As Microsoft ends support for Adobe Flash Player in 3 days, here is all that you need to know

You may already know that Microsoft will end support for the Adobe Flash Player on December 31, 2020. It is ending support for Adobe Flash Player on Microsoft Edge (both the new and Legacy) and Internet Explorer 11.

What this means for end users is that starting January 2021, they will no longer receive security updates for support for Adobe Flash Player. Consecutively Microsoft has also announced steps to remove Flash from the Windows operating system via update titled “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” in early 2021.

An update titled “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” will be made available via Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update and WSUS that permanently removes Adobe Flash Player as a component of the Windows OS devices.

If you wish to remove Adobe Flash Player from your systems ahead of the end of support, this will be available for download on the Microsoft Update Catalog in the Fall of 2020.

The update will be made optional on Windows Update and WSUS in early 2021 and will be made recommended a few months later. It should be noted that this update will be permanent and cannot be un-installed.

Here is a browser-wise checklist of the end of support for Adobe Flash player, provided by Microsoft.

• Flash is currently disabled by default in the new Microsoft Edge. However, users may re-enable it on a site-by-site basis through December of 2020.
• In new Microsoft Edge (on Chromium), Adobe Flash Player will be removed by January 2021.
• Flash will not be disabled by default from the legacy version of Microsoft Edge (built on EdgeHTML) or Internet Explorer 11 prior to its removal in December of 2020.
• Beginning in January 2021, Flash will be disabled by default and Flash versions older than the June 2020 release will be blocked. Flash Player components will be removed from the Windows operating system via an update in early 2021.
• Later in 2021, all APIs, group policies and user interfaces that govern Flash behavior will be removed from the legacy version of Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11.

However, Microsoft is not alone and even Adobe and Google will also end support for Adobe Flash Player on December 31, 2020. So, it is perhaps time to get rid of Adobe flash player keeping security in mind.