How to Enable Flash Player on Mac

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This wikiHow shows you how to enable Flash Player on in Safari and Chrome for macOS. If you're using Safari, you'll need to download and install Adobe Flash Player from Adobe's website. If you're using Chrome, there's no need to install additional apps.

Support for Adobe Flash ends in December 2020. After that time, it will no longer be possible to use Flash.


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This article has been marked as historical.


Adobe Flash Player has been discontinued, and stopped functioning on January 12th, 2021. (Posted 2021-01-12).


Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Enabling Flash on Safari

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-1.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Installing Adobe Flash Player on your Mac is needed because Flash is not built into Safari. Make sure you've installed the app before moving forward with this method.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b3\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b3\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-2.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":342,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":542,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's the compass icon on the Dock, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b9\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b9\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-3.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's at the top of the screen to the right of the Apple menu.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-4.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's near the top of the menu.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-5.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's the tab with a globe icon at the top of the window.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f8\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f8\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-6.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's at the bottom of the left panel under "Plug-ins." This will enable Adobe Flash Player in your Safari Browser.
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-7.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's at the bottom-right corner of the window. This tells Adobe Flash Player to run whenever you visit different websites. This way you won’t have to continuously approve Flash Player whenever you load a new page.
    • If you don't want Flash to run automatically, select Ask instead. You'll be prompted to approve Flash any time a website tries to display it.
    • Click the red circle at the top-left corner to exit Preferences when you are done.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Enabling Flash on Google Chrome

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/72\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/72\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-8.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You'll usually find it in the Applications folder or on the Launchpad.
    • Since Flash comes with Google Chrome, you won't need to download any extra apps.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b0\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b0\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-9.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-10.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It should be near the bottom.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/65\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/65\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-11.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It should be near the bottom when you scroll down.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/6a\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-12.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-12.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6a\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-12.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-12.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":544,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It will also be near the bottom after scrolling.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/87\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-13.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-13.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/87\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-13.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-13.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":544,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/90\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-14.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-14.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/90\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-14.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-14.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It will be blue when it's on.
    • If the switch is already blue then Flash is enabled and you won't need to change anything.
  8. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f7\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-15.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-15.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f7\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-15.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-15.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":348,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":551,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Websites with video or embedded games typically use Flash Player.
  9. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5b\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-16.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-16.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5b\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-16.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-16.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It will come up with an image of a puzzle piece.
  10. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/93\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-17.jpg\/v4-460px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-17.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/93\/Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-17.jpg\/aid11019164-v4-728px-Enable-Flash-Player-on-Mac-Step-17.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You'll need to do this every time you open Chrome as it will reset the settings when you exit.
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