how to check flash player version in os x

Check Flash Player Version In Os X Upgrade To The

After manually enabling it, Flash now works again in OS X, even if an out of date or insecure version ins installed.

Those who have experienced Apples intervention have likely seen a message similar to the one in the screenshot below, informing the user that Flash is out of date and refusing to load the Flash-based content.

Apple will block users from accessing Flash content if they are running an out of date version on their Mac.

Check Flash Player Version In Os X Upgrade To The

The advice for most Mac owners is to upgrade to the latest version of Flash as Apple urges.

The companys motive for blocking insecure versions of Flash isnt just some petty remnant of the iPhoneFlash feud from a few years ago; many of the vulnerabilities found in Flash pose real threats to average OS X users.

But not all users want, or are able, to upgrade to the latest version of Flash.

If you need to run an older version of Flash in OS X for tasks like testing, application compatibility, or troubleshooting, youll need to circumvent Apples block.

Take Apples warnings seriously and only proceed If you understand and accept the risks involved in running out of date versions of Flash First, note that these steps only apply to users who already have a version of Flash installed Apple stopped including Flash as part of the default OS X installation back in 2010.

Once youve confirmed that your Mac is running Flash, launch Safari and head to Safari Preferences Security in the OS X menu bar.

Find the section labeled Internet plug-ins and click the corresponding Website Settings button.

This window allows you to configure advanced settings for a number of plug-ins, and your list will differ from the one in our screenshot based on the type and number of plugins installed on your Mac.

But if you have Adobe Flash Player installed, youll see it listed on the left side of the window.

Click on it to bring up its configuration options on the right side of the window.

If your version of Flash is out of date and being blocked by Apple, youll see a yellow caution triangle with a warning informing you that The version of Adobe Flash Player on your computer has known critical security issues.

Again, take this warning seriously and only proceed with the steps here if you understand and accept the risks involved with running potentially insecure software that could compromise your Mac and its data.

Users can manually circumvent Apples block and enable Flash for all websites.

If you accept those risks and want to stop Apple from blocking Flash, then lets move on.

On the right side of the plug-in settings window, youll see a list of your currently open websites at the top and a universal setting for other websites at the bottom.

You now have two choices: you can enable an out-of-date version of Flash for all websites, or you can force it to run on only a small number of websites that you specifically identify.

To stop Apple from blocking out of date versions of Flash for all websites, use the bottom drop-down menu for other websites and set it to Allow Always.

You might think that the default Allow setting is enough, but that only allows Flash to run if the version installed on your Mac is up-to-date and has no known security vulnerabilities.

Setting it to Allow Always overrides Apples block and forces Flash to run on compatible websites.

But, remember, it may also expose you to dangerous security vulnerabilities.

Once youve made your selection, just click Done and head back to Safari.

How To Check Flash Player Version In Os X