Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 10 to remove Adobe Flash, in preparation of the software reaching end of life by end of year.
The company has released the optional KB4577586 (via Bleeping Computer), which simply notes is for the “Update for the removal of Adobe Flash Player.” As the name implies, this removes Adobe Flash from all versions of Windows 10 and Windows Server, and prevents it from being installed again.
It’s worth noting this is not a mandatory update – yet – but once it’s installed it cannot be undone. You’ll have to revert to an earlier restore point or nuke and reinstall your operating system if you really want Flash back for some reason.
Despite this update removing Flash from Windows itself, it’s curious that the built-in Flash component to Microsoft Edge, the Windows 10 web browser, is left intact. Microsoft hasn’t clarified why this was overlooked, but this will likely be removed prior to or by the time Adobe stops their support for the software. Any standalone versions of Flash you’ve installed will also remain untouched.
A long time coming, Adobe is finally pulling the plug on Flash, by December 31 of this year. This is also subsequently why most major web browsers have already removed support for Flash, and any unfortunate users still needing the app will have to move onto something else.
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