [[profile folder]].  [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1634955]


===Illegal Operation in Plugin error ===
===Plugin Check reports outdated Flash has been disabled when the Flash plugin is not installed===
An Illegal Operation in Plugin error referring to "Shockwave Flash" can result from an [[#ActiveX plugin conflict| ActiveX plugin conflict  (see above)]] or  for other reasons, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware malware],  as described in [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=328474 bug 328474and [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=397661&start=150 this forum topic][http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=1&comments_parentId=17889]
Due to a bug, Mozilla's [http://www.mozilla.com/plugincheck/ Plugin Check] page will display the message,  ''Missing FLASH? For your safety, Firefox has disabled your outdated version of Flash. Please upgrade to the latest version.'' even though the Flash plugin is not installed.  ([https://bug700771.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=572948 screenshot]) [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=700771] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=734674]


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/welcome/ Test Shockwave and Flash Players]
* [http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ Adobe Flash Player] Test for Flash (adobe.com)
* [http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about/ Adobe Flash Player] (test for Flash only)
* [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html  Adobe Flash Player Help and Support] (adobe.com)
* [http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer Adobe Flash Player Support Center]
* [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/installation-problems-flash-player-windows.html Flash Player Help / Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows] (adobe.com)
 
* [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/installation-problems-flash-player-mac.html Flash Player Help / Installation problems | Flash Player | Mac OS] (adobe.com)
* [http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/background-updater-windows.html Introducing Adobe Flash Player Background Updater for Windows] (adobe.com)
* [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Installing+the+Flash+plugin Installing the Flash plugin] (Firefox Support)
* [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Managing+the+Flash+plugin Managing the Flash plugin] (Firefox Support)
* [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Cannot+view+full+screen+Flash+videos Cannot view full screen Flash videos] (Firefox Support)


[[Category:Plugins]]
[[Category:Plugins]]

Latest revision as of 09:51, 1 September 2015

Mozilla applications are regularly updated for security and stability; however, Mozilla does not provide updates for plug-ins. Plug-ins can cause crashes and hangs and may contain security vulnerabilities. Visit Adobe's website for information on security and stability issues affecting Adobe Flash.


Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash), refers to the Flash Player and browser plugin needed to handle SWF videos, web page animations and interactive content. Even though the Flash plugin is also referred to as "Shockwave Flash", it should not be confused with the Shockwave plugin that handles "Shockwave for Director" content.

Enabling and disabling Flash

Installed plugins, including Flash, can be disabled and enabled in the Add-ons Manager (see Managing installed plugins for details). To disable or enable Flash:

  1. Open the Add-ons Manager by clicking "Add-ons" in the Firefox (or Tools) menu ("Tools -> Add-ons Manager" in SeaMonkey) or by entering about:addons in the Location (address) bar.
  2. Click on "Plugins" in the left panel of the Add-ons Manager (as shown here).
  3. Find the entry for the Flash plugin ("Shockwave Flash" on Windows).
    • Firefox 23, SeaMonkey 2.20 and above: Use the drop-down menu and select "Never Activate" to disable the plugin. Select "Always Activate" to enable the plugin. [1]
    • Firefox 22, SeaMonkey 2.19 and below: Click the "Disable" button to disable the Flash plugin. If the Flash plugin is disabled, click the "Enable" button to enable the plugin.

Note: On Windows, the Flash plugin is detected via plugin scanning. If you have installed the Flash plugin but it does not appear in the Add-ons Manager, open about:config and make sure that the preference plugin.scan.plid.all has not been set to "false" (if it has, right-click on it and select Reset to set it back to "true"). [2]

Testing Flash

Note: If the Flash plugin is installed, make sure it is enabled in the Firefox (3.0 and above) or SeaMonkey 2 Add-ons Manager (see above); otherwise, the Flash test will not work and the "Shockwave Flash" plugin entry will not be displayed in the about:plugins list.

To see if the Flash plugin is working and what version is being used, visit one of these pages:

If Flash is not installed, this may trigger the Plug-in Finder Service, which you can use to download and install the Flash plugin on Windows (see below). At time of writing, the Plug-in Finder Service is triggered but fails to install the Flash plugin on Linux or Mac OS in Firefox 3 and above (you will need to manually download and install the plugin). [3] [4]

You can also see what version (if any) of the Flash plugin is being detected using about:plugins (see the linked article for details). If Flash is installed and enabled, the about:plugins list will include an entry similar to the following:

Shockwave Flash

File: NPSWF32_13_0_0_214.dll
Path: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash\NPSWF32_13_0_0_214.dll
Version: 13.0.0.214
State: Enabled
Shockwave Flash 13.0 r0

In Flash versions 11.2 and above, the file name includes the plugin version. For example, for Flash plugin version 11.2.202.235 on Windows, the plugin file name would be "NPSWF32_11_2_202_235.dll". In older Flash versions, for example, plugin version 10.3.183.18 on Windows, the file name would simply be "NPSWF32.dll".

Note: The about:plugins list is generated from data stored in the "pluginreg.dat" file. In some cases, the stored data may be incorrect. [5] To refresh the list, close the browser and delete the "pluginreg.dat" file, located in the profile folder in current Mozilla browsers.

Installing or updating Flash

To install Flash or to update to the latest version for your operating system, visit the Adobe Flash Player Download Center (see the system requirements and FAQ pages for more information). Adobe has recently started to bundle other applications from other vendors with the download so make sure to opt out of any programs or tools you don't want before clicking the button. Note that recent installers are only helper applications that download the actual application from the Adobe site, thus they are smaller in size than previous downloads.

You can download the full installer for your operating system, without any bundled software, from the Adobe Flash Player Distribution page. Note that, for Mac OS, Flash 10.2 and above is Intel-only. Flash 10.1 r102 is the last supported version for PPC Mac. [6] Archived Flash versions can be downloaded here.

After downloading the Flash installer, completely close your Mozilla application and run the installer. In current versions, the INSTALL button is disabled until you check-mark the box in the Adobe Flash Player installation dialog where it says, "I have read and agree to the terms of the license agreement". See this blogspot article for details, including a screenshot.

Starting with Flash Player 11.2 on Windows, an option for silent, automatic updates is selected by default when you install Flash. This feature will download and install Flash Player updates in the background, without any user interaction. See this Adobe article for more information. [7]

Installing Flash on Windows

If the Flash plugin is not installed and you visit a page that has Flash content that requires the plugin, the Plug-in Finder Service (PFS) can download and install Flash for you (see this article for details) but it may offer an outdated version. Note: Mozilla may either remove the PFS or change the process for downloading missing plugins, at some future date. [8] [9] [10]

You can install or update Flash by downloading the plugin installer from Adobe's Flash Player download page or from the Adobe Flash Player Distribution page.

Once the download completes, exit Firefox and run the installer. You normally don't need to uninstall Flash before updating to the latest version, since the Flash installer automatically removes the older version. However, you will need to uninstall your current Flash version if you are downgrading from a higher version.

Important: There are two Flash players offered for Windows users: the Flash ActiveX control for Internet Explorer/AOL and the Flash plugin for Firefox/Mozilla/Opera browsers. Each must be installed separately, since the Flash plugin installer does not add the ActiveX control and vice versa.

Flash 9.0.r28 and earlier versions of the Flash plugin installer copied these two files to the installation directory of Firefox and other detected Mozilla browsers:

  • NPSWF32.dll to the plugins folder
  • flashplayer.xpt to the components folder or the plugins folder (for scripting support).

You would then have needed to copy these two files to the plugins folder of undetected browsers (e.g., zip builds). Note that an XPI package that was available for Flash 9.0.r28 and earlier using the "Install" link at PluginDoc also copied the Flash plugin files to the Windows System directory's Macromed\Flash folder and added a registry entry so that all Mozilla browsers could find the files through plugin scanning, using a Windows registry PLID scan [11]

Starting with Flash 9.0.r45 the Flash plugin installer for Firefox and other Mozilla-based browsers does not copy any files to the browser plugins folder. Instead, the files "NPSWF32.dll", "flashplayer.xpt" and related files are placed in the Macromed\Flash folder located in the Windows System directory (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash) and the installer removes any copies found in the installation directory of detected browsers. A Windows registry entry is created enabling each Mozilla browser to detect Flash via plugin scanning (PLID scan). [12]

  • If about:plugins shows multiple copies of NPSWF32.dll it usually means an outdated Flash plugin in the installation directory\plugins folder. The installation of Flash 9.0 r45 or later should detect and remove the Flash plugin from the plugins folder of detected browsers. If it doesn't, exit the browser and manually delete the "NPSWF32.dll" file from the plugins folder so that the newer version can be used.

Windows installation issues

  • To install Flash, you must be logged into Windows with an account that has Administrator access or permissions. [13] [14]
  • If the Flash test page still detects an older version after updating Flash, see if the Flash plugin "NPSWF32.dll" exists in your Mozilla browser's installation directory "plugins" folder and remove it, if found. Note that the "plugins" folder no longer exists by default.
  • If you still see the older version in about:plugins or in the Add-ons Manager Plugins list, close the browser and delete the "pluginreg.dat" file, located in the profile folder in current Mozilla browsers. [15] See Identifying installed plugins for help finding and removing old versions of the Flash plugin.
  • Mozilla browsers use plugin scanning to locate installed plugins. Flash and other installed plugins that are normally detected in locations specified in the Windows registry for PLIDs will not be detected if the preference plugin.scan.plid.all has been set to "false". To resolve, open about:config and reset the preference to "true" (the default value). [16]
  • If you see the error, You do not have sufficient disk space to complete this installation. This is a known issue when installing the Flash Player plug-in on a Windows machine that does not have any drive labeled "C". See this Adobe help article and related Adobe bug report for workarounds. [17] [18]

For other installation issues, see the Adobe article Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows.

Uninstalling Flash

An uninstaller can be downloaded from Adobe.com to remove Flash from Mac or Windows systems. After downloading, make sure you completely exit your Mozilla browser and close all other Internet applications before you run the uninstaller.

Mac uninstall

See Flash Player Help | Uninstall Flash Player | Mac at Adobe.com for a link to download the uninstaller and detailed instructions.

Windows uninstall

See Flash Player Help | Uninstall Flash Player | Windows at Adobe.com for a link to download the uninstaller and detailed instructions. Adobe's uninstaller will remove Flash from your system, including both the Flash Player plugin for Mozilla applications and the Flash Player ActiveX control used by Internet Explorer and AOL.

Warning: Some software may not work properly unless the Flash ActiveX control is installed. [19] [20] [21] If you only want to remove the Flash plugin for Firefox and other Mozilla applications, and leave the Flash Player ActiveX installed, just remove the "Adobe Flash Player Plugin" from the Windows Control Panel list of installed programs (see below).

Uninstall using Windows Control Panel

Flash 11, Flash 10, and Flash 9.0 r45 or above: You can uninstall the Flash plugin for Mozilla applications (and keep the Flash ActiveX control, if installed) by selecting and removing just the "Adobe Flash Player Plugin" entry from the Windows Control Panel list of installed programs (e.g., Windows XP "Add or Remove Programs" or Windows 7/Vista "Programs and Features" list). If you see an entry for "Adobe Flash Player ActiveX", this is the Flash ActiveX control needed for Internet Explorer and AOL. Flash Player ActiveX may also be required for other software to work properly (see above). Note: It's possible to have two different versions of Flash Player installed; for example, Adobe Flash Player 11 ActiveX for Internet Explorer and Adobe Flash Player 10 Plugin for Mozilla browsers.

Flash 9.0 r28 and below: Your Windows list of installed programs may have an entry for "Adobe Flash Player ActiveX" but this will only remove the Flash Player for Internet Explorer and AOL. To completely remove Flash from your system, download the Flash uninstaller from Adobe.com. To remove Flash from Mozilla browsers only, delete these Flash plugin files from all locations. [22]

  • NPSWF32.dll
  • flashplayer.xpt

Linux and Solaris

If you installed via Adobe installation routine, follow the uninstall instructions in the Flash Player ReadMe for your system, linked below:

If you installed via apt-get/aptitude (Debian/Ubuntu): sudo apt-get remove flashplugin-nonfree

If the uninstall don't work: 1. type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Find the preference plugin.expose_full_path and change the value to "true" (double-clicking the preference name will toggle the setting). 2. type about:plugins and locate the flash plugin. Remove the plugin files (both .so and .xpt)

Flash Settings Manager

You can adjust your Flash settings in the Flash Player Settings Manager. Some settings can be accessed from the context (right-click) menu of a Flash object during playback. Other settings, such as global settings for privacy, storage, security, and automatic notification of Flash Player updates, are accessible via links in the Adobe support document, Flash Player Help - Settings Manager

Troubleshooting

If Flash isn't working properly, first make sure that the latest version of Flash is installed and enabled (see above) before trying the following solutions.

Warning: Installing an old version of Flash may be suggested as a workaround for some Flash issues; however, this can make your system vulnerable to security exploits that have been addressed in the latest Flash version. [23] Also, Mozilla adds outdated Flash plugin versions to its Add-ons Blocklist as a security measure. In some cases, this may may result in "infobar" notification in the browser. In other cases, outdated Flash plugins may be disabled in the Firefox or SeaMonkey Add-ons Manager or, starting in Firefox 17, may require Click to play activation.[24] [25]

If your problem isn't listed below:

Browser hangs playing Flash videos

If Firefox or SeaMonkey hangs (locks up, freezes, or stops responding) when you play Flash videos, try disabling hardware acceleration in Flash settings or, on Windows Vista and above, try disabling protected mode in Flash. See Performance or display issues with certain Flash videos and Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows (below) for details.

Flash Protected Mode issues on Windows Vista and above

Starting in Flash 11.3 the Flash Player plugin used in Firefox and SeaMonkey runs in a Protected Mode by default on Windows Vista and above. This security feature has been causing problems for some Firefox or SeaMonkey users since it was introduced in Flash 11.3. See Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows (below) for suggested solutions and workarounds, which also apply to Flash 11.4 and above.

Flash Player 11.3 Protected Mode - Windows

The suggested solutions and workarounds in this section apply to Flash 11.3 and above

Starting in Flash 11.3 the Flash Player plugin used in Firefox and SeaMonkey runs in a Protected Mode on Windows Vista and above. When Flash is running in Protected Mode, you will see two "FlashPlayerPlugin_<version>.exe processes in Windows Task Manager (e.g., “FlashPlayerPlugin_11_300_271.exe”). This security feature can cause crashes, freezes, slow or busy script warnings, An error occurred. Please try again later messages at YouTube, Adobe Flash "plugin has crashed" or "stopped working" errors, loss of browser focus, large numbers of empty FAP****.tmp files or other problems after visiting websites that use Flash. Mozilla and Adobe are working on these issues, so make sure to keep Firefox, SeaMonkey, and Adobe Flash updated to take advantage of bug fixes. [27] [28] [29][30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]

As a workaround, you can disable Flash Protected Mode (see below) or you can downgrade the Flash plugin to a version previous to 11.3, such as Flash 11.2 or 10.3; however, older Flash versions have security vulnerabilities and may be blocklisted. To downgrade Flash, uninstall the Flash plugin via Windows Control Panel "Programs and Features" (or use Adobe's uninstaller), and then install the older plugin version. See Adobe's How do I revert to a previous version of Flash Player? page for details. Also note that the latest Flash 10.3 plugin installer was previously recommended because it included all known security patches. As of July 9, 2013, however, Flash 10.3 will no longer be maintained. [36] [37]

Important: Before downgrading Flash or disabling Flash Protected Mode:

  • Older RealPlayer versions have compatibility issues with Mozilla browsers and Flash Protected Mode (see RealPlayer - RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension for details) so, if RealPlayer is installed, update it to the latest version (15.0.6 or above) or uninstall RealPlayer if you don't need it.
  • Older versions of Trusteer Rapport (an application promoted by some banks for malware protection) may cause the Flash plugin to crash or stop working (e.g., you may see an Adobe Flash Player <version> has stopped working error, shown here). If you have this software installed, either update Trusteer Rapport to the latest version (1205.8 or above), turn off the program ("Start menu -> All Programs -> Trusteer Rapport -> Stop Rapport"), uninstall the program if you don't need it, or contact Trusteer Support. [38] [39] [40] [41]
  • Older versions of F-secure Internet security software may degrade network performance (e.g., increased ping time and slower download speed) on sites that use Flash. If possible, update to F-Secure 2013, disable "enhanced process monitoring" in older F-Secure products (F-Secure Advanced settings -> Computer -> Deepguard) or contact F-Secure support. [42] [43]
  • You should also check for problematic extensions (see Extension issues, below) and disable hardware acceleration in Flash settings (see below) to see if that resolves the issue. [44]

Disabling Protected Mode in Flash 11.3

To disable (or re-enable) Protected Mode in Flash 11.3 and above, use one of these methods:

  • (Starting in Firefox 38) In the Firefox (Tools) menu, click "Add-ons -> Plugins -> Shockwave Flash Options (button)", clear the "Enable Adobe Flash protected mode" checkbox and restart the browser. (To re-enable Flash Protected Mode, re-check the checkbox.) [45]
  • (Starting in Firefox 35 on Windows 7/Vista, Firefox 36 on Windows 8) Toggle the "dom.ipc.plugins.flash.disable-protected-mode" preference to "true" in about:config and restart the browser. (To re-enable Protected Mode, set the preference back to "false"). [46]. [47] [48]v
  • Edit the Flash mms.cfg file

To disable Protected Mode, use a text editor to add the line ProtectedMode=0 to the Flash "mms.cfg" file, located in one of these locations: [49]
(Windows 32bit) C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash
(Windows 64bit) C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash
For example, on a Windows 7 64-bit system, open the C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash folder, copy the file "mms.cfg" to the desktop, open it in Notepad, add a new line ProtectedMode=0 and then close Notepad, saving your changes. Next, go back to the C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash folder, rename the original file to "mms.cfgBAK" (to save it as a backup) and then drag and drop in the modified "mms.cfg" file from the desktop. To re-enable Flash Protected Mode, either restore a backup of the original mms.cfg file, if you saved one, or else re-edit the mms.cfg file to remove the ProtectedMode=0 line you added. Updating Flash Player or installing a newer version does not automatically re-enable Protected Mode. [50] [51] [52] [53] [54]

Flash player not working on certain websites

Note: For issues specific to YouTube Flash videos, visit the YouTube Help Center.

If Flash video or other Flash content plays on some websites but not others, the website may be experiencing heavy traffic or having other problems. Try clearing the cache and reloading the video and then try the suggestions listed below (read this article for other solutions).

Check Flash storage settings

Some websites may require that Local Shared Objects (Flash cookies) are enabled in your Flash settings. To check the Flash local storage settings for a specific site, right-click the Flash content that does not play and select "Settings", then click the Local Storage icon. Also open the Global Settings Manager to ensure that you have specified disk space to allow third-party content to store data on your computer. [55] Note: Starting in Firefox 4, if Flash Player 10.3 or above is installed you can clear Flash cookies from within Firefox, via (Tools) "Clear Recent History -> Everything -> Cookies" (bug 625496).

Check user agent

Flash content may also fail to load on certain websites if you use a "spoofed" user agent (UA). For example, if you go to the Firefox menu and click "Help -> About Mozilla Firefox" and it shows Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1), then your UA is spoofed to show that you are using Internet Explorer 7 ("MSIE 7.0") instead of Firefox. If you use the User Agent Switcher extension, restore the default user agent in the Tools menu. Otherwise, open about:config, find all general.useragent preferences with a user set status, then context-click (right-click) on those preferences and select "Reset" to restore the default values. [56]

Performance or display issues with certain Flash videos

Flash hardware acceleration can cause performance or display issues with certain Flash videos (e.g., high CPU usage, system instability, hangs, white or green screen, double image split by horizontal green line, no full-screen video, distortion, sound plays but no video). As a workaround, you can turn off hardware acceleration in your Flash Player display settings. [57]

  1. Right-click on any Flash video or animation (or on the Flash logo on this Adobe help page).
  2. Click "Settings" and uncheck “Enable hardware acceleration" in the Display tab.

This may only be a temporary solution, as long as the Flash setting to turn off hardware acceleration is stored as an LSO (Flash cookie), as reported for Flash 10.3 in this Adobe forum thread. Clearing cookies in Firefox deletes this type of cookie, as will using an extension such as BetterPrivacy. [58] [59] [60] [61] [62]

On Windows, you can also disable hardware acceleration by adding the line DisableHardwareAcceleration=1 to the Flash "mms.cfg" file, as suggested in this Adobe forum thread. The mms.cfg file is located here:

(Windows 32bit) C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash
(Windows 64bit) C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Macromed\Flash

Instead of disabling hardware acceleration in Flash, you could try updating your graphics drivers, to see if that resolves the issue. [63] [64] [65] [66]

No audio when Flash video originates from an external site

A Flash video originating from an external website may be embedded on a web page, such as a blog that embeds a video from YouTube. If the audio fails to play, open the Flash Player Settings Manager and select the Global Storage Settings Panel. An Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager applet will load as a Flash object. Check the box, “Allow third-party Flash content to store data on your computer” then try the video again. [67]

Flash audio not working - Windows

Note: If Flash 11.3 is installed, first read: Flash Player 11.3 Audio Update at Adobe's forum.

  • Try the troubleshooting steps in Adobe's Flash Player Help page, Flash Player games, video, or audio don't work | Windows
  • Check your Windows Volume Control to make sure the sound isn't muted or turned down. On Windows 7/Vista, open a web page in your Mozilla application that should have sound, then click the volume icon in the Windows task bar, click on "Mixer" and check the Volume Mixer per-application settings. [68]
  • Flash audio can fail in Internet Explorer as well as Firefox and other Mozilla browsers if your Windows audio driver is outdated, if the default device for sound playback does not match the installed audio card, or if the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32 is missing an entry for "WaveMapper" (value data "msacm32.drv"). [69]
  • Flash audio may also fail or may only play while you are rolling over the play buttons, if you have too many Flash audio players loaded (the limit seems to be around 15). Note that this is a bug in the Flash plugin for Firefox and other Mozilla browsers that should have been fixed in Flash 10; it does not affect Internet Explorer, which uses the Flash ActiveX control. If you see this issue, you can try the same workarounds given above (restart the browser; disable and re-enable the Flash plugin; use the Flashblock extension to selectively load Flash content). [70] [71]

Plugin-container issues

Starting in Firefox 3.6.4 on Windows and Linux, the Flash plugin is isolated from the browser process and runs in a separate "plugin-container" process ("plugin-container.exe" on Windows). On Mac OS in Firefox 4 and above, this process is named "Firefox Plugin Process (Shockwave Flash)". See Plugin-container and out-of-process plugins for more information about this crash protection feature.

  • Flash content blocked: If you are unable to view Flash content on certain websites, make sure that your firewall is not blocking plugin-container. [72] [73]
  • The Adobe Flash plugin has crashed: If you see a dialog box with the message, The Adobe Flash plugin has crashed instead of Flash content, either the plugin has crashed or Firefox has detected that it has stopped responding. Try the suggestion here to turn off the hang detector. If you still have problems:

Extension issues

Problematic extensions can interfere with Flash content, such as those listed below (this list is not complete). You can selectively disable your extensions in the Add-ons Manager to see if one of them is causing the issue (restarting in Firefox or SeaMonkey Safe Mode will disable all extensions). You can also test the problem site using a newly-created profile.

Amazing Media Browser
Flash content will not display if the Amazing Media Browser extension is installed, if the "Block all embedded objects" preference is set to "Yes". Change the preference setting to "No" to allow embedded media such as Flash to display.

NoScript
The NoScript extension can block Flash content on untrusted sites, even content from trusted sites (e.g. YouTube.com) if embedded on an untrusted site. [76] You can temporarily allow JavaScript globally, which will also permit Flash and other blocked content [77].

OneClick YouTube Downloader
The OneClick YouTube Downloader extension can prevent YouTube videos from playing. [78]

RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin
Note: RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension versions 15.0.5 and below were added to the Mozilla Blocklist
The RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension can interfere with Flash content or cause other issues. If you have RealPlayer installed, update the program to the latest version or else disable or remove the extension, if enabled. See the RealPlayer article for more information.

User Agent Switcher
The User Agent Switcher extension allows you to spoof your user agent so that websites may think that you are using a different browser or operating system. This can can cause problems on websites that depend on that information to activate the Flash plugin. [79] Select the "Default" entry in the User Agent Switcher list to restore your correct user agent.

ActiveX plugin conflict

Note: The ActiveX plugin was added to the Mozilla Blocklist on June 7, 2012 and should be disabled by default.

The Mozilla ActiveX plugin can conflict with the Flash plugin and cause errors when visiting sites with Flash content, including:

  • "Illegal Operation In Plug-In" referring to "Shockwave Flash" [80]
  • "This application has failed to start because xpcom_core.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."

In Firefox 3 (or SeaMonkey 2) and above, you can disable the ActiveX plugin via "Tools -> Add-ons (or Add-on Manager) -> Plugins"; otherwise, exit the browser and look for the file "npmozax.dll" in the installation directory plugins folder. If found, rename the file "Xnpmozax.dll" to disable the ActiveX plugin. If Flash content plays correctly afterwards, remove the ActiveX plugin.

QuickTime plugin takes over Flash

Note: This issue should no longer exist in QuickTime 7.3.1 or above. See the QuickTime article for help updating QuickTime for Windows. Mac users can update via the OS X Software Update feature. After updating, you may also need to delete the "pluginreg.dat" file from the profile folder location [81] [82]

If you see a QuickTime symbol with a question mark where the Flash content should be, it means that QuickTime has taken over Flash content; in particular, the application/x-shockwave-flash MIME type for Flash media (.swf extension). To see which plugins are being detected and the MIME types handled, enter about:plugins in your Mozilla browser Location Bar. Note: For security reasons, the Flash media handler is disabled starting in QuickTime 7.3.1 so this should not be an issue in current QuickTime versions. [83] If you are using an old version of QuickTime (before 7.3.1):

  • On Windows XP and below, open QuickTime Preferences (accessible from the Windows Control Panel), go to the Browser tab and select the "MIME settings" button. Uncheck "Flash media" or "Flash file" (if found) under "Miscellaneous". Click OK, then restart your browser. Note that QuickTime MIME settings are no longer configurable as of Windows Vista (only file associations can be configured).
  • On Mac OS 10.5 and below, go to the QuickTime System Preferences and deselect the Flash MIME types (under the Advanced tab in recent OS X versions [84]). Note that, as of Mac OS 10.6, QuickTime MIME settings are no longer configurable.

If the problem persists, remove the file "pluginreg.dat" from the "Firefox" or "Mozilla" folder in the profile folder location. Important: On Windows, also open the Mozilla Suite/SeaMonkey or Firefox <installation directory>\plugins folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins) and remove all "npqtplugin.*.dll" files found. Your browser will then detect the QuickTime plugins based on the MIME types selected in your QuickTime Preferences. [85]

Illegal Operation in Plugin error

An Illegal Operation in Plugin error referring to "Shockwave Flash" can result from an ActiveX plugin conflict (see above) or for other reasons, including malware, as described in bug 328474 and this forum topic.

Not detected due to disabled plugin scan for PLIDs - Windows

Plugin scanning explains how to prevent your Mozilla browser from detecting plugins installed in directories specified in the Windows registry for PLIDs by setting the plugin.scan.plid.all preference to false. The problem with disabling the PLID plugin scan is that it disables all plugins that are detected this way, including Flash. A workaround is to copy NPSWF32.dll and flashplayer.xpt from C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Macromed\Flash to the installation directory plugins folder. [86] .

An alternative solution is to re-enable plugin scanning for PLIDs and disable the unwanted plugins using the Add-on Manager instead. See here for more information.

Flash files do not play

Some users find that direct links to Flash files (.SWF) will not open automatically in the browser, but instead cause the file Opening dialog box to appear, asking whether to save the file or to open it in a suitable application. This can happen when the server does not send the Flash file with the correct MIME type. In other cases, the Flash installation may be faulty, which can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling Flash. In Firefox 3 or SeaMonkey 2, the issue can also occur if the (Helper) Applications entry for Flash content is set to "Always ask" instead of "Use Shockwave Flash". See Opening files using plugins for more information.

The plugin for this content has been disabled

If you see a box with the message, This plugin is disabled. Manage plugins... or The plugin for this content has been disabled. Click here to manage your plugins instead of Flash content on web pages, make sure that "Shockwave Flash" has not been disabled in the Add-ons manager Plugins list. Also check in about:plugins and make sure that Shockwave Flash is properly detected; if it isn't, close the browser and delete the file "pluginreg.dat" from the profile folder. [87]

Plugin Check reports outdated Flash has been disabled when the Flash plugin is not installed

Due to a bug, Mozilla's Plugin Check page will display the message, Missing FLASH? For your safety, Firefox has disabled your outdated version of Flash. Please upgrade to the latest version. even though the Flash plugin is not installed. (screenshot) [88] [89]

External links