View source for Adobe Flash

{{Short description|Discontinued multimedia platform used to add animation and interactivity to websites}}
{{About|the multimedia software platform|the application/animation software|Adobe Animate|the player|Adobe Flash Player}}
{{Redirect-distinguish-for|Shockwave Flash|Adobe Shockwave|the file format sometimes referred to as "Shockwave Flash"|SWF}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox software platform
| icon        = Adobe Flash Player 32.svg
| image       =
| caption     = The classic Adobe Flash Player logo
| developer   = {{Unbulleted list | [[Harman International|Harman]] (2021–present for enterprise users)<ref name=ent1>{{cite web|title=Adobe Flash Player EOL Enterprise Information Page|url=https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/enterprise-end-of-life.html|website=Adobe.com|publisher=[[Adobe Systems]]|access-date=21 November 2021|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121070427/https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/enterprise-end-of-life.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ent2>{{cite web|title=The switch from Flash to HTML5 now made easy with HARMAN Enterprise support for Adobe Flash|url=https://services.harman.com/partners/adobe|website=harman.com|publisher=[[Harman International]]|access-date=21 November 2021|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111184107/https://services.harman.com/partners/adobe|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ADOBE AIR SDK|url=https://airsdk.harman.com/|website=harman.com|publisher=[[Harman International]]|access-date=21 November 2021|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019033108/https://airsdk.harman.com/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ent3>{{cite web|title=ADOBE FLASH PLAYER ENTERPRISE SUPPORT|url=https://airsdk.harman.com/flashplayer|website=harman.com|publisher=[[Harman International]]|access-date=21 November 2021}}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | Zhongcheng (2017–present in China)<ref name=Zhongcheng>{{cite web|title=Adobe Flash Player 2021 Notice (China Variant)|url=https://www.flash.cn/notice/notice?id=143|website=flash.cn|publisher=Zhongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd|access-date=17 January 2021|language=zh-hans|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114045200/https://www.flash.cn/notice/notice?id=143|url-status=live}}</ref> | [[Adobe Inc.]] (2005–2020) | [[Macromedia]] (1996–2005) | [[FutureWave Software|FutureWave]] (1993–1996) }}
| target      = [[Web browser]]s, [[iOS]] (via third-party software), [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Windows]], [[macOS]], [[Linux]]
| editor      = {{Unbulleted list | [[Adobe Animate]] | [[Adobe Flash Builder|Flash Builder]] | FlashDevelop | [[Powerflasher FDT]] | [[Flash Catalyst]] | [[Scaleform]]}}
| runtime     = {{Unbulleted list | [[Adobe Flash Player|Flash Player]] | [[Adobe AIR]] | [[OpenFL]] | [[Scaleform GFx|Scaleform]] |[[Gnash (software)|Gnash]] | [[Lightspark]] | [[Ruffle (software)|Ruffle]]}}
| format      = {{Hlist | [[SWF]] | [[Flash Video|FLV]] | [[SWF#Related file formats and extensions|FLA]] }}
| language    = [[ActionScript]]
| application = {{Unbulleted list|item_style=white-space:nowrap | [[Flash animation|Animation]] | [[Browser game]]s | [[rich internet application]]s | [[Application software|Desktop apps]] | [[Mobile app]]s | [[Mobile game]]s | [[Console game]]s | [[PC game]]s}}
| status      = Active only for [[Enterprise software|enterprise]] users and all users in [[China]]; [[End-of-life (product)|discontinued]] outside China
| license     = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| released       = {{Start date and age|1996|01}} 
|website = {{URL|adobe.com/products/flashruntimes.html|adobe.com/flash}}
}}
'''[[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]] Flash''' (formerly '''[[Macromedia]] Flash''' and '''FutureSplash''') <!-- DO NOT change "is" to "was". It did not cease to exist. See also MOS:TENSE -->is a mostly discontinued<ref group=note>Although it is discontinued by Adobe Inc., for the Chinese market it is developed by Zhongcheng and for the international enterprise market it is developed by [[Harman International]].</ref> multimedia [[Computing platform|software platform]] used for production of [[Flash animation|animations]], [[rich internet application]]s, [[application software|desktop applications]], [[mobile app]]s, [[mobile game]]s, and embedded web browser video players.

== About ==
Flash displays text, [[vector graphics]], and [[raster graphics]] to provide animations, video games, and applications. It allows streaming of [[Flash Video|audio and video]], and can capture mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera input.

[[Digital art|Artists]] may produce Flash graphics and animations using [[Adobe Animate]] (formerly known as Adobe Flash Professional). [[Programmer|Software developers]] may produce applications and video games using [[Adobe Flash Builder]], FlashDevelop, [[Flash Catalyst]], or any text editor combined with the [[Apache Flex]] SDK. End users view Flash content via [[Adobe Flash Player|Flash Player]] (for web browsers), [[Adobe AIR]] (for desktop or [[mobile app]]s), or third-party players such as [[Scaleform]] (for video games). Adobe Flash Player (which is available on [[Microsoft Windows]], [[macOS]], and [[Linux]]) enables end users to view Flash content using [[web browser]]s. [[Adobe Flash Lite]] enabled viewing Flash content on older [[Mobile operating system|smartphones]], but since has been discontinued and superseded by Adobe AIR.

The [[ActionScript]] programming language allows the development of interactive animations, video games, web applications, desktop applications, and mobile applications. Programmers can implement Flash software using an [[Integrated development environment|IDE]] such as Adobe Animate, Adobe Flash Builder, [[Adobe Director]], FlashDevelop, and [[Powerflasher FDT]]. Adobe AIR enables full-featured desktop and mobile applications to be developed with Flash and published for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[macOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[IOS version history|iOS]], [[Xbox One]], [[PlayStation 4]], [[Wii U]], and [[Nintendo Switch]].

Flash was initially used to create fully-interactive websites, but this approach was phased out with the introduction of [[HTML5]]. Instead, Flash found a niche as the dominant platform for online multimedia content, particularly for [[browser game]]s. Following an [[Thoughts on Flash|open letter written by Steve Jobs]] in 2010 stating that he would not approve the use of Flash on [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[iOS]] devices due to numerous security flaws, use of Flash declined as Adobe transitioned to the [[Adobe AIR]] platform. The Flash Player was deprecated in 2017 and officially discontinued at the end of 2020 for all users outside mainland China as well as non-enterprise users,<ref name="Adobe Flash EOL">{{cite web|title=Flash & The Future of Interactive Content|publisher=[[Adobe Inc.]]|date=July 25, 2017|url=https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202123704/https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/|archive-date=December 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> with many web browsers and [[operating system]]s scheduled to remove the Flash Player software around the same time. Adobe continues to develop Adobe Animate, which supports web standards such as HTML5 instead of the Flash format.<ref>[https://forums.adobe.com/message/9723938#9723938 AIR Roadmap Update] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206204642/https://forums.adobe.com/message/9723938#9723938 |date=December 6, 2017 }}, Chris Campbell, Adobe Blog, July 25, 2017 9:08 AM</ref>

==Applications==

===Websites===
In the early 2000s, Flash was widely installed on [[desktop computer]]s, and was often used to display interactive [[web page]]s and [[online game]]s, and to play video and audio content. In 2005, [[YouTube]] was founded by former [[PayPal]] employees, and it used Adobe Flash Player as a means to display compressed video content on the web.<ref name="lifedeath">{{cite web |last1=WARREN |first1=CHRISTINA |date=2012-11-20 |title=The Life, Death and Rebirth of Adobe Flash |url=http://mashable.com/2012/11/19/history-of-flash/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613060710/http://mashable.com/2012/11/19/history-of-flash/ |archive-date=June 13, 2015 |access-date=2015-06-11 |publisher=Mashable}}</ref>

Between 2000 and 2010, numerous businesses used Flash-based websites to launch new products or to create interactive company portals.<ref name="smash50">{{cite web|url=http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/07/50-beautiful-flash-websites/|title=50 Beautiful Flash Websites|last1=Pinho|first1=Carlos|date=2009-07-07|work=Smashing Magazine|access-date=2015-06-11|archive-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612114315/http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/07/50-beautiful-flash-websites/|url-status=live}}</ref> Notable users include [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], [[Hewlett-Packard]] (now [[HP Inc.]]), [[Nokia]], [[General Electric]], [[World Wide Fund for Nature|World Wildlife Fund]], [[HBO]], [[Cartoon Network]], [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], and [[Motorola]].<ref name="smash50"/><ref>[https://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/fwa_2009.html Looking back at the best Flash sites of 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018034214/http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/fwa_2009.html |date=October 18, 2015 }}, Adobe Developer Connection, 14 December 2009</ref> After Adobe introduced hardware-accelerated 3D for Flash ([[Stage3D]]), Flash websites saw a growth of 3D content for product demonstrations and virtual tours.<ref name="smash3d">{{cite web |url=http://www.smashingapps.com/2011/06/15/35-of-the-best-3d-flash-websites-ever.html |title=35 Of The Best 3D Flash Websites Ever |last1=DAVLIN |first1=ANN |date=2011-06-15 |publisher=Smashing 3D |access-date=2015-06-11 |archive-date=August 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804222246/https://www.smashingapps.com/2011/06/15/35-of-the-best-3d-flash-websites-ever.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://webdesignerdrops.com/gallery/3d-websites/ 20 Best 3D Websites] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612142420/http://webdesignerdrops.com/gallery/3d-websites/ |date=June 12, 2015 }}, Web Designer Drops, September 15, 2012</ref>

In 2007, YouTube offered videos in HTML5 format to support the [[iPhone]] and [[iPad]], which did not support Flash Player. After a [[Thoughts on Flash|controversy with Apple]], Adobe stopped developing Flash Player for Mobile, focusing its efforts on Adobe AIR applications and HTML5 animation.<ref name="lifedeath"/> In 2015, [[Google]] introduced [[Google Swiffy]], a tool that converted Flash animation to HTML5, which Google used to automatically convert Flash web ads for mobile devices.<ref>[http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/24135/google-to-automatically-convert-flash-web-ads-to-html5 Google to automatically convert Flash web ads to HTML5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612060136/http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/24135/google-to-automatically-convert-flash-web-ads-to-html5 |date=June 12, 2015 }}, IT Pro Magazine, Caroline Preece, 27 Feb 2015</ref> In 2016, Google discontinued Swiffy and its support.<ref name="venturebeat.com">{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/06/15/google-is-killing-its-swiffy-tool-for-converting-flash-files-into-html5-on-july-1/|title=Google is killing its Swiffy tool for converting Flash files into HTML5 on July 1|date=15 June 2016|website=venturebeat.com|access-date=July 28, 2018|archive-date=August 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803215648/https://venturebeat.com/2016/06/15/google-is-killing-its-swiffy-tool-for-converting-flash-files-into-html5-on-july-1/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, YouTube switched to HTML5 technology on most devices by default;.<ref>[http://www.popsci.com/youtube-now-plays-html5-video-by-default-eschews-adobe-flash YOUTUBE NOW PLAYS HTML5 VIDEO BY DEFAULT, ESCHEWS ADOBE FLASH] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504082114/http://www.popsci.com/youtube-now-plays-html5-video-by-default-eschews-adobe-flash |date=May 4, 2015 }}, [[Popular Science]], Dan Moren, January 28, 2015</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150131023336/http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2392445/youtube-ditches-adobe-flash-for-html5-on-most-browsers YouTube ditches Adobe Flash for HTML5 on most browsers], [[The Inquirer]], Chris Merriman, Jan 28 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.pcworld.com/article/2876307/so-long-flash-youtube-now-defaults-to-html5-on-the-web.html So long, Flash! YouTube now defaults to HTML5 on the web] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630003555/http://www.pcworld.com/article/2876307/so-long-flash-youtube-now-defaults-to-html5-on-the-web.html |date=June 30, 2015 }}, PC World Magazine, Ian Paul, Jan 28, 2015</ref> However, YouTube supported the Flash-based video player for older web browsers and devices until 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube Flash app for TVs no longer available - YouTube Help|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7379403?hl=en|access-date=2021-02-04|website=support.google.com|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219030618/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7379403?hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Rich Internet Applications ===
{{Main|Rich Internet application}}
After Flash 5 introduced ActionScript in 2000, developers combined the visual and programming capabilities of Flash to produce interactive experiences and applications for the Web.<ref name="flex3dummies">{{cite book |last=McCune |first=Doug |date=2009-02-23 |title=Adobe Flex 3.0 For Dummies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lazbXwrxrasC |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0470436820|page=Chapter 1, "From HTML to RIA"}}</ref> Such Web-based applications eventually became known as "Rich Internet Applications"<ref name="flex3dummies" /> and later "Rich Web Applications".<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |url=http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flash/whitepapers/richclient.pdf |title=Macromedia Flash MX—A next-generation rich client |access-date=January 21, 2024 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112181736/http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flash/whitepapers/richclient.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2004, Macromedia Flex was released, and specifically targeted the application development market.<ref name="flex3dummies"/> Flex introduced new [[user interface]] components, advanced [[data visualization]] components, data remoting, and a modern IDE (Flash Builder).<ref name="flex3dummies"/><ref name="dvfb">{{cite book |last=Rocchi |first=Cesare |date=2011 |title=Data Visualization with Flash Builder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iOOD9ttmbDEC |publisher=Focal Press |isbn=978-0240815039 }}</ref> Flex competed with [[Ajax (programming)|Asynchronous JavaScript and XML]] (AJAX) and [[Microsoft Silverlight]] during its tenure.<ref name="flex3dummies"/> Flex was upgraded to support integration with remote data sources, using [[Action Message Format|AMF]], [[BlazeDS]], [[Adobe LiveCycle]], [[Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud]], and others.<ref name="enterpriseflex">{{cite book |last=Fain |first=Yakov |date=2010-03-16 |title=Enterprise Development with Flex: Best Practices for RIA Developers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kjCaK4jXOJEC |publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc |isbn=978-1449388737 }}</ref>

Between 2006 and 2016, the [[Speedtest.net]] web service conducted over 9.0 billion speed tests with a utility built with Adobe Flash.<ref name="test">{{cite web|url=https://speedtest.net/|title=Speedtest.net by Ookla – The Global Broadband Speed Test|access-date=October 24, 2016|archive-date=January 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129155654/https://www.speedtest.net/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://support.speedtest.net/hc/en-us/articles/203845270-What-are-the-requirements-to-use-Speedtest-net- What are the requirements to use Speedtest.net?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025054543/https://support.speedtest.net/hc/en-us/articles/203845270-What-are-the-requirements-to-use-Speedtest-net- |date=October 25, 2016 }}, Speedtest.net</ref> In 2016, the service shifted to HTML5 due to the decreasing availability of Adobe Flash Player on PCs.<ref>[https://thenextweb.com/apps/2015/12/07/the-worlds-most-popular-internet-speed-test-finally-drops-adobe-flash/ The world's most popular internet speed test finally drops Adobe Flash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215123532/https://thenextweb.com/apps/2015/12/07/the-worlds-most-popular-internet-speed-test-finally-drops-adobe-flash/ |date=December 15, 2018 }}, The Next Web, Owen Williams, 7 December 2015</ref>

Developers could create [[rich internet application]]s and [[browser plugin]]-based [[applet]]s in ActionScript 3.0 programming language with [[integrated development environment|IDEs]], including Adobe Flash Builder, FlashDevelop, and [[Powerflasher FDT]]. Flex applications were typically built using [[List of Flex frameworks|Flex frameworks]] such as PureMVC.<ref name="enterpriseflex"/>

===Video games===

{{Multiple image
| direction = vertical
| total_width = 250
| image1 = QWOP screenshot.jpg
| image2 = Greg gets 59m high score in Solipskier.webm
| image3 = Hundreds (video game) - Level 61.png
| footer = Screenshots and footage of Flash games ''[[QWOP]]'', ''[[Solipskier]]'', and [[Hundreds (video game)|''Hundreds'']]
}}

[[Browser game|Flash video games]] were popular on the Internet, with portals like [[Newgrounds]], [[Kongregate]], and [[Armor Games]] dedicated to hosting Flash-based games. Many Flash games were developed by individuals or groups of friends due to the simplicity of the software.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Reeves|first=Ben|title=How Flash Games Changed Video Game History|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/12/22/how-flash-games-changed-video-game-history|access-date=2022-02-03|magazine=Game Informer|language=en|archive-date=September 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921205129/https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/12/22/how-flash-games-changed-video-game-history|url-status=live}}</ref> Popular Flash games include ''[[FarmVille|Farmville]], [[Alien Hominid]], [[QWOP]]'', ''[[Club Penguin]]'', and ''[[Dofus]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Musil|first=Steven|title=It's game over for FarmVille, as Flash also buys the farm|url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/its-game-over-for-farmville-as-flash-also-buys-the-farm/|access-date=2022-02-03|website=CNET|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203172652/https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/its-game-over-for-farmville-as-flash-also-buys-the-farm/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Alien Hominid (PS2) – ET palaa kotiin|url=http://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/alien-hominid-ps2/|access-date=2022-02-03|website=www.pelit.fi|date=June 2005|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203192243/https://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/alien-hominid-ps2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Adobe introduced various technologies to help build video games, including Adobe AIR (to release games for desktop or mobile platforms), [[Adobe Scout]] (to improve performance), [[CrossBridge]] (to convert C++-based games to run in Flash), and [[Stage3D]] (to support GPU-accelerated video games). 3D frameworks like [[Away3D]] and [[Flare3D]] simplified creation of 3D content for Flash.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Adobe AIR allows the creation of Flash-based [[mobile game]]s, which may be published to the [[Google Play]] and [[App Store (Apple)|Apple]] app stores.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Adobe AIR|url=https://www.techspot.com/downloads/5059-adobe-air.html|access-date=2021-05-05|website=TechSpot|language=en-US|archive-date=May 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509193815/https://www.techspot.com/downloads/5059-adobe-air.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-24|title=Do I need Adobe AIR, or should I remove it? [Explained]|url=https://windowsreport.com/do-i-need-adobe-air/|access-date=2021-05-05|website=Windows Report - Error-free Tech Life|language=en-US|archive-date=April 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412221347/https://windowsreport.com/do-i-need-adobe-air/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Adobe Flash Platform * Submitting your iPhone application to the App Store|url=https://help.adobe.com/en_US/as3/iphone/WS144092a96ffef7cc280a87821274fe4be12-8000.html|access-date=2021-05-05|website=help.adobe.com|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019133528/https://help.adobe.com/en_US/as3/iphone/WS144092a96ffef7cc280a87821274fe4be12-8000.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Flash is also used to build interfaces and HUDs for 3D video games using [[Scaleform GFx]], a technology that renders Flash content within non-Flash video games. Scaleform is supported by more than 10 major video game engines, including [[Unreal Engine 3]], [[CryEngine 3|CryEngine]], and [[PhyreEngine]], and has been used to provide 3D interfaces for more than 150 major video game titles since its launch in 2003.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

===Film and animation===
{{Main|List of Flash animated films|List of Flash animated television series}}

Notable users of Flash include [[DHX Media Vancouver]] for productions including ''[[Pound Puppies (2010 TV series)|Pound Puppies]], [[Littlest Pet Shop (2012 TV series)|Littlest Pet Shop]] and'' ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'', [[Fresh TV]] for ''[[Total Drama]]'', [[Nelvana]] for ''[[6teen]]'' and ''[[Clone High]]'', [[Williams Street]] for ''[[Metalocalypse]]'' and ''[[Squidbillies]]'', [[Nickelodeon Animation Studio]] for ''[[El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera]]'', [[Starz Distribution|Starz Media]] for ''[[Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!]]'', [[Ankama|Ankama Animation]] for ''[[Wakfu: The Animated Series]]'', among others.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==History==

===FutureWave===
The precursor to Flash was SmartSketch, a product published by [[FutureWave Software]] in 1993. The company was founded by [[Charlie Jackson (software)|Charlie Jackson]], [[Jonathan Gay]], and Michelle Alsip-Welsh.<ref name="hs">[http://www.coldhardflash.com/2008/02/grandmasters-of-flash-an-interview-with-the-creators-of-flash.html Grandmasters of Flash: An Interview with the Creators of Flash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323070139/http://www.coldhardflash.com/2008/02/grandmasters-of-flash-an-interview-with-the-creators-of-flash.html |date=March 23, 2019 }}, Cold Hard Flash</ref><ref name="mfb">[http://digital-archaeology.org/flash-back/ MACROMEDIA FLASH BACK] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323070139/http://digital-archaeology.org/flash-back/ |date=March 23, 2019 }}, Digital Archaeology</ref><ref name="bh1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=tnckAQAAMAAJ PC Graphics & Video, Volume 6, Issues 1–6], Advanstar Communications, 1997</ref><ref name="bh2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=Tn8qAQAAMAAJ Personal Computer Magazine], PC Communications Corporation, 1995</ref> SmartSketch was a vector drawing application for pen computers running the [[PenPoint OS]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flashmagazine.com/413.htm |title=The Flash History |access-date=June 18, 2001 |last=Waldron |first=Rick |date=August 27, 2006 |work=Flashmagazine |archive-date=August 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820035359/http://www.flashmagazine.com/413.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |last=Gay
 |first=Jonathan
 |author-link=Jonathan Gay
 |title=The History of Flash
 |publisher=Adobe Systems Inc.
 |year=2001
 |url=https://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page02.html
 |access-date=October 18, 2009
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204162951/http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page02.html
 |archive-date=February 4, 2009
}}</ref> When PenPoint failed in the marketplace, SmartSketch was ported to [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]].<ref name="mfb"/><ref name="Back to Graphics">[https://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page03.html The History of Flash: Back to Graphics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101204138/https://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page03.html |date=January 1, 2015 }}</ref>

As the Internet became more popular, FutureWave realized the potential for a vector-based web animation tool that might challenge [[Macromedia]] [[Adobe Shockwave|Shockwave]] technology.<ref name="hs"/><ref name="mfb"/> In 1995, FutureWave modified SmartSketch by adding frame-by-frame animation features and released this new product as FutureSplash Animator on Macintosh and PC.<ref name="hs"/><ref name="mfb"/><ref name="The Dawn of Web Animation">[https://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page04.html The History of Flash: The Dawn of Web Animation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125045402/http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page04.html |date=January 25, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://coldhardflash.com/2008/02/grandmasters-of-flash-an-interview-with-the-creators-of-flash.html | title=Grandmasters of Flash: An Interview with the Creators of Flash | access-date=February 12, 2008 | publisher=ColdHardFlash.com | archive-date=October 18, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018030652/http://www.coldhardflash.com/2008/02/grandmasters-of-flash-an-interview-with-the-creators-of-flash.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

FutureWave approached [[Adobe Systems]] with an offer to sell them FutureSplash in 1995, but Adobe turned down the offer at that time.<ref name="mfb"/>{{Failed verification|date=December 2023}} Microsoft wanted to create an "online TV network" ([[MSN Dial-Up Internet Access#MSN 2.0|MSN 2.0]]) and adopted FutureSplash animated content as a central part of it.<ref name="mfb"/> [[Disney Online]] used FutureSplash animations for their subscription-based service Disney's Daily Blast.<ref name="hs"/><ref name="mfb"/> [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] launched ''[[The Simpsons]]'' using FutureSplash.<ref name="mfb"/>

===Macromedia===
In December 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page04.html |title=Macromedia - Showcase: History of Flash |publisher=[[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]] |access-date=2024-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717071243/http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page04.html |archive-date=Jul 17, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> FutureSplash was acquired by Macromedia, and Macromedia re-branded and released ''FutureSplash Animator'' as ''Macromedia Flash 1.0''. Flash was a two-part system, a graphics and animation editor known as Macromedia Flash, and a player known as Macromedia Flash Player.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Coale |first1=Kristi |title=Macromedia Rides the FutureWave |url=https://www.wired.com/1997/01/macromedia-rides-the-futurewave/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=29 March 2022 |archive-date=December 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231084809/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1997/01/1317 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''FutureSplash Animator'' was an animation tool originally developed for pen-based computing devices. Due to the small size of the ''FutureSplash Viewer'', it was particularly suited for download on the Web. Macromedia distributed Flash Player as a free browser [[Plug-in (computing)|plugin]] to quickly gain market share. By 2005, more computers worldwide had Flash Player installed than any other Web media format, including [[Java (software platform)|Java]], [[QuickTime]], [[RealNetworks]], and [[Windows Media Player]].<ref name="flash2005">{{cite news|url=http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39211831,00.htm |title=Flash Player in 2005 |work=[[ZDNet]] |access-date=2008-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516090612/http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0%2C1000000097%2C39211831%2C00.htm |archive-date=May 16, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Macromedia upgraded the Flash system between 1996 and 1999, adding MovieClips, Actions (the precursor to ActionScript), Alpha transparency, and other features. As Flash matured, Macromedia's focus shifted from marketing it as a graphics and media tool to promoting it as a [[Web application]] platform, adding scripting and data access capabilities to the player while attempting to retain its small footprint.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 2000, the first major version of ActionScript was developed and released with ''Flash 5''. ActionScript 2.0 was released with ''Flash MX 2004'' and supported [[object-oriented programming]], improved UI components, and other programming features. The last version of Flash released by Macromedia was ''Flash 8'', which focused on graphical upgrades such as filters (blur, drop shadow, etc.), blend modes (similar to [[Adobe Photoshop]]), and advanced features for [[Flash Video|FLV video]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Release
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Icon
! scope="col" | Description
|-
!scope="row" | FutureSplash 
Animator
| 1996
| rowspan=2 | [[File:Future_Splash_Animator_icon.png|64x64px]]
| Initial version of Flash was released in May 1996 with basic editing tools and a timeline.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About FutureSplash Animator|url=http://www.futurewave.com/aboutanimator.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961105022426/http://www.futurewave.com/aboutanimator.htm|archive-date=5 November 1996|access-date=25 March 2021|website=FutureWave software}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=FutureSplash Animator|url=https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/old-software/macromedia-flash/futuresplash-animator|access-date=2021-03-26|website=www.webdesignmuseum.org|language=en|archive-date=August 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827091247/https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/old-software/macromedia-flash/futuresplash-animator|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash 1
| 1996
| A re-branded version of the FutureSplash Animator, released on December 18, 1996, under the name Macromedia Flash 1.0. The name "Flash" was created by blending the words Future and Splash.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macromedia Announces Flash -- The Easiest Way to Create Small and Fast Shockwave Multimedia|url=http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1997/flashacq.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990209012951/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1997/flashacq.html|archive-date=9 February 1999|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Macromedia}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
|-
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash 2
| 1997
| rowspan=4 | [[File:Macromedia Flash 2-5 icon.png|64x64px]]

|Released with Flash Player 2 on May 18, 1997,<ref name="macromedia-brings-flash">[https://web.archive.org/web/19980613005908/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1997/flash2rel.html Macromedia Brings Flash to the Web], Macromedia. 1997-05-08. Archived 1998-06-13. Retrieved January 18, 2025.</ref> new features include synchronized [[WAV]] and [[Audio Interchange File Format|AIFF]] sound support, enhanced bitmap editing, Macromedia [[Macromedia FreeHand|FreeHand]] integration, [[TrueType]] and [[PostScript]] fonts support, color transformations, auto-trace and the object [[Library (computer science)|library]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1997-04-12|title=Flash 2 New Features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970412150516/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/|archive-date=1997-04-12|access-date=2021-03-26|website=Macromedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=1999-02-04|title=Macromedia Press Room - Press Releases|url=http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1997/flash2preview.html|access-date=2021-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990204052456/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1997/flash2preview.html|archive-date=1999-02-04}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash 3
|1998
|Released with Flash Player 3 on May 12, 1998,<ref name="macromedia-ships-flash3">[https://web.archive.org/web/19991009150755/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1998/flash3ships.html Macromedia Ships Flash 3], Macromedia. 1998-05-12. Archived 1999-10-09. Retrieved January 18, 2025.</ref> new features include shape tweening, the movie clip element, [[JavaScript]] plug-in integration, [[PNG format|PNG]] support, sprite animation, vector & bitmap transparency, bandwidth profiling and an external stand-alone player.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flash 3 features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980612225158/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/|archive-date=12 June 1998|access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash 4
|1999
|Released with Flash Player 4 on June 15, 1999,<ref name="macromedia-ships-flash4">[https://web.archive.org/web/19991018222540/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/1999/flash4_ships.html Macromedia ships Flash 4], Macromedia. 1999-06-15. Archived 1999-10-18. Retrieved January 19, 2025.</ref> new features include a redesigned user interface, internal [[Variable (programming)|variables]], an input field, improved timeline (smart guides, outline color mode), advanced ActionScript, publish settings panel and [[MP3]] audio [[Streaming media|streaming]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flash 4 features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991001153028/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/|archive-date=1 October 1999|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Macromedia}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash 5
|2000
|Released with Flash Player 5 on August 24, 2000,<ref name="macromedia-flash5-ships">[https://web.archive.org/web/20001007193555/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2000/index_flash5ship.fhtml Macromedia Flash 5 ships], Macromedia. 2000-08-24. Archived 2000-10-07. Retrieved January 19, 2025.</ref> new features include pen and sub-selection tools, [[ActionScript|ActionScript 1.0]] (based on [[ECMAScript]], making it very similar to JavaScript in syntax), [[XML]] support, Smartclips (the precursor to components in Flash), [[HTML]] text formatting added for dynamic text.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macromedia Flash 5: New Features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/newfeatures/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010223184528/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/newfeatures/|archive-date=23 February 2001|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Macromedia}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash MX (6)
|2002
| rowspan=2 | 
[[File:Macromedia_Flash_6_icon.png|64x64px]]
|Released with Flash Player 6 on March 15, 2002,<ref name="macromedia-ships-flashmx">[https://web.archive.org/web/20020321092033/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2002/flash_mx_ships.html Macromedia ships Macromedia Flash MX], Macromedia. 2002-03-15. Archived 2002-05-21. Retrieved January 19, 2025.</ref> new features include a context-sensitive properties panel, timeline folders, improved color mixer, a video [[codec]] (Sorenson Spark), [[Unicode]], v1 [[Widget engine|UI Components]], [[Data compression|compression]], [[ActionScript]] vector drawing API.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macromedia Flash MX: Top 10 New Features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/newfeatures/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021201125251/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/newfeatures/|archive-date=1 December 2002|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Macromedia}}</ref>
|-id="Flash MX 2004"
!scope="row" | Macromedia
Flash MX 2004 (7)
|2003
|Released with Flash Player 7 on September 9, 2003,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macromedia Flash Player Download Center|url=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi%3FP1_Prod_Version%3DShockwaveFlash%26P2_Platform%3DWin32%26P3_Browser_Version%3DMSIE%26P5_Language%3DEnglish|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031008122632/http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi%3FP1_Prod_Version%3DShockwaveFlash%26P2_Platform%3DWin32%26P3_Browser_Version%3DMSIE%26P5_Language%3DEnglish|archive-date=8 October 2003|website=Macromedia}}</ref> new features include screens (forms for non-linear state-based development and slides for organizing content in a linear slide format like [[Microsoft PowerPoint|PowerPoint]]), small font size rendering, timeline effects, updated templates, high-fidelity import and video import wizard.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macromedia Flash MX 2004|url=https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/old-software/macromedia-flash/macromedia-flash-mx-2004|access-date=2021-03-26|website=www.webdesignmuseum.org|language=en|archive-date=August 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827004416/https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/old-software/macromedia-flash/macromedia-flash-mx-2004|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[ActionScript]] 2.0 was released with this version, enabling [[object-oriented programming]] but lacking the easier "Script assist" method of writing code. JavaScript for Flash (JSFL) allowed users to write scripts to automate tasks within the Flash editor. New programming features included: [[web service]]s integration, MP3/FLV media playback components, [[XML]] data service components, data binding APIs, the Project Panel, V2 UI components, and Transition libraries.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Take a tour of the Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004 features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803012857/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/|archive-date=3 August 2004|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Macromedia}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | [[Macromedia Flash 8|Macromedia]]
[[Macromedia Flash 8|Flash 8]]
|2005
|[[File:Macromedia_Flash_8_icon.png|64x64px]]
|Released with Flash Player 8 on September 13, 2005,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macromedia - Press Room: Macromedia Studio 8 Now Available|url=http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2005/studio8_ships.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051001105526/http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2005/studio8_ships.html|archive-date=1 October 2005|website=Macromedia}}</ref> new features include graphical filters (blur, [[drop shadow]], glow, etc.) and [[blend mode]]s, easing control for animation, enhanced stroke properties (caps and joins), object-based drawing mode, run-time bitmap caching, [[Saffron Type System|FlashType advanced anti-aliasing]] for text, [[On2 Technologies|On2]] VP6 advanced video codec, support for alpha transparency in video, a stand-alone encoder and advanced video importer, cue point support in FLV files, an advanced video playback component, and an interactive mobile device emulator.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flash 8 features|url=http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/flashpro/productinfo/features/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214113931/http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/flashpro/productinfo/features/|archive-date=14 December 2005|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Macromedia}}</ref>

Macromedia Flash Basic 8, a "lite" version of the Flash authoring tool targeted to new users who only wanted to do basic drawing, animation, and interactivity. The Basic product was eventually stopped and replaced by a discounted educational version of Flash CS3 Professional.<ref name="adobe-flashcs3pro-education">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070407194224/http://www.adobe.com/education/products/flash/ Adobe Flash CS3 Professional for education], Adobe Systems. Archived 2007-04-07. Retrieved January 20, 2025.</ref>

Macromedia Flash 8 was one of the most used and popular versions of Flash.
|}

===Adobe===
On December 3, 2005, Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia<ref>{{Cite news|last=Flynn|first=Laurie J.|date=2005-04-19|title=Adobe Buys Macromedia for $3.4 Billion (Published 2005)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/technology/adobe-buys-macromedia-for-34-billion.html|access-date=2021-03-04|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421051253/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/technology/adobe-buys-macromedia-for-34-billion.html|url-status=live}}</ref> alongside its product line which included Flash, [[Adobe Dreamweaver|Dreamweaver]], [[Adobe Director|Director]]/[[Adobe Shockwave|Shockwave]], [[Adobe Fireworks|Fireworks]], and [[Authorware]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-12-07 |title=Adobe Press Room: For immediate release |url=http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200512/120505AdobeAcquiresMacromedia.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051207031046/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200512/120505AdobeAcquiresMacromedia.html |archive-date=2005-12-07 |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=[[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]]}}</ref>

In 2007, Adobe's first version release was ''Adobe Flash CS3 Professional'', the ninth major version of Flash. It introduced the ActionScript 3.0 programming language, which supported modern programming practices and enabled business applications to be developed with Flash. [[Adobe Flex Builder]] (built on [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]]) targeted the enterprise [[Software development|application development]] market, and was also released the same year. Flex Builder included the Flex SDK, a set of components that included charting, advanced UI, and data services (''Flex Data Services'').{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 2008, Adobe released the tenth version of Flash, ''Adobe Flash CS4''. Flash 10 improved animation capabilities within the Flash editor, adding a motion editor panel (similar to [[Adobe After Effects]]), [[inverse kinematics]] (bones), basic 3D object animation, object-based animation, and other text and graphics features. ''Flash Player 10'' included an in-built 3D engine (without GPU acceleration) that allowed basic object transformations in 3D space (position, rotation, scaling).{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Also in 2008, Adobe released the first version of Adobe Integrated Runtime (later re-branded as ''Adobe AIR''), a runtime engine that replaced Flash Player, and provided additional capabilities to the ActionScript 3.0 language to build desktop and mobile applications. With AIR, developers could access the file system (the user's files and folders), and connected devices such as a joystick, gamepad, and sensors for the first time.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 2011, ''Adobe Flash Player 11'' was released, and with it the first version of [[Stage3D]], allowing GPU-accelerated 3D rendering for Flash applications and games on desktop platforms such as [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[macOS|Mac OS X]].<ref name="Labrecque2011">{{cite book|first =Joseph|last =Labrecque|title=What's New in Flash Player 11|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGD4zMFnK0QC&pg=PA17|year=2011|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4493-1110-0|page=17}}</ref> Adobe further improved 3D capabilities from 2011 to 2013, adding support for 3D rendering on Android and iOS platforms, alpha-channels, compressed textures, [[texture atlas]]es, and other features.<ref name="fproadmap">[https://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/whitepapers/roadmap.html Adobe Flash Roadmap] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112221026/http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/whitepapers/roadmap.html |date=January 12, 2013 }}, Adobe</ref><ref>[http://www.bytearray.org/?p=4516] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707181514/http://www.bytearray.org/?p=4516|date=July 7, 2015}} Introducing Flash Player 11.4/AIR 3.4 beta!, by Thibault Imbert (Adobe employee), ByteArray</ref> Adobe AIR was upgraded to support 64-bit computers, and to allow developers to add additional functionality to the AIR runtime using ''AIR Native Extensions'' (ANE).

In May 2014, Adobe announced that Adobe AIR was used in over 100,000 unique applications and had over 1 billion installations logged worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-05-09|title=1 Billion AIR Installations|url=https://forta.com/2014/05/10/1-billion-air-installations/|access-date=2021-03-04|website=Ben Forta|language=en-US|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308033139/https://forta.com/2014/05/10/1-billion-air-installations/|url-status=live}}</ref> Adobe AIR was voted the ''Best Mobile Application Development'' product at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]] on two consecutive years (CES 2014 and CES 2015).<ref>[http://www.compassintelligence.com/?q=press/compass-intelligence-announces-winners-2014-mobility-awards-wireless-m2m-and-green-technology Compass Intelligence Announces Winners of the 2014 Mobility Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726182523/http://www.compassintelligence.com/?q=press%2Fcompass-intelligence-announces-winners-2014-mobility-awards-wireless-m2m-and-green-technology |date=July 26, 2020 }}, Compass Intelligence</ref><ref>[http://www.compassintelligence.com/?q=press/compass-intelligence-announces-winners-2015-mobility-awards-list-m2m-green-technology-and Compass Intelligence Announces Winners of the 2015 Mobility Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726172135/http://www.compassintelligence.com/?q=press%2Fcompass-intelligence-announces-winners-2015-mobility-awards-list-m2m-green-technology-and |date=July 26, 2020 }}, Compass Intelligence</ref>

In 2016, Adobe renamed Flash Professional, the primary authoring software for Flash content, to [[Adobe Animate]] to reflect its growing use for authoring HTML5 content in favor of Flash content.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/12/adobe-flash-is-dead-in-name-only/|title=Sadly, Adobe Flash Isn't Dead. It Just Changed Its Name|last=Barrett|first=Brian|magazine=WIRED|access-date=2017-06-22|language=en-US|archive-date=June 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611045328/https://www.wired.com/2015/12/adobe-flash-is-dead-in-name-only/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Release
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Icon
! scope="col" | Description
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CS3 (9) 
|2007
|[[File:Adobe_Flash_Professional_CS3_icon.png|64x64px]]
|Flash CS3 is the first version of Flash released under the Adobe brand name, and features improved integration with [[Adobe Photoshop]], enhanced [[QuickTime]] video export, filter and motion tween copy-paste support, improved vector drawing tools becoming more like [[Adobe Illustrator]] and [[Adobe Fireworks]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Adobe Flash CS3 Professional User Guide|url=https://help.adobe.com/archive/en_US/flash/cs3/flash_cs3_help.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926202427/http://help.adobe.com/archive/en_US/flash/cs3/flash_cs3_help.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-26|access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref>

[[ActionScript|ActionScript 3.0]] was released with this version, along with ActionScript Virtual Machine 2.0 (AVM2) for [[Program optimization|faster code execution]] and [[Garbage collection (computer science)|garbage collection]]<ref>[http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/first_as3_application.html Migrating from ActionScript 2 to ActionScript 3: Key concepts and changes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117095903/https://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/first_as3_application.html |date=January 17, 2019 }}, Adobe Developer Connection</ref> New programming features included: [[Strong and weak typing|strongly typed variables]] with type safety, runtime errors, improved events, display list instead of "depth" system, and many new classes (Socket, ByteArray, Loader, RegExp, etc.).<ref>[http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/first_as3_application.html ActionScript 3.0 overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117095903/https://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/first_as3_application.html |date=January 17, 2019 }}, Adobe Developer Connection</ref> AS3 allowed entire applications to be written in code, without needing the Flash timeline. 
|-id="Flash CS4"
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CS4 (10) 
|2008
|[[File:Adobe_Flash_Professional_CS4_icon.png|64x64px]]
|Flash CS4, released on September 23, 2008, introduces a new object-based motion-tween, renaming the former frame-based version as classic tween. Additions include basic [[Three-dimensional space|3D]] object manipulation, [[inverse kinematics]] (bones), a vertical properties panel, the Deco and Spray brush tools, motion presets, and further expansions to [[ActionScript|ActionScript 3.0]] (Vector arrays). CS4 allows the developer to create animations with many features absent in prior versions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Using Adobe Flash CS4 Professional|url=https://help.adobe.com/archive/en_US/flash/cs4/flash_cs4_help.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926210624/http://help.adobe.com/archive/en_US/flash/cs4/flash_cs4_help.pdf|archive-date=26 Sep 2015|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Adobe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Adobe Flash CS4 Professional - Top new features|url=http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/features/?view=topnew|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205045018/http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/features/?view=topnew|archive-date=5 December 2008|access-date=27 March 2021|website=Adobe Systems}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CS5 (11)
|2010
|rowspan=2|[[File:Adobe_Flash_Professional_CS5_icon.png|64x64px]]
|Flash CS5 was released on April 12, 2010, and launched for purchase on April 30, 2010. Flash CS5 Professional includes support for publishing [[iPhone]] applications.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/ | title=Adobe Labs&nbsp;— Adobe Flash Professional CS5: Applications for iPhone | access-date=2010-03-02 | publisher=Adobe | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313063622/http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/ | archive-date=13 March 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> However, on April 8, 2010, Apple changed the terms of its Developer License to effectively ban the use of the Flash-to-iPhone compiler<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chen|first=Brian X.|title=Adobe Apps: easier to pass through the 'i' of a needle?|url=https://www.wired.com/2010/04/iphone-developer-policy|website=[[Wired (website)|Wired]]|date=April 8, 2010|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=December 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227015727/https://www.wired.com/2010/04/iphone-developer-policy/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kincaid|first=Jason|title=Apple gives Adobe the finger with its new iPhone SDK agreement|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/04/08/adobe-flash-apple-sdk/|website=[[TechCrunch]]|date=April 8, 2010|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111234632/https://techcrunch.com/2010/04/08/adobe-flash-apple-sdk/|url-status=live}}</ref> and on April 20, 2010, Adobe announced that they will be making no additional investments in targeting the iPhone and iPad in Flash CS5.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Chen |first1=Brian X. |title=Adobe Gives Up on Flash for iPhone, iPad |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/04/adobe-flash-iphone/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=11 January 2024 |date=April 21, 2010 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111234632/https://www.wired.com/2010/04/adobe-flash-iphone/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Other features of Flash CS5 are a new text engine (TLF), new document templates, further improvement to [[inverse kinematics]], new Deco tool effects, live FLV playback preview, and the code snippets panel.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Using Adobe Flash Professional CS5 & CS5.5|url=http://help.adobe.com/en_US/flash/cs/using/flash_cs5_help.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514232108/http://help.adobe.com/en_US/flash/cs/using/flash_cs5_help.pdf|archive-date=14 May 2012|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Adobe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Adobe Flash Professional CS5|url=http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412171552/http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/|archive-date=12 April 2010|access-date=27 March 2021|website=Adobe Systems}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 (11.5)
|2011
|Flash Professional CS5.5 was released in 2011. It includes improved support for publishing [[iPhone]] applications, following Apple's revision of their iOS developer terms.<ref>Apple Inc. modified terms & conditions for developers in the App Store. Adobe is developing again for iPhone and iPad CS5</ref> Flash CS5.5 also contains several features to improve mobile app workflows across devices. Some examples are content scaling and stage resizing, copy and paste layers, sharing symbols across FLA files, symbol rasterization, incremental compilation, auto-save and file recovery, and integration with CS Live online services.<ref name=":2" />
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CS6 (12)
|2012
|[[File:Adobe Flash Professional CS6 icon.png|64x64px]]
|Adobe Flash Professional CS6 was released in 2012. It includes support for publishing files as [[HTML5]] and generating sprite sheets.<ref>{{cite web|title=What's new in Flash Professional CS6|url=https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new-cs6.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114065858/https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new-cs6.html|archive-date=2012-11-14|access-date=27 March 2021|publisher=Adobe}}</ref> This is the last 32-bit version and last perpetually licensed version.
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CC (13)
|2013
|rowspan=4|[[File:Adobe_Flash_Professional_icon.png|64x64px]]
|Flash Professional CC was released in June 2013, as part of Adobe's [[Creative Cloud]] rebrand. Changes include a native 64-bit scene rendering engine, HiDPI user interface with Dark/Light themes, unlimited pasteboard size, live preview in shapes, fills, and strokes, new distribute to keyframes option, full-screen mode, center stage button, multiple selection support for layer properties, guides, masks, etc. Minor performance improvements and bug fixes, and the removal of legacy features such as [[ActionScript|ActionScript 2]] support, as well as the removal of the bone tool, deco tool, and spray brush tools. As part of the Creative Cloud suite, Flash CC offered users the ability to synchronize settings and save files online.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flash Professional CC - New features summary 2013|url=https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new-flash-professional-cc.html|website=Adobe|access-date=December 2, 2023|archive-date=September 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929115608/https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new-flash-professional-cc.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CC 2014 (14)
|2014
|Flash Professional CC (2014) was released on June 18, 2014. It includes variable-width strokes, [[Scalable Vector Graphics|SVG]] export, and [[WebGL]] publishing for animations, as well as a redesigned Motion Editor.<ref name="flashfeatures"/>
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CC 2014 (14.1)
|2014
|Flash Professional CC (2014.1) was released on October 6, 2014, featuring expanded WebGL publishing abilities, brush custom settings (angle, flatness), and the ability to import external [[SWF]]s.<ref name="flashfeatures">[https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new-2014.html Adobe Flash New features summary 2014] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108113640/https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new-2014.html |date=January 8, 2021 }}, Adobe</ref> Also, a new [[software development kit]] (SDK) enabling extensibility for custom platforms without depending on the Flash runtime, to reach more viewers.
|-
!scope="row" | Adobe Flash Professional CC 2015 (15)
|2015
|Flash Professional CC (2015) was released on June 15, 2015, with the return of the bone animation tool ([[inverse kinematics]]), import H.264 videos with audio, export bitmaps as [[spritesheet]] for HTML5 Canvas, brush scaling with stage zoom, universal document type converter, improved audio workflows, improved Motion Editor, panel locking, faster saving of FLA files, auto-recovery optimizations, organize imported GIFs in a library, library search by linkage name, invert selection, paste and overwrite frames.  Programming features include code snippet support for [[WebGL]], improved Custom Platform Support SDK, latest [[Adobe Flash Player|Flash Player]] (version 17.0), [[Adobe AIR|AIR SDK]] (version 17.0) and CreateJS libraries.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flash Professional CC 2015 - New features summary|url=https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628230138/https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/using/whats-new.html|archive-date=June 28, 2015|access-date=June 20, 2020|website=Adobe}}</ref>
|}

=== Open Source ===
Adobe has taken steps to reduce or eliminate Flash licensing costs. For instance, the [[SWF]] file format documentation is provided free of charge<ref>[https://www.adobe.com/devnet/swf.html SWF Technology Center | Adobe Developer Connection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822131849/http://www.adobe.com/devnet/swf.html|date=August 22, 2014}}. Adobe.com (July 14, 2009). Retrieved on March 11, 2011.</ref> after they relaxed the requirement of accepting a [[non-disclosure agreement]] to view it in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Adobe Open Screen Project|website=[[ZDNet]]|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/adobe-open-screen-project/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811085142/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/stewart/adobe-open-screen-project/828|archive-date=August 11, 2011|access-date=March 21, 2012|quote=Starting today, there will be no restrictions on the use of the SWF specification or the FLV and F4V specifications that make up video in Flash. Formerly, to look at the SWF specification, users had to sign a licensing agreement not to use it to create competing players}}</ref> Adobe also created the Open Screen Project, which removes licensing fees and opens data protocols for Flash.

Adobe has also open-sourced many components relating to Flash.

* In 2006, the [[ActionScript Virtual Machine 2]] (AVM2) which implements [[ActionScript 3]] was donated as open-source to [[Mozilla Foundation]], to begin work on the [[Tamarin (software)|Tamarin]] virtual machine that would implement the [[ECMAScript 4]] language standard with the help of the [[Mozilla]] community.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 7, 2006|title=Adobe and Mozilla Foundation to Open Source Flash Player Scripting Engine|url=http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/press/mozilla-2006-11-07.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021012819/http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/press/mozilla-2006-11-07.html|archive-date=October 21, 2010|access-date=September 3, 2010|work=Mozilla Foundation Press Center|location=San Francisco}}</ref> It was released under the terms of a [[Mozilla Public License|MPL]]/[[GPL]]/[[LGPL]] [[tri-license]] and includes the specification for the ActionScript [[bytecode]] format; [[Tamarin Project]] jointly managed by Mozilla and Adobe Systems<ref>[https://www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/ Tamarin Project] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210002959/http://www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/|date=February 10, 2007}}. Mozilla.org (October 5, 2010). Retrieved on March 11, 2011.</ref> It is now considered obsolete by Mozilla.
* In 2011, the [[Apache Flex|Adobe Flex Framework]] was donated as open-source to the [[Apache Software Foundation]] and rebranded as Apache Flex.<ref name="Adobe donates Flex to Apache">{{cite web|title=Adobe donates Flex to Apache|url=http://www.techworld.com.au/article/407714/adobe_donates_flex_apache|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118101841/http://www.techworld.com.au/article/407714/adobe_donates_flex_apache/|archive-date=November 18, 2011|access-date=November 17, 2011|website=[[Techworld]]}}</ref> Some saw this move as Adobe abandoning Flex, and stepping away from the Flash Platform as a whole.<ref name="thereg1">{{cite web|first=Tim|last=Anderson|date=November 15, 2015|title=Adobe Flex SDK bombshell STUNS developers|website=[[The Register]]|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/15/adobe_donates_flex_sdk_to_open_source/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810172248/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/15/adobe_donates_flex_sdk_to_open_source/|archive-date=August 10, 2017|access-date=August 10, 2017}}</ref><ref name="pcworld1">{{cite web|author=Joab Jackson, IDG News Service|date=November 16, 2011|title=Adobe Donates Flex to Apache|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/244060/adobe_donates_flex_to_apache.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118220544/http://www.pcworld.com/article/244060/adobe_donates_flex_to_apache.html|archive-date=November 18, 2012|access-date=October 10, 2015|publisher=[[PCWorld]]}}</ref> Sources from Apache say that "Enterprise application development is no longer a focus at Adobe. At least as Flash is concerned, Adobe is concentrating on games and video.",<ref name="thereg1" /><ref name="printui1">[http://printui.com/blog/2013/01/flex-flash/ Flex != Flash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110220042/http://printui.com/blog/2013/01/flex-flash/|date=January 10, 2016}}, PrintUI, January 27, 2013</ref> and they conclude that "Flex Innovation is Exploding!".<ref name="printui1" /> The donated source code included a partly developed AS3 compiler (dubbed "Falcon") and the [[BlazeDS]] set of technologies.<ref name="pcworld1" /><ref name="printui1" />
* In 2013, the [[CrossBridge]] C++ [[cross-compilation]] toolset was open sourced by Adobe and released on [[GitHub]].<ref name="labsblog4">[http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2013/06/open-source-flash-c-compiler-crossbridge.html Open Source Flash C++ Compiler, CrossBridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325084106/http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2013/06/open-source-flash-c-compiler-crossbridge.html|date=March 25, 2014}}, Adobe Blogs, June 25, 2013</ref><ref>[https://adobe-flash.github.io/crossbridge/ CrossBridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920190506/http://adobe-flash.github.io/crossbridge/|date=September 20, 2017}}, Adobe Gaming GitHub Website</ref> The project was formerly termed "Alchemy" and "Flash Runtime C++ Compiler", and targeted the game development market to enable C++ video games to run in Adobe Flash Player.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTM5NjA Adobe Open-Sources Flash C/C++ Compiler] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206072221/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTM5NjA|date=February 6, 2017}}, Phoronix, Michael Larabel, June 26, 2013</ref>

Adobe has not been willing to make complete source code of the Flash Player available for [[free software]] development and even though [[free and open source]] alternatives such as [[Shumway (software)|Shumway]] and [[Gnash (software)|Gnash]] have been built, they are no longer under active development.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gnash Reference Manual|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/manual/gnashref.html#runs-on|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125173326/http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/manual/gnashref.html#runs-on|archive-date=November 25, 2011|access-date=November 12, 2011|website=gnu.org}}</ref>

====Open Screen Project====
On May 1, 2008, Adobe announced the ''Open Screen Project'', with the intent of providing a consistent application interface across devices such as personal computers, [[mobile device]]s, and [[consumer electronics]].<ref name="osppr">{{cite web|title=Adobe and Industry Leaders Establish Open Screen Project|url=https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200805/050108AdobeOSP.html|access-date=February 20, 2009|date=May 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210215745/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200805/050108AdobeOSP.html|archive-date=February 10, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> When the project was announced, seven goals were outlined: the abolition of licensing fees for Adobe Flash Player and [[Adobe AIR]], the removal of restrictions on the use of the [[Adobe Shockwave|Shockwave]] Flash ([[SWF]]) and Flash Video (FLV) [[file format]]s, the publishing of [[API|application programming interfaces]] for porting Flash to new devices, and the publishing of The Flash Cast protocol and Action Message Format (AMF), which let Flash applications receive information from remote databases.<ref name="osppr"/>

{{As of|February 2009}}, the specifications removing the restrictions on the use of SWF and FLV/F4V specs have been published. The Flash Cast protocol—now known as the Mobile Content Delivery Protocol—and AMF protocols have also been made available,<ref name="interview">{{cite web |last=Murarka |first=Anup |title=Inside the Open Screen Project |url=http://www.uiresourcecenter.com/rich-internet-applications/articles/inside-the-open-screen-project.html?s=2_1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210122744/http://uiresourcecenter.com/rich-internet-applications/articles/inside-the-open-screen-project.html?s=2_1 |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |access-date=February 21, 2009}}</ref> with AMF available as an open source implementation, [[BlazeDS]].

The list of mobile device providers who have joined the project includes [[Palm, Inc.|Palm]], Motorola, and Nokia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openscreenproject.org/partners/current_partners.html| title=Open Screen Project partners|access-date=February 20, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090224150104/http://www.openscreenproject.org/partners/current_partners.html| archive-date= February 24, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> who, together with Adobe, have announced a $10 million Open Screen Project fund.<ref>{{cite web|title=Adobe and Nokia Announce $10 Million Open Screen Project Fund|url=https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200902/021609AdobeNokia.html|date=February 16, 2009|access-date=February 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219070548/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200902/021609AdobeNokia.html|archive-date=February 19, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===End of life===
{{See also|Adobe Flash Player#End of life}}
One of Flash's primary uses on the Internet when it was first released was for building fully immersive, interactive websites. These were typically highly creative site designs that provided more flexibility over what the current HTML standards could provide, as well as operate over dial-up connections.<ref name="bbc eol">{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55497353 | title = Adobe Flash Player is finally laid to rest | first = Chris | last = Fox | date = December 31, 2020 | access-date = December 31, 2020 | work = [[BBC News]] | archive-date = January 1, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210101004325/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55497353 | url-status = live }}</ref> However, these sites limited accessibility by "breaking the [[Back button (hypertext)|Back Button]]", dumping visitors out of the Flash experience entirely by returning them to whatever page they had been on before first arriving at the site. Fully Flash-run sites fell out of favor for more strategic use of Flash plugins for video and other interactive features among standard HTML conventions, corresponding with the availability of HTML features like [[CSS|cascading style-sheets]] in the mid-00's.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/flash-is-responsible-for-the-internets-most-creative-era/ | title = Flash Is Responsible for the Internet's Most Creative Era | first = Ernie | last = Smith | date = October 9, 2019 | access-date = November 24, 2020 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] | archive-date = December 4, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201204160228/https://www.vice.com/en/article/d3awk7/flash-is-responsible-for-the-internets-most-creative-era | url-status = live }}</ref> At the same time, this also led to Flash being used for new apps, including video games and animations.<ref name="gamasutra death">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/374253/The_forgotten_Flash_Website_movement_when_websites_were_the_new_emerging_artform.php | title = The forgotten Flash Website movement (when websites were 'the new emerging artform') | first = Nathalie | last = Lawhead | date = November 24, 2020 | access-date = November 24, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = November 24, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201124172810/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/374253/The_forgotten_Flash_Website_movement_when_websites_were_the_new_emerging_artform.php | url-status = dead }}</ref> Precursors to [[YouTube]] featuring user-generated Flash animations and games such as [[Newgrounds]] became popular destinations, further helping to spread the use of Flash.<ref name="bbc eol"/>

Toward the end of the millennium, the [[Wireless Application Protocol]] (WAP) was released, corresponding with the development of [[Dynamic HTML]]. Fifteen years later, WAP had largely been replaced by full-capability implementations, and the [[HTML5]] standard included more support for interactive and [[HTML video|video]] elements. Support for Flash in these mobile browsers was not included. In 2010, [[Apple, Inc.|Apple]]'s [[Steve Jobs]] famously wrote ''[[Thoughts on Flash]]'', an open letter to Adobe criticizing the closed nature of the Flash platform and the inherent security problems with the application to explain why Flash was not supported on [[iOS]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Jennifer |last=Valentino-Devries |title=Highlights: The Journal's Exclusive Interview With Adobe CEO |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/29/live-blogging-the-journals-interview-with-adobe-ceo/ |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=April 29, 2010 |access-date=June 19, 2017 |archive-date=April 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416135028/https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/29/live-blogging-the-journals-interview-with-adobe-ceo/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Charles |last=Arthur |title=Adobe CEO hits back in row with Steve Jobs over Flash on Apple's iPhone |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2010/apr/29/adobe-chief-executive-flash-apple-reply |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=April 29, 2010 |access-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref> Adobe created the Adobe AIR environment as a means to appease Apple's concerns, and spent time legally fighting Apple over terms of its App Store to allow AIR to be used on iOS. While Adobe eventually won, allowing for other third-party development environments to get access to the iOS, Apple's decision to block Flash itself was considered the "death blow" to the Flash application.<ref name="gamasutra death"/> In November 2011, about a year after Jobs' open letter, Adobe announced it would no longer be developing Flash and advised developers to switch to HTML5.<ref name="cnn jobs death blow">{{cite web | url = https://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/mobile/flash-steve-jobs/index.html | title = Did Steve Jobs kill Adobe Flash? | first = Doug | last = Gross | date = November 9, 2011 | access-date = February 4, 2021 | work = [[CNN]] | archive-date = January 18, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210118031407/https://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/mobile/flash-steve-jobs/index.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2011, Adobe ended support for Flash on Android.<ref name="cnn jobs death blow"/> Adobe stated that Flash platform was transitioning to Adobe AIR and [[OpenFL]], a multi-target open-source implementation of the Flash API.<ref name="intro">{{cite web|title=Introducing OpenFL|url=http://www.joshuagranick.com/blog/2013/05/30/introducing-openfl|website=Joshua Granick Blog|date=May 30, 2013|access-date=March 26, 2018|archive-date=October 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002104344/http://www.joshuagranick.com/blog/2013/05/30/introducing-openfl|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2015, Adobe rebranded Flash Professional, the main Flash authoring environment, as [[Adobe Animate]] to emphasize its expanded support for HTML5 authoring, and stated that it would "encourage content creators to build with new web standards" rather than use Flash.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/1/9827778/stop-using-flash|title=Adobe is telling people to stop using Flash|last=Kastrenakes|first=Jacob|date=2015-12-01|website=The Verge|access-date=2017-07-25|archive-date=August 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802210340/https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/1/9827778/stop-using-flash|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2017, Adobe [[deprecate]]d Flash, and announced its [[end-of-life (product)|End-Of-Life (EOL)]] at the end of 2020, and will cease support, distribution, and security updates for Flash Player.<ref name="Adobe Flash EOL"/>

With Flash's EOL announced, many browsers took steps to gradually restrict Flash content (cautioning users before launching it, eventually blocking all content without an option to play it). By January 2021, all major browsers were blocking all Flash content unconditionally. Only [[IE11]], niche browser forks, and some browsers built for [[China]] plan to continue support. Furthermore, excluding the China variant of Flash, Flash execution software has a built-in kill switch that prevents it from playing Flash after January 12, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|title=Adobe to block Flash content from running on January 12, 2021|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/adobe-to-block-flash-content-from-running-on-january-12-2021/|access-date=2021-02-18|website=ZDNet|language=en|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121094858/https://www.zdnet.com/article/adobe-to-block-flash-content-from-running-on-january-12-2021/|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2021, Microsoft released an optional update KB4577586 which removes Flash Player from Windows; in July 2021 this update was pushed out as a security update and applied automatically to all remaining systems.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/microsoft-will-remove-adobe-flash-from-windows-10-this-summer/ | title = Goodbye again, Flash—Microsoft makes removal from Windows 10 mandatory | first = Jim | last = Salter | date = May 5, 2021 | accessdate = May 5, 2021 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = May 4, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210504232006/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/microsoft-will-remove-adobe-flash-from-windows-10-this-summer/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

====Post EOL support====
{{Main|Adobe Flash Player#Post-EOL support}}
Adobe Flash will still be supported in China and worldwide on some specialized enterprise platforms beyond 2020.<ref name=Zhongcheng/>

=== Content preservation projects ===
As early as 2014, around the same time that Adobe began encouraging Flash developers to transition their works to HTML5 standards, others began efforts to [[video game preservation|preserve]] existing Flash content through emulation of Flash in open standards. While some Flash applications were utilitarian, several applications were experimental art, while others had laid the foundation of [[independent game development|independent video game development]]. An early project was [[Mozilla]]'s [[Shumway (software)|Shumway]], an open source project that attempted to emulate the Flash standard in HTML5, but the project was shuttered as the team found that more developers were switching to HTML5 than seeking to keep their content in Flash, coupled with the difficulties in assuring full compatibility. Google had developed the [[Google Swiffy|Swiffy]] application, released in 2014, to convert Flash applications to HTML5-compatible scripts for viewing on mobile devices, but it was shut down in 2016.<ref name="vice preservation">{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/tracing-the-sprawling-roots-of-flash-preservation/ | title = Tracing the Sprawling Roots of Flash Preservation | first = Khee Hoon | last = Chan | date = March 18, 2021 | access-date = March 18, 2021 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] | archive-date = August 7, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210807112623/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8y5y/tracing-the-sprawling-roots-of-flash-preservation | url-status = live }}</ref>

Closer to Flash's EOL date in 2020, there were more concentrated efforts simply to preserve existing Flash applications, including websites, video games, and animations beyond Flash's EOL.<ref name="gamasutra death" /><ref name="BlueMaxima">{{cite web |title=Flashpoint Archive |url=https://flashpointarchive.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704174210/https://flashpointarchive.org/ |url-status=live |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |access-date=18 July 2020 |website= |language=en }}</ref><ref name="FGA">{{cite web|title=Flash Game Archive - Preserve Flash Gaming|url=http://www.flashgamearchive.com/|access-date=18 July 2020|website=Flash Game Archive|language=en|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724231544/http://www.flashgamearchive.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2020, the [[Internet Archive]] integrated [[Ruffle (software)|Ruffle]] within its Emularity system to emulate Flash games and animations without the security holes, opening a new collection for creators and users to save and preserve Flash content.<ref>{{cite web|last=Campbell|first=Ian Carlos|date=November 19, 2020|title=The Internet Archive is now preserving Flash games and animations|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578616/internet-archive-preservation-flash-animations-games-adobe|access-date=November 19, 2020|work=[[The Verge]]|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120014816/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578616/internet-archive-preservation-flash-animations-games-adobe|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Scott|first=Jason|date=2020-11-22|title=Flash Back! Further Thoughts on Flash at the Internet Archive|url=http://blog.archive.org/2020/11/22/flash-back-further-thoughts-on-flash-at-the-internet-archive/|access-date=2021-02-04|website=Internet Archive Blogs|language=en-US}}</ref> By October 2023, the [[Flashpoint Archive]] had collected more than 160,000 Flash applications, excluding those that were commercial products, and offered as a freely available archive for users to download.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bailey|first=Dustin|date=February 1, 2020|title=Every Flash game disappears forever in 2020 – but this project has preserved 38,000 of them|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/flash-games-2020-flashpoint|access-date=February 1, 2020|work=[[PCGamesN]]|archive-date=February 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201160944/https://www.pcgamesn.com/flash-games-2020-flashpoint|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Morton|first=Lauren|date=January 31, 2020|title=Flashpoint launcher is saving Flash games from impending extinction|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/01/31/flashpoint-launcher-is-saving-flash-games-from-impending-extinction/|access-date=February 1, 2020|website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]|archive-date=January 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124113151/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/01/31/flashpoint-launcher-is-saving-flash-games-from-impending-extinction/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kongregate]], one of the larger sites that offered Flash games, has been working with the [[The Strong|Strong Museum of Play]] to preserve its games.<ref name="vice preservation"/>

==Format==

===FLA===
Flash source files are in the [[SWF#Related file formats and extensions|FLA format]] and contain graphics and animation, as well as embedded assets such as bitmap images, audio files, and FLV video files. The Flash source file format was a proprietary format, and Adobe Animate and Adobe Flash Pro were the only available authoring tools capable of editing such files. Flash source files (.fla) may be compiled into Flash movie files (.swf) using Adobe Animate. Note that FLA files can be edited, but output (.swf) files cannot.

===SWF===
{{Main|SWF}}
Flash movie files were in the ''SWF'' format, traditionally called "ShockWave Flash" movies, "Flash movies", or "Flash applications", usually have a .swf [[file extension]], and may be used in the form of a web page plug-in, strictly "played" in a standalone Flash Player, or incorporated into a self-executing Projector movie (with the .exe extension in [[Microsoft Windows]]). Flash Video files<ref group="spec">[https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/flv/pdfs/video_file_format_spec_v10.pdf FLV and F4V] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923043319/http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/flv/pdfs/video_file_format_spec_v10.pdf |date=September 23, 2010 }}. F4V is based on the [[ISO base media file format]] standard, available as a free download at http://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026005055/http://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.html |date=October 26, 2018 }} .</ref> have a .flv file extension and are either used from within .swf files or played through a flv-aware player, such as [[VLC media player|VLC]], or [[QuickTime]] and [[Windows Media Player]] with external [[codec]]s added.

The use of vector graphics combined with program code allows Flash files to be smaller—and thus allows streams to use less [[Bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]]—than the corresponding bitmaps or video clips. For content in a single format (such as just text, video, or audio), other alternatives may provide better performance and consume less [[central processing unit|CPU]] power than the corresponding Flash movie, for example, when using transparency or making large screen updates such as photographic or text fades.

In addition to a vector-rendering engine, the Flash Player includes a virtual machine called the ActionScript Virtual Machine (AVM) for scripting interactivity at run-time, with video, MP3-based audio, and bitmap graphics. As of Flash Player 8, it offered two video codecs: [[On2 Technologies]] [[VP6]] and [[sorenson codec|Sorenson Spark]], and run-time [[JPEG]], Progressive JPEG, [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]], [[Graphics Interchange Format|GIF]] and (DWG) AutoCAD Drawing file (WMV) Windows Metafile capability.

===3D===
{{Main|Stage3D}}
Flash Player 11 introduced a full 3D [[shader]] API, called [[Stage3D]], which is fairly similar to [[WebGL]].<ref name="Fisher2013">{{cite book|first =Matt|last =Fisher|title=HTML5 for Flash Developers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2DWzWRnQPwC&pg=PT165|year=2013|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-84969-333-2|at=§ Stage3D versus WebGL, p. 91}}</ref><ref name="vs webgl">{{cite web |url=http://www.airtightinteractive.com/2011/10/stage3d-vs-webgl-performance/ |title=Stage3D vs WebGL Performance — Airtight Interactive |publisher=Airtightinteractive.com |date=2011-10-28 |access-date=2014-08-04 |archive-date=July 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731041919/http://www.airtightinteractive.com/2011/10/stage3d-vs-webgl-performance/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Stage3D enables GPU-accelerated rendering of [[3D graphics]] within Flash games and applications, and has been used to build ''[[Angry Birds]]'', and a couple of other notable games.

Various 3D frameworks have been built for Flash using Stage3D, such as [[Away3D]] 4,<ref name="vs webgl"/> [[CopperCube]],<ref name="develop-online-ccb4">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.develop-online.net/business-spotlights/tools-spotlight-coppercube-4-0/0186964 |title=Tools Spotlight: CopperCube 4.0 |magazine=MCV/DEVELOP |date=2014-05-28 |access-date=2014-09-22 |archive-date=April 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410155209/http://www.develop-online.net/business-spotlights/tools-spotlight-coppercube-4-0/0186964 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Flare3D]],<ref name="Gladstien2013">{{cite book|first =Keith|last =Gladstien|title=Flash Game Development In a Social, Mobile and 3D World|year=2013|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-4354-6021-8|pages=383–421}}</ref> and [[Starling Framework|Starling]].<ref name="Imbert2012">{{cite book|first =Thibault|last =Imbert|title=Introducing Starling|year=2012|publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4493-2089-8}}</ref> Professional game engines like [[Unreal Engine]]<ref name="Au2012">{{cite book|author =Wagner James Au|title=Game Design Secrets|year=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-46391-8|page=130}}</ref><ref name="theverge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2011/10/7/2471974/epics-unreal-3-engine-coming-soon-to-adobe-flash-11|title=Adobe Flash 11 adopts Unreal Engine 3 for better browser games &#124; The Verge|publisher=theverge.com|access-date=2014-08-04|date=October 7, 2011|archive-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706225700/https://www.theverge.com/2011/10/7/2471974/epics-unreal-3-engine-coming-soon-to-adobe-flash-11|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]] also export Flash versions which use Stage3D to render 3D graphics.

===Flash Video===
{{Main|Flash Video}}
Virtually all browser plugins for video are [[Gratis versus libre|free of charge]] and cross-platform, including Adobe's offering of Flash Video, which was introduced with Flash version 6. Flash Video had been a popular choice for websites due to the large [[#Installed user base|installed user base]] and programmability of Flash. In 2010, Apple publicly criticized Adobe Flash, including its implementation of video playback, for not taking advantage of hardware acceleration, one reason Flash was not found on Apple's mobile devices. Soon after Apple's criticism, Adobe demoed and released a beta version of Flash 10.1, which used available GPU hardware acceleration even on a Mac. Flash 10.2 beta, released December 2010, added hardware acceleration for the whole video rendering pipeline.

Flash Player supports two distinct modes of video playback, and [[video codec|hardware-accelerated video decoding]] may not be used for older video content. Such content causes excessive [[CPU usage]] compared to comparable content played with other players.
Software Rendered Video: Flash Player supports software-rendered video since version 6. Such a video supports vector animations displayed above the video content. This obligation may, depending on graphic [[application programming interface|APIs]] exposed by the operating system, prohibit using a [[video overlay]], like a traditional [[Media player (application software)|multimedia player]] would use, with the consequence that [[color space|color space conversion]] and scaling must happen in software.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://blogs.adobe.com/penguinswf/2010/01/solving_different_problems.html
 |title        = Solving Different Problems
 |last         = Melanson
 |first        = Mike
 |date         = January 27, 2010
 |website      = Penguin.SWF
 |access-date  = November 15, 2014
 |archive-date = August 10, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110810151509/http://blogs.adobe.com/penguinswf/2010/01/solving_different_problems.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>
; Hardware Accelerated Video: Flash Player supports hardware-accelerated video playback since version 10.2, for [[H.264]], F4V, and [[FLV]] video formats. Such a video is displayed above all Flash content and takes advantage of [[video codec]] chipsets installed on the user's device. Developers must specifically use the "StageVideo" technology within Flash Player for hardware decoding to be enabled. Flash Player internally uses technologies such as [[DirectX Video Acceleration]] and [[OpenGL]] to do so.

In tests done by [[Ars Technica]] in 2008 and 2009, Adobe Flash Player performed better on [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] than [[macOS|Mac OS X]] and [[Linux]] with the same hardware.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/software/news/2008/10/benchmarking-flash-player-10.ars|title=Flash benchmarks on different operating systems|date=October 17, 2008|access-date=June 14, 2017|archive-date=May 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508112605/http://arstechnica.com/software/news/2008/10/benchmarking-flash-player-10.ars|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Paul |first=Ryan |url=https://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/10/hands-on-hulu-desktop-for-linux-beta-a-big-resource-hog.ars |title=Hands-on: Hulu Desktop for Linux beta a big resource hog |work=Ars Technica |date=October 16, 2009 |access-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-date=July 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716091404/http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/10/hands-on-hulu-desktop-for-linux-beta-a-big-resource-hog.ars |url-status=live }}</ref>
Performance has later improved for the latter two, on Mac OS X with Flash Player 10.1,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timo-ernst.net/2010/05/flash-player-10-1-performance-explosion/|title=Flash Player 10.1: Performance improvements for Mac OS X|date=May 6, 2010|access-date=January 26, 2011|archive-date=January 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106112736/http://www.timo-ernst.net/2010/05/flash-player-10-1-performance-explosion/|url-status=live}}</ref> and on Linux with Flash Player 11.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OTc4Mw|title=Flash Player 11: More stable and faster for Linux|access-date=September 14, 2016|archive-date=September 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913200511/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OTc4Mw|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Flash Audio===
Flash Audio is most commonly encoded in [[MP3]]{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}; however, it can also use [[ADPCM]] (an IMA ADPCM variation that can use 2, 3, 4, or 5 bits per sample), Nellymoser ([[Nellymoser Asao Codec]]) and [[Speex]] audio codecs. Flash allows sample rates of 5512, 11025, 22050, and 44100&nbsp;Hz (but Speex uses 16&nbsp;kHz and Nellymoser Asao can also use 8&nbsp;kHz and 16&nbsp;kHz).<ref>{{Cite web |title=SWF FILE FORMAT SPECIFICATION |publisher=Adobe |url=https://open-flash.github.io/mirrors/swf-spec-19.pdf |access-date=December 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825075536/https://open-flash.github.io/mirrors/swf-spec-19.pdf |archive-date=August 25, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> It cannot have a 48&nbsp;kHz audio sample rate, which is the standard TV and DVD sample rate.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

On August 20, 2007, Adobe announced on its blog that with Update 3 of Flash Player 9, Flash Video will also implement some parts of the [[MPEG-4]] international standards.<ref name=MP4>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.kaourantin.net/2007/08/what-just-happened-to-video-on-web_20.html
 |title=What just happened to video on the web
 |publisher=Adobe
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106113036/http://www.kaourantin.net/2007/08/what-just-happened-to-video-on-web_20.html
 |archive-date=January 6, 2010
 |access-date=September 28, 2007
 }}</ref> Specifically, Flash Player will work with video compressed in [[H.264]] (MPEG-4 Part 10), audio compressed using [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] (MPEG-4 Part 3), the F4V, MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14), M4V, M4A, [[3GP]], and [[.mov|MOV]] multimedia [[Container format (digital)|container formats]], [[3GPP]] [[Timed Text]] specification (MPEG-4 Part 17), which is a standardized subtitle format and partial parsing capability for the "ilst" atom, which is the [[ID3]] equivalent [[iTunes]] uses to store [[metadata]]. [[MPEG-4 Part 2]] and [[H.263]] will not work in F4V file format. Adobe also announced that it will be gradually moving away from the FLV format to the standard ISO base media file format ([[MPEG-4 Part 12]]) owing to functional limits with the FLV structure when streaming H.264. The final release of the Flash Player, implementing some parts of the MPEG-4 standards had become available in Fall 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200708/082107FlashPlayer.html |title=Adobe Press release on MPEG-4 in Flash Player 9 |publisher=Adobe.com |access-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203071112/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200708/082107FlashPlayer.html |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 does not have acoustic echo cancellation, unlike the VoIP offerings of Skype and Google Voice, making this and earlier versions of Flash less suitable for group calling or meetings. Flash Player 10.3 Beta incorporates acoustic echo cancellation.

===ActionScript===
{{Main|ActionScript|ActionScript Virtual Machine}}
Flash programs use ''ActionScript'' programming language. It is an enhanced superset of the [[ECMAScript]] programming language, with a classical [[Java (programming language)|Java]]-style class model, rather than [[JavaScript]]'s prototype model.

===Specifications===
In October 1998, Macromedia disclosed the Flash Version 3 Specification on its website. It did this in response to many new and often semi-open formats competing with SWF, such as Xara's [[Xara Flare|Flare]] and Sharp's Extended Vector Animation formats. Several developers quickly created a [[C library]] for producing SWF. In February 1999, MorphInk 99 was introduced, the first third-party program to create SWF files. Macromedia also hired Middlesoft to create a freely available [[Software development kit|developers' kit]] for the SWF file format versions 3 to 5.

Macromedia made the Flash Files specifications for versions 6 and later available only under a [[non-disclosure agreement]], but they are widely available from various sites.

In April 2006, the Flash SWF file format specification was released with details on the then newest version format (Flash 8). Although still lacking specific information on the incorporated video compression formats (On2, Sorenson Spark, etc.), this new documentation covered all the new features offered in Flash v8, including new ActionScript commands, expressive filter controls, and so on. The file format specification document is offered only to developers who agree to a license agreement that permits them to use the specifications only to develop programs that can export to the Flash file format. The license does not allow the use of the specifications to create programs that can be used for the playback of Flash files. The Flash 9 specification was made available under similar restrictions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adobe.com/licensing/developer/fileformat/faq/ |title=Adobe File Format Specification FAQ |access-date=November 15, 2007 |publisher=Adobe Systems |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111094129/http://www.adobe.com/licensing/developer/fileformat/faq/ |archive-date=November 11, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

In June 2009, Adobe launched the [[Open Screen Project]] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160305141149/https://www.adobe.com/openscreenproject/faq/ Adobe link]), which made the SWF specification available without restrictions. Previously, developers could not use the specification for making SWF-compatible players, but only for making SWF-exporting authoring software. The specification still omits information on codecs such as [[Sorenson codec|Sorenson Spark]], however.<ref>{{cite web|title=Free Flash community reacts to Adobe Open Screen Project |url=http://www.openmedianow.org/?q=node/21 |access-date=November 29, 2008 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928202954/http://www.openmedianow.org/?q=node%2F21 |archive-date=September 28, 2008 }}</ref>

==Animation tools==

===Official tools===
{{Main|Adobe Animate}}
The Adobe Animate authoring program is primarily used to design graphics and animation and publish the same for websites, web applications, and video games. The program also offers limited support for audio and video embedding and ActionScript scripting.

Adobe released [[Adobe LiveMotion]], designed to create interactive animation content and export it to a variety of formats, including SWF. LiveMotion failed to gain any notable user base.{{Specify|date=December 2015}}

In February 2003, Macromedia purchased Presedia, which had developed a Flash authoring tool that automatically converted PowerPoint files into Flash. Macromedia subsequently released the new product as Breeze, which included many new enhancements.

===Third-party tools===
{{Main|Comparison of vector graphics editors}}
Various free and commercial software packages can output animations into the Flash SWF format, including:
* [[Ajax Animator]] aims to create a Flash development environment
* [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[Keynote (presentation software)|Keynote]] allows users to export presentations to Flash SWF animations
* [[KToon]] can edit vectors and generate SWF, but its interface is very different from Macromedia's
* [[Moho (software)|Moho]] is a 2D animation software package specialized for character animation, that creates Flash animations
* [[OpenOffice.org|OpenOffice Impress]]
* [[Screencast]] and [[Screencam]] produce demos or tutorials by capturing the screen and generating a Flash animation of the same
* [[SWiSH Max]] is an animation editor with preset animations, developed by an ex-employee of Macromedia, that can output Flash animations
* [[Synfig]]
* [[ToonBoom|Toon Boom]] is a traditional animation tool that can output Flash animations
* [[Swift 3D|Swift 3d]] for vector 3D rendering & animation 
* [[Xara Photo & Graphic Designer]] can output Flash animations

The Flash 4 Linux project was an initiative to develop an [[open-source software|open source]] [[Linux]] application as an alternative to Adobe Animate. Development plans included authoring capacity for 2D animation, and [[tweening]], as well as outputting SWF file formats. F4L evolved into an editor that was capable of authoring 2D animation and publishing SWF files. Flash 4 Linux was renamed UIRA. UIRA intended to combine the resources and knowledge of the F4L project and the Qflash project, both of which were open-source applications that aimed to provide an alternative to the proprietary Adobe Flash.

==Programming tools==

===Official tools===
Adobe provides a series of tools to develop [[software applications]] and [[video game]]s for Flash:
* [[Apache Flex]] SDK{{snd}}a free, open source SDK to compile Flash-based [[rich internet application]]s from source code. The Apache Flex ActionScript 3.0 compiler generates SWF files from [[ActionScript 3]] files. Flex was the primary ActionScript 3 compiler and was actively developed by Adobe before it was donated to [[Apache Software Foundation]] in 2011.
* [[Adobe Animate]]{{snd}}primarily used to design graphics and animation, but supports ActionScript scripting and debugging.
* [[Adobe Flash Builder]]{{snd}}enterprise application development & debugging, contains the [[Apache Flex|Flex SDK]] with UI and charting components.
* [[Adobe Scout]]{{snd}}a visual profiler to optimize the performance of Flash content.
* [[CrossBridge]]{{snd}}a free SDK to [[cross compilation|cross-compile]] C++ code to run in Flash Player.

===Third-party tools===
Third-party development tools have been created to assist developers in creating software applications and video games with Flash.
* FlashDevelop is a [[free and open-source software|free and open source]] Flash ActionScript IDE, which includes a project manager and debugger for building applications on Flash Player and Adobe AIR.
* [[Powerflasher FDT]] is a commercial ActionScript IDE similar to FlashDevelop.
* [[Haxe]] is an open source, high-level object-oriented programming language geared towards web-content creation that can compile SWF files from Haxe programs. As of 2012, [[Haxe]] can build programs for Flash Player that perform faster than the same application built with the Adobe Flex SDK compiler, due to additional [[compiler optimization]]s supported in Haxe.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
* [[SWFTools]] (specifically, swfc) is an open-source ActionScript 3.0 compiler which generates SWF files from script files, which include [[Scalable vector graphics|SVG]] tags.
* [[swfmill]] and [[MTASC]] also provide tools to create SWF files by compiling text, ActionScript, or XML files into [[Flash animation]]s
* [[Ming library]], to create SWF files programmatically, has interfaces for [[C (Programming Language)|C]], [[PHP]], [[C++]], [[Perl]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], and [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]]. It can import and export graphics from XML into SWF.

==Players==

===Proprietary===

Adobe Flash Player is the multimedia and application player originally developed by [[Macromedia]] and acquired by Adobe Systems. It plays [[SWF]] files, which can be created by Adobe Animate, [[Apache Flex]], or several other Adobe Systems and 3rd party tools. It has support for a scripting language called ActionScript, which can be used to display Flash Video from an SWF file.

[[Scaleform GFx]] is a commercial alternative Flash player that features fully hardware-accelerated 2D graphics rendering using the [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]]. Scaleform has high conformance with both Flash 10 ActionScript 3<ref name="ActionScript 3">{{cite web|first=Kris|last=Graft|website=[[Gamasutra]]|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30745/New_Scaleform_GFx_40_Supports_ActionScript_3_Flash_10.php|title=Scaleform GFx 4 Supports Flash 10 AS3|access-date=2010-10-01|archive-date=September 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907035044/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30745/New_Scaleform_GFx_40_Supports_ActionScript_3_Flash_10.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Flash 8 ActionScript 2. Scaleform GFx is a game development middleware solution that helps create graphical user interfaces or [[HUD (video gaming)|HUDs]] within 3D video games. It does not work with web browsers.

[[IrfanView]], an image viewer, uses Flash Player to display SWF files.

===Open source===
[[OpenFL]], a cross-platform open-source implementation of the Adobe Flash API,<ref name="intro"/> supports importing SWF assets.<ref>{{cite web |title=Using SWF Assets |url=https://www.openfl.org/learn/haxelib/tutorials/using-swf-assets/ |website=www.openfl.org |access-date=December 26, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814195333/https://www.openfl.org/learn/haxelib/tutorials/using-swf-assets/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Lightspark]] is a free and open-source SWF player that supports most of ActionScript 3.0 and has a [[Mozilla]]-compatible [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-in]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mac.linux.be/content/lightspark-flash-player-continues-advance |title=Lightspark flash player continues to advance |publisher=Linux.be |date=2010-07-09 |access-date=2010-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313121420/http://mac.linux.be/content/lightspark-flash-player-continues-advance |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> It will fall back on Gnash, a free SWF player supporting ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0 (AVM1) code. Lightspark supports [[OpenGL]]-based rendering for 3D content. The player is also compatible with [[H.264]] Flash videos on [[YouTube]].

[[Gnash (software)|Gnash]] aimed to create a software player and browser plugin replacement for the Adobe Flash Player. Gnash can play [[SWF]] files up to version 7, and 80% of ActionScript 2.0.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/manual/gnashref.html#runs-on | title=Gnash Reference Manual | publisher=www.gnu.org | access-date=2011-11-12 | archive-date=November 25, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125173326/http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/manual/gnashref.html#runs-on | url-status=live }}</ref> Gnash runs on Windows, Linux and other platforms for the 32-bit, 64-bit, and other operating systems, but development has slowed significantly in recent years.

[[Shumway (software)|Shumway]] was an open source Flash Player released by Mozilla in November 2012. It was built in JavaScript and is thus compatible with modern web browsers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Duckett |first=Chris |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/shumway-looks-to-replace-flash-with-javascript/ |title=Shumway looks to replace Flash with JavaScript |work=ZDNet |date=2012-11-13 |access-date=2013-01-08 |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209194946/http://www.zdnet.com/shumway-looks-to-replace-flash-with-javascript-7000007352/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Shumway-Mozilla-s-open-SWF-runtime-project-1748816.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220235709/http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Shumway-Mozilla-s-open-SWF-runtime-project-1748816.html|archive-date=December 20, 2012 |title=Shumway: Mozilla's open SWF runtime project – The H Open: News and Features |publisher=H-online.com |date=2012-11-13 |access-date=2013-01-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iloveubuntu.net/mozilla-publicly-announces-open-source-flash-renderer-mozilla-sponsored-shumway-project |title=Mozilla publicly announces the open-source Flash-renderer Mozilla-sponsored Shumway project &#124; Iloveubuntu: Ubuntu blog |publisher=Iloveubuntu |date=2012-11-12 |access-date=2013-01-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118011221/http://www.iloveubuntu.net/mozilla-publicly-announces-open-source-flash-renderer-mozilla-sponsored-shumway-project |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In early October 2013, Shumway was included by default in the Firefox nightly branch.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=xmir_perf_oktoberfest&num=1 |title=[Phoronix&#93; X.Org vs. XMir On KDE, Xfce, Unity Desktops |publisher=Phoronix.com |date=2013-09-24 |access-date=2013-10-04 |archive-date=September 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913172832/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=xmir_perf_oktoberfest&num=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shumway rendered Flash contents by translating contents inside Flash files to HTML5 elements, and running an ActionScript interpreter in [[JavaScript]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.mozilla.org/research/2012/11/12/introducing-the-shumway-open-swf-runtime-project/ |title=The Shumway Open SWF Runtime Project |date=November 12, 2012 |last=Villegas |first=Jet |publisher=Mozilla |access-date=March 11, 2016 |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201003653/https://blog.mozilla.org/research/2012/11/12/introducing-the-shumway-open-swf-runtime-project/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It supported both AVM1 and AVM2, and ActionScript versions 1, 2, and 3.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Willis|first1=Nathan|date=November 21, 2012|title=Gnash, Lightspark, and Shumway|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/525719/|website=LWN.net|access-date=13 June 2014|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308171439/https://lwn.net/Articles/525719/|url-status=live}}</ref> Development of Shumway ceased in early 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ghacks.net/2016/02/23/flash-replacement-shumway-is-as-good-as-dead/|title=Flash Replacement Shumway is as good as dead – gHacks Tech News|date=2016-02-23|access-date=2016-09-17|archive-date=July 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701180523/http://www.ghacks.net/2016/02/23/flash-replacement-shumway-is-as-good-as-dead/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the same year that Shumway was abandoned, work began on [[Ruffle (software)|Ruffle]], a Flash emulator written in [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]]. It also runs in web browsers, by compiling down to [[WebAssembly]] and using HTML5 [[Canvas element|Canvas]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://github.com/ruffle-rs/ruffle/graphs/contributors |title= Ruffle, a flash player emulator. List of contributors over time on GitHub. |website= [[GitHub]] |access-date= November 22, 2020 |archive-date= January 24, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210124031741/https://github.com/ruffle-rs/ruffle/graphs/contributors |url-status= live }}</ref> In 2020, the [[Internet Archive]] added support for emulating SWF by adding Ruffle to its emulation scheme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.archive.org/2020/11/19/flash-animations-live-forever-at-the-internet-archive/|title=Flash Animations Live Forever at the Internet Archive|date=November 19, 2020}}</ref> As of March 2023, Ruffle states that it supports 95% of the AS1/2 language and 73% of the AS1/2 APIs, but does not correctly run most AS3 (AVM2) applications.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

==Availability==

===Desktop computers===

====Adobe Flash Player====
{{Main|Adobe Flash Player#Availability}}
Adobe Flash Player is currently only supported with the [[Enterprise software|enterprise]]<ref name=ent1/><ref name=ent2/><ref name=ent3/> and [[China]]<ref name=Zhongcheng/> variants, it has been deprecated everywhere else.<ref name="Adobe Flash EOL"/>

Adobe Flash Player is available in four flavors:
* [[ActiveX]]-based Plug-in
* [[NPAPI]]-based Plug-in
* [[PPAPI]]-based Plug-in
* Projector

The ''ActiveX'' version is an [[ActiveX]] control for use in [[Internet Explorer]] and any other Windows applications that support ActiveX technology. The ''Plug-in'' versions are available for browsers supporting either [[Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface|NPAPI]] or [[Google Native Client#Pepper|PPAPI]] plug-ins on [[Microsoft Windows]], [[macOS]], and [[Linux]]. The ''projector'' version is a standalone player that can open [[SWF]] files directly.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html |work=Adobe Flash Player Support Center |title=Downloads |access-date=October 1, 2016 |archive-date=October 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022033330/http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Adobe AIR====
{{Main|Adobe AIR#Platforms}}
Adobe AIR shares some code with Adobe Flash Player and essentially embeds it.

===Mobile devices===

====Adobe Flash Player====
Adobe Flash Player was previously available for a variety of mobile operating systems, including [[Android (operating system)|Android]] (between versions [[Android Froyo|2.2]]<ref>{{cite web|first = Phil|last = Nickinson|url=http://www.androidcentral.com/andy-rubin-says-flash-coming-froyo-version-android-operating-system |title=Andy Rubin says Flash is coming in Froyo version of Android operating system |publisher=Androidcentral.com |date=April 27, 2010 |access-date=December 4, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101204221455/http://www.androidcentral.com/andy-rubin-says-flash-coming-froyo-version-android-operating-system| archive-date= December 4, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> and [[Android 4.0|4.0.4]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.webpronews.com/today-is-the-last-day-to-get-flash-for-android-2012-08 |title=Today Is The Last Day To Get Flash For Android |publisher=WebProNews |date=August 14, 2012 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=January 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130212639/http://www.webpronews.com/today-is-the-last-day-to-get-flash-for-android-2012-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>., [[Pocket PC]]/[[Windows CE]], [[QNX]] (e.g., on [[BlackBerry PlayBook]]), [[Symbian]], [[Palm OS]], and [[webOS]] (since version 2.0<ref>{{cite news |first=Sascha |last=Segan |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371016,00.asp#fbid=tFzIWK6F9kL |title=HP WebOS 2.0 with Flash: Hands On |publisher=[[PCMag]] |date=October 19, 2010 |access-date=October 16, 2011 |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806023944/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371016,00.asp#fbid=tFzIWK6F9kL |url-status=live }}</ref>). Flash Player for [[smartphone]]s was originally made available to handset manufacturers at the end of 2009.<ref name="palmpr">{{cite web|url=https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200902/021609AdobePalmOSP.html|title=Palm Latest Mobile Industry Leader to Join Open Screen Project|access-date=February 20, 2009|date=February 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223002124/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200902/021609AdobePalmOSP.html|archive-date=February 23, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In November 2011, Adobe announced the withdrawal of support for Flash Player on mobile devices.<ref name="sfgate">{{cite web |last=Winokur |first=Danny |url=http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2011/11/flash-focus.html |title=Flash to Focus on PC Browsing and Mobile Apps; Adobe to More Aggressively Contribute to HTML5 (Adobe Featured Blogs) |publisher=Blogs.adobe.com |date=November 9, 2011 |access-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118144923/http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2011/11/flash-focus.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2011, Adobe reaffirmed its commitment to "aggressively contribute" to HTML5.<ref>Stevens, Tim. (2011-11-09) [https://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/adobe-confirms-flash-player-is-dead-for-mobile-devices Adobe confirms Flash Player is dead for mobile devices] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804032451/https://www.engadget.com/2011/11/09/adobe-confirms-flash-player-is-dead-for-mobile-devices/ |date=August 4, 2017 }}. Engadget.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-21.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theinfoboom.com/articles/adobe-flash-player-turfed-for-mobile-devices/|title=Adobe Flash Player Turfed for Mobile Devices|access-date=November 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425155220/http://www.theinfoboom.com/articles/adobe-flash-player-turfed-for-mobile-devices/|archive-date=April 25, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Adobe announced the end of Flash for mobile platforms or TV, instead focusing on HTML5 for browser content and Adobe AIR for the various mobile [[List of digital distribution platforms for mobile devices|application stores]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tideart.com/?id=4ebafb57|title=Web designers: Time to ditch Flash, Silverlight, and embrace HTML5|access-date=November 10, 2011|archive-date=November 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112082542/http://tideart.com/?id=4ebafb57|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/flash-is-dead-long-live-html5/1633|title=Flash is dead. Long live HTML5|author-first=Steven J. |author-last=Vaughan-Nichols|access-date=November 12, 2011|date=November 9, 2011|work=[[ZDNet]]|archive-date=November 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112013856/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/flash-is-dead-long-live-html5/1633|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2011/11/flash-focus.html|title=Flash to Focus on PC Browsing and Mobile Apps; Adobe to More Aggressively Contribute to HTML5|access-date=November 12, 2011|date=November 9, 2011|publisher=[[Adobe Systems]]|quote=We will no longer continue to develop Flash Player in the browser to work with new mobile device configurations (chipset, browser, OS version, etc.) following the upcoming release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook|archive-date=January 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118144923/http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2011/11/flash-focus.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=PlayBook has a Flash-filled future; RIM's worst decision to date?|website=[[ZDNet]]|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/without-mobile-adobe-flash-is-irrelevant/|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=August 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810185514/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/without-mobile-adobe-flash-is-irrelevant/19247|url-status=live}}</ref> and described it as "the beginning of the end".<ref>{{cite news|title=The beginning of the end for Adobe's Flash|url=https://money.cnn.com/2011/11/10/technology/adobe_flash/|access-date=November 11, 2011|work=CNN|date=November 10, 2011|archive-date=November 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112084349/http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/10/technology/adobe_flash/|url-status=live}}</ref> BlackBerry LTD (formerly known as RIM) announced that it would continue to develop Flash Player for the PlayBook.<ref>{{cite web|title=PlayBook has a Flash-filled future; RIM's worst decision to date?|website=[[ZDNet]]|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/playbook-has-a-flash-filled-future-rims-worst-decision-to-date/|access-date=November 11, 2011|archive-date=November 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113015429/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/playbook-has-a-flash-filled-future-rims-worst-decision-to-date/63118|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Flash for iOS}}There is no Adobe Flash Player for iOS devices ([[iPhone]], [[iPad]], and [[iPod Touch]]). However, Flash content can be made to run on iOS devices in a variety of ways:
* Flash content can be bundled inside an Adobe AIR app, which will then run on iOS devices. (Apple did not allow this for a while, but they relaxed those restrictions in September 2010.<ref>{{cite web |first=Joseph |last=Menn |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/86cf0890-bc32-11df-8c02-00144feab49a.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204015145/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/86cf0890-bc32-11df-8c02-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ay3FpLua |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |url-access=subscription |title=Apple relaxes app developer rules |work=Financial Times |date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=October 16, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>)
* If the content is Flash video being served by Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5, the server will translate and send the video as HTTP Dynamic Streaming or HTTP Live Streaming, both of which can be played by iOS devices.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jonny |last=Evans |url=http://blogs.computerworld.com/18922/adobe_brings_flash_free_flash_to_apple_ipad_iphone |title=Adobe brings Flash-free-Flash to Apple iPad, iPhone |publisher=[[Computerworld]] |date=September 9, 2011 |access-date=October 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007182046/http://blogs.computerworld.com/18922/adobe_brings_flash_free_flash_to_apple_ipad_iphone |archive-date=October 7, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* Some specialized mobile browsers manage to accommodate Flash via streaming content from the cloud directly to a user's device. Some examples are Photon Browser<ref>{{cite web|title=Photon Browser|url=http://www.appsverse.com/Browser|access-date=5 March 2014|archive-date=February 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224080755/http://www.appsverse.com/Browser|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Puffin Web Browser.<ref>{{cite web|title=Puffin Web Browser – About|url=http://www.puffinbrowser.com/about/|access-date=12 February 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214183654/http://www.puffinbrowser.com/about/|archive-date=February 14, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The mobile version of [[Internet Explorer]] for [[Windows Phone]] cannot play Flash content;<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hemphill |first=Kenny |date=September 15, 2011 |title=Microsoft ditches Flash support in tablet version of Internet Explorer |magazine=[[MacUser]]  |location=London |url=http://www.macuser.co.uk/5470-microsoft-ditches-flash-support-in-tablet-version-of-internet-explorer |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220235934/http://www.macuser.co.uk/5470-microsoft-ditches-flash-support-in-tablet-version-of-internet-explorer |archive-date=December 20, 2012 }}</ref> however, Flash support is still present on the [[Windows RT|tablet version of Windows]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bott|first1=Ed|title=Microsoft changes default Flash behavior in Windows 8 and RT|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-changes-default-flash-behavior-in-windows-8-and-rt/|website=[[ZDNet]]|access-date=2 February 2015|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724233936/https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-changes-default-flash-behavior-in-windows-8-and-rt/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Adobe AIR====
{{Main|Adobe AIR}}

AIR is a [[Cross-platform software|cross-platform]] [[runtime system]] for developing applications for mobile devices running [[Android (operating system)|Android]] ([[ARM Cortex-A8]] and above)<ref name="flashmobileblog1">{{cite news |title=Flash Player 10.1 – Installations and updates |url=http://www.flashmobileblog.com/2010/03/02/flash-player-10-1-installations-and-updates/ |url-status=usurped |access-date=November 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008031022/http://www.flashmobileblog.com/2010/03/02/flash-player-10-1-installations-and-updates/ |archive-date=October 8, 2010 }}</ref> and [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[iOS]].<ref name="fp11ios">[https://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/ios_features_in_air26.html iOS features in Adobe AIR 2.6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925184916/http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/ios_features_in_air26.html |date=September 25, 2012 }}, Adobe Devnet</ref>

===Adobe Flash Lite===
{{Main|Adobe Flash Lite}}
Adobe Flash Lite is a lightweight version of Adobe Flash Player intended for mobile phones<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NS0t2VF6fooC&pg=PA77|title=Mobile Web Design|last=Moll|first=Cameron|date=2007|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=9780615185910|language=en}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}} and other portable electronic devices like [[Chumby]] and [[iRiver]].

=={{vanchor|Alternatives}} on the web==
For a list of non-web alternative players, see {{section link||Open Source}}.

===OpenFL===
{{Main|OpenFL}}
OpenFL is an open-source software framework that mirrors the Adobe Flash API. It allows developers to build a single application against the OpenFL APIs, and simultaneously target multiple platforms including iOS, Android, HTML5 (choice of Canvas, WebGL, SVG or DOM), Windows, macOS, Linux, WebAssembly, Flash, AIR, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Wii U, TiVo, Raspberry Pi, and Node.js.<ref name="platforms">{{cite web|title=OpenFL ReadMe|url=https://github.com/openfl/openfl/blob/4c19781500e71d26f1ec9c3fdaf6214809cab385/README-haxelib.md|website=OpenFL on Github|date=July 10, 2019|access-date=March 26, 2018|archive-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427125807/https://github.com/openfl/openfl/blob/4c19781500e71d26f1ec9c3fdaf6214809cab385/README-haxelib.md|url-status=live}}</ref> OpenFL mirrors the Flash API for graphical operations. OpenFL applications can be written in [[Haxe]], JavaScript (EcmaScript 5 or 6+), or TypeScript.<ref name="languages">{{cite web|title=OpenFL ReadMe|url=https://github.com/openfl/openfl/blob/4c19781500e71d26f1ec9c3fdaf6214809cab385/README.md|website=OpenFL on Github|date=July 10, 2019|access-date=March 26, 2018|archive-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427125807/https://github.com/openfl/openfl/blob/4c19781500e71d26f1ec9c3fdaf6214809cab385/README.md|url-status=live}}</ref>

More than 500 video games have been developed with OpenFL,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.openfl.org/showcase/flash/ |title=OpenFL Showcase |access-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226130509/http://www.openfl.org/showcase/flash/ |url-status=live }}</ref> including the [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA-award]]-winning game ''[[Papers, Please]]'', [[Rymdkapsel]], [[Lightbot]], and [[Madden NFL Mobile]].

===HTML5===
{{Main|Comparison of HTML5 and Flash}}
HTML5 is often cited as an alternative to Adobe Flash technology usage on web pages. Adobe released a tool that converts Flash to HTML5,<ref>{{cite web|website=Adobe.com|url=https://www.adobe.com/products/flash/flash-to-html5.html |title=Flash to HTML5: Learn more about the CreateJS toolkit}}</ref> and in June 2011, Google released an experimental tool that does the same.<ref>{{cite web|website=Google Labs|url=http://swiffy.googlelabs.com/|title=Google Swiffy|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904140637/http://swiffy.googlelabs.com/|archive-date=September 4, 2011|df=mdy-all|access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=L., Maxime |title=Google just announced a SWF to HTML5 converter |url=https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Google-just-announced-SWF-HTML5-2868882.S.59811646 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150128192703/https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Google-just-announced-SWF-HTML5-2868882.S.59811646 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |website=Linked In Groups: HTML5 Technologies}}</ref> In January 2015, [[YouTube]] defaulted to HTML5 players to better support more devices.<ref>{{cite news |title=YouTube now defaults to HTML5 <video> |url=http://youtube-eng.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/youtube-now-defaults-to-html5_27.html |url-status=dead |access-date=16 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423035617/http://youtube-eng.blogspot.com/2015/01/youtube-now-defaults-to-html5_27.html |archive-date=23 April 2015 }}</ref>

===Flash to HTML5===
The following tools allow converting Flash content to HTML5:
* [[Adobe Edge Animate]] was designed to produce HTML5 animations directly.<ref name="OwenStevens2013">{{cite book|first1=RJ|last1=Owen|first2=Luke|last2=Stevens|title=The Truth About HTML5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3c50AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA83|year=2013|publisher=Apress|isbn=978-1-4302-6415-6|page=83}}</ref>
* [[Adobe Animate]] now allows Flash animations to be published into HTML5 content directly.
* [[Google Swiffy]] was a web-based tool developed by [[Google]] that converts [[SWF]] files into [[HTML5]], using [[Scalable vector graphics|SVG]] for graphics and [[JavaScript]] for animation.
*[[Adobe Wallaby]] was a converter developed by Adobe.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|first=Gary|last=Marshall|date=March 8, 2011|title=Flash is coming to the iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone|url=http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/flash-is-coming-to-the-ipad-ipad-2-and-iphone-934133|access-date=March 8, 2011|publisher=techradar.com|archive-date=March 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309213633/http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/flash-is-coming-to-the-ipad-ipad-2-and-iphone-934133|url-status=live}}</ref>
* CreateJS is a library that, while available separately, was also adopted by Adobe as a replacement for Wallaby in [[CS6]]. Unlike Wallaby, which was a standalone program, the "Toolkit for CreateJS" only works as a plug-in inside [[Flash Professional]]; it generates output for the [[HTML5 canvas]], animated with JavaScript.<ref>Alberti, Sandro: [http://data.fen-om.com/siggraph/sd/tutorials/html_css_animation/html_css_animation.pdf HTML - CSS Animation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808041520/http://data.fen-om.com/siggraph/sd/tutorials/html_css_animation/html_css_animation.pdf |date=August 8, 2014 }}. Accessed on 21 August 2019.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/flash/pdfs/html_extension_faq_ue.pdf |title=Adobe Flash Professional Toolkit for CreateJS FAQ |access-date=2014-08-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305021345/http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/flash/pdfs/html_extension_faq_ue.pdf |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Around December 2013, the toolkit was integrated directly into Flash Professional CC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raymondcamden.com/2013/12/3/Flash-Professional-CC-adds-HTML5-Canvas-Support |title=Flash Professional CC adds HTML5 Canvas Support |access-date=2014-08-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808042038/http://www.raymondcamden.com/2013/12/3/Flash-Professional-CC-adds-HTML5-Canvas-Support |archive-date=2014-08-08 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.adobe.com/inspire/2014/02/flash-html5-canvas.html | title=Inspire is now Adobe Create Magazine &#124; Create | access-date=December 27, 2017 | archive-date=November 19, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119042133/http://www.adobe.com/inspire/2014/02/flash-html5-canvas.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

The following tools run Flash content in an HTML5-enabled browser but do not convert to an HTML5 webpage:
* [[Shumway (software)|Shumway]], developed by [[Mozilla]], was an open source Flash [[virtual machine]] written in JavaScript.
* Web Flash Player, developed by GraphOGL Risorse, is a free and online Flash Player (Flash [[virtual machine]]) written in JavaScript.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://graphoglrisorse.altervista.org/WebApp/Programmi/WebFlashPlayer-1.0/swfplayer.html|title=Web Flash Player - ShockWaveFlash - SWF|access-date=October 7, 2021|archive-date=October 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007174000/http://graphoglrisorse.altervista.org/WebApp/Programmi/WebFlashPlayer-1.0/swfplayer.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Criticisms==

===Mobile support===
Websites built with Adobe Flash will not function on most modern mobile devices running [[Google Android]] or [[iOS]] ([[iPhone]], [[iPad]]). The only alternative is using HTML5 and [[responsive web design]] to build websites that support both desktop and mobile devices.

However, Flash is still used to build mobile games using Adobe AIR. Such games will not work in mobile web browsers but must be installed via the appropriate [[app store]].

===Vendor lock-in===
{{See also|Vendor lock-in}}
The reliance on Adobe for decoding Flash made its use on the [[World Wide Web]] a concern—the completeness of its public specifications is debated, and no complete implementation of Flash is publicly available in [[source code]] form with a license that permits reuse. Generally, public specifications are what make a format re-implementable (see [[Future proof#Data storage|future proofing data storage]]), and reusable codebases can be [[Software portability|ported]] to new platforms without the endorsement of the format creator.

Adobe's restrictions on the use of the SWF/FLV specifications were lifted in February 2009 (see [[#Open Screen Project|Adobe's Open Screen Project]]). However, despite efforts of projects like Gnash, [[Swfdec]], and [[Lightspark]], a complete free Flash player is yet to be seen, as of September 2011. For example, Gnash cannot use SWF v10 yet.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.gnu.org/s/gnash/
|title=Gnash homepage
|access-date=September 4, 2011
|publisher=Gnu.org
|archive-date=September 16, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916090710/http://www.gnu.org/s/gnash/
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Notably, Gnash was listed on the [[Free Software Foundation#High priority projects|Free Software Foundation's high priority list]], from at least 2007, to its removal in January 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/changelog | title=Changelog for the High Priority Projects list | publisher=Free Software Foundation | access-date=January 21, 2017 | archive-date=January 29, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129093713/https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/changelog | url-status=live }}</ref>

Notable advocates of free software, open standards, and the World Wide Web have warned against the use of Flash:

The founder of [[Mozilla Europe]], [[Tristan Nitot]], stated in 2008:<ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://news.zdnet.com/2424-3515_22-199508.html
 |title=Mozilla warns of Flash and Silverlight 'agenda'
 |last=Nitot
 |first=Tristan
 |work=[[ZDNet]]
 |date=April 29, 2008
 |access-date=September 4, 2011
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227145942/http://news.zdnet.com/2424-3515_22-199508.html
 |archive-date=December 27, 2008
}}</ref>
<blockquote>Companies building websites should beware of proprietary [[rich-media]] technologies like Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight. (...) You're producing content for your users and there's someone in the middle deciding whether users should see your content.</blockquote>

Representing open standards, inventor of [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] and co-author of HTML5, [[Håkon Wium Lie]] explained in a Google tech talk of 2007, entitled "the &lt;video&gt; element", the proposal of [[Theora]] as the format for [[HTML video]]:<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juer_YCitJE&t=11m50s
| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/juer_YCitJE| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Håkon Wium Lie on the video element in HTML 5
|access-date=2014-08-14
|via=YouTube
|date=2007-03-29}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
<blockquote>I believe very strongly that we need to agree on some kind of baseline video format if [the video element] is going to succeed. Flash is today the baseline format on the web. The problem with Flash is that it's not an open standard.</blockquote>

Representing the [[free software movement]], [[Richard Stallman]] stated in a speech in 2004 that:<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYNLYIDZN48&t=22m52s
| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/aYNLYIDZN48| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Richard Stallman on The free software movement and its challenges
|access-date=2014-08-14
|date=2004-10-13
|publisher=Google Video
|location=Australian National University, Canberra, Australia}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "The use of Flash in websites is a major problem for our community."

===Accessibility and usability===
Usability consultant [[Jakob Nielsen (usability consultant)|Jakob Nielsen]] published an Alertbox in 2000 entitled, ''Flash: 99% Bad'', stating that "Flash tends to degrade websites for three reasons: it encourages design abuse, it breaks with the Web's fundamental interaction principles, and it distracts attention from the site's core value."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html|title=Flash: 99% Bad|last=Nielsen|first=Jakob|date=October 29, 2000|access-date=February 21, 2009|archive-date=February 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216231119/http://www.useit.com//alertbox//20001029.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Some problems have been at least partially fixed since Nielsen's complaints: text size can be controlled using full page zoom and it has been possible for authors to include alternative text in Flash since Flash Player 6.

===Flash blocking in web browsers===
[[File:Noflash.png|thumb|Some websites rely heavily on Flash and become unusable without Flash Player, or with Flash blocked.]]

Flash content is usually embedded using the <code>object</code> or <code>embed</code> [[HTML element]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://validator.w3.org/docs/help.html#faq-flash |title=Help for The W3C Markup Validation Service |publisher=Validator.w3.org |access-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513233210/http://validator.w3.org/docs/help.html#faq-flash |url-status=live }}</ref> A web browser that does not fully implement one of these elements displays the replacement text, if supplied by the web page. Often, a plugin is required for the browser to fully implement these elements, though some users cannot or will not install it.

Since Flash can be used to produce content (such as advertisements) that some users find obnoxious or take a large amount of bandwidth to download, some web browsers, by default, do not play Flash content until the user clicks on it, e.g., [[Konqueror]], [[K-Meleon]].

Most current browsers have a feature to block plugins, playing one only when the user clicks it. Opera versions since 10.5 feature native Flash blocking. Opera Turbo requires the user to click to play Flash content, and the browser also allows the user to enable this option permanently. Both Chrome<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.howtogeek.com/58058/how-to-enable-flashblock-in-chrome-and-make-it-5000-more-secure/ |title=How to Enable Flashblock in Chrome (And Make it 5000% More Secure) |date=8 April 2011 |publisher=How-to Geek |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-date=August 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818142048/http://www.howtogeek.com/58058/how-to-enable-flashblock-in-chrome-and-make-it-5000-more-secure |url-status=live }}</ref> and Firefox<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ghacks.net/2012/03/29/firefox-14-to-get-click-to-play-plugin-feature/ |title=Firefox 14 To Get Click To Play Plugin Feature |date=29 March 2012 |publisher=ghacks.net |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-date=August 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828055445/http://www.ghacks.net/2012/03/29/firefox-14-to-get-click-to-play-plugin-feature/ |url-status=live }}</ref> have an option to enable "click to play plugins". Equivalent "Flash blocker" extensions are also available for many popular browsers: Firefox has [[Flashblock]] and [[NoScript]], Internet Explorer has Foxie, which contains several features, one of them named Flashblock. WebKit-based browsers under macOS, such as Apple's Safari, have ClickToFlash.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hoyois.github.com/safariextensions/clicktoplugin/|title=ClickToFlash|access-date=July 27, 2011|archive-date=March 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302225135/http://hoyois.github.com/safariextensions/clicktoplugin/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2015, Google announced that Chrome will "pause" advertisements and "non-central" Flash content by default.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chrome.googleblog.com/2015/06/better-battery-life-for-your-laptop.html|title=Better battery life for your laptop|access-date=February 15, 2017|archive-date=February 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208162304/https://chrome.googleblog.com/2015/06/better-battery-life-for-your-laptop.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Firefox]] (from version 46) rewrites old Flash-only [[YouTube]] embed code into YouTube's modern embedded player that is capable of using either [[HTML video]] or Flash.<ref name="firefox_embed_rewrite">{{cite web|title=QA/Youtube Embedded Rewrite|url=https://wiki.mozilla.org/QA/Youtube_Embedded_Rewrite|access-date=21 May 2016|archive-date=August 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822103316/https://wiki.mozilla.org/QA/Youtube_Embedded_Rewrite|url-status=live}}</ref> Such embed code is used by non-YouTube sites to embed YouTube's videos, and can still be encountered, for example, on old blogs and forums.

However, there are ways to pass this error in the absence of Flash Player by deleting the validation code in HTML. This also depends on browser vision.

===Security===
{{See also|Adobe Flash Player#Security|Browser security#Plugins and extensions}}

For many years, Adobe Flash Player's security record<ref>{{cite web|url=https://helpx.adobe.com/security.html#flashplayer|title=Security bulletins and advisories|access-date=March 27, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100406041941/http://www.adobe.com/support/security/| archive-date= April 6, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> has led many security experts to recommend against installing the player, or to block Flash content.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10396326-245.html|work=[[ZDNet]]|title=Expert says Adobe Flash policy is risky|date=November 12, 2009|access-date=March 27, 2010|archive-date=April 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426041823/http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10396326-245.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/protect-yourself-from-flash-attacks-in-internet-explorer/|title=Protect yourself from Flash attacks in Internet Explorer|website=[[ZDNet]]|date=September 9, 2012|access-date=July 7, 2013|quote=I recommend that you disable the Shockwave Flash add-on in IE completely|archive-date=June 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619110939/http://www.zdnet.com/protect-yourself-from-flash-attacks-in-internet-explorer-7000003921/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team|US-CERT]] has recommended blocking Flash,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.us-cert.gov/publications/securing-your-web-browser|title=Securing Your Web Browser|access-date=March 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326131333/http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/securing_browser/|archive-date=March 26, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> and security researcher [[Charlie Miller (security researcher)|Charlie Miller]] recommended "not to install Flash";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oneitsecurity.it/01/03/2010/interview-with-charlie-miller-pwn2own/|title=Pwn2Own 2010: interview with Charlie Miller|date=March 1, 2010|access-date=March 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424022058/http://www.oneitsecurity.it/01/03/2010/interview-with-charlie-miller-pwn2own/|archive-date=April 24, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> however, for people still using Flash, [[Intego]] recommended that users get trusted updates "only directly from the vendor that publishes them."<ref>{{cite web|title=How to Tell if Adobe Flash Player Update is Valid|url=http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/how-to-tell-if-adobe-flash-player-update-is-valid/|publisher=Intego|access-date=9 April 2013|date=March 8, 2013|archive-date=May 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517010423/http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/how-to-tell-if-adobe-flash-player-update-is-valid/|url-status=live}}</ref> Adobe Flash Player has over 1078 [[Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures|CVE]] entries,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cvedetails.com/product/6761/Adobe-Flash-Player.html?vendor_id=53|title=Adobe Flash Player : CVE security vulnerabilities, versions and detailed reports|access-date=February 12, 2015|quote=291 total vulnerabilities|archive-date=March 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307184945/http://www.cvedetails.com/product/6761/Adobe-Flash-Player.html?vendor_id=53|url-status=live}}</ref> of which over 842 lead to [[arbitrary code execution]], and past vulnerabilities have enabled spying via web cameras.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Adobe-remedies-webcam-spy-hole-in-Flash-1364631.html|title=Adobe remedies webcam spy hole in Flash|access-date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=June 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603124549/http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Adobe-remedies-webcam-spy-hole-in-Flash-1364631.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Flash-Player-as-a-spy-system-1073161.html|title=Flash Player as a spy system|access-date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=March 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310071434/http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Flash-Player-as-a-spy-system-1073161.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FlashSettings">{{cite web
|url=http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html
|title=Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager
|publisher=Adobe Systems
|access-date=July 1, 2010
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100620070041/http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html| archive-date= June 20, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager02.html|title=Global Privacy Settings panel|publisher=Adobe Systems|access-date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=April 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404054214/https://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager02.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Security experts have long predicted the demise of Flash, saying that with the rise of HTML5 "...the need for browser plugins such as Flash is diminishing".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sophos.com/en-us/medialibrary/PDFs/other/sophossecuritythreatreport2013.pdf|title=Sophos Security Threat Report 2013|publisher=Sophos|pages=11, 24|date=December 2012|access-date=May 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203145927/https://www.sophos.com/en-us/medialibrary/PDFs/other/sophossecuritythreatreport2013.pdf|archive-date=February 3, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Active moves by third parties to limit the risk began with [[Steve Jobs]] in 2010, saying that Apple would not allow Flash on the [[iPhone]], [[iPod Touch]], and [[iPad]], citing abysmal security as one reason.<ref name="thoughtsFlash">{{Cite web |url=https://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/ |title=Thoughts on Flash |first=Steve |last=Jobs |publisher=Apple.com |date=April 29, 2010 |access-date=2012-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612011820/http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/|archive-date=2012-06-12|url-status=dead}}</ref> Flash often used the ability to dynamically change parts of the runtime on languages on OSX to improve their own performance, but caused general instability. In July 2015, a series of newly discovered vulnerabilities resulted in [[Facebook]]'s chief security officer, [[Alex Stamos]], issuing a call to Adobe to discontinue the software entirely<ref name="stamos">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/13/8948459/adobe-flash-insecure-says-facebook-cso|title=Facebook's new chief security officer wants to set a date to kill Flash|first=James|last=Vincent|website=The Verge|date=July 13, 2015|access-date=July 14, 2015|archive-date=July 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713193019/http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/13/8948459/adobe-flash-insecure-says-facebook-cso|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Mozilla Firefox]] web browser, [[Google Chrome]], and [[Safari (web browser)|Apple Safari]] to blacklist all earlier versions of Flash Player.<ref name=ars-flashblockfirefox>{{cite web|title=Firefox blacklists Flash player due to unpatched 0-day vulnerabilities|url=https://arstechnica.com/security/2015/07/firefox-blacklists-flash-player-due-to-unpatched-0-day-vulnerabilities/|website=Ars Technica|publisher=Condé Nast|access-date=15 July 2015|date=July 14, 2015|archive-date=July 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704095644/https://arstechnica.com/security/2015/07/firefox-blacklists-flash-player-due-to-unpatched-0-day-vulnerabilities/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Adobe Flash has been blocked because it's out of date|url=https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6258784|website=Google Support|access-date=20 October 2015|archive-date=January 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101081846/https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6258784|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=flashblocksafari>{{cite web|title=Apple blocks old, unsafe Adobe Flash plug-in versions in OS X Safari|url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/10/20/apple-blocks-older-adobe-flash-plug-in-versions-on-os-x|website=Apple Insider|date=October 20, 2015|access-date=24 October 2015|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724234016/https://appleinsider.com/articles/15/10/20/apple-blocks-older-adobe-flash-plug-in-versions-on-os-x|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Flash cookies===
{{Main|Local shared object}}
Like the [[HTTP cookie]], a [[flash cookie]] (also known as a "[[Local Shared Object]]") can be used to save application data. Flash cookies are not shared across [[Domain name|domains]]. An August 2009 study by the [[Ashkan Soltani]] and a team of researchers at [[UC Berkeley]] found that 50% of websites using Flash were also employing Flash cookies, yet privacy policies rarely disclosed them, and user controls for [[Adobe Flash Player#Privacy|privacy preferences]] were lacking.<ref>{{cite journal|ssrn=1446862|title=Flash Cookies and Privacy|date=August 10, 2009 |last1=Soltani |first1=Ashkan |last2=Canty |first2=Shannon |last3=Mayo |first3=Quentin |last4=Thomas |first4=Lauren |last5=Hoofnagle |first5=Chris Jay |journal=SSRN eJournal |publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley School of Law]] }}</ref> Most browsers' cache and history suppress or delete functions did not affect Flash Player's writing Local Shared Objects to its own cache in version 10.2 and earlier, at which point the user community was much less aware of the existence and function of Flash cookies than HTTP cookies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epic.org/privacy/cookies/flash.html|title=Local Shared Objects – "Flash Cookies"|publisher=Electronic Privacy Information Center|date=July 21, 2005|access-date=March 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416041024/http://epic.org/privacy/cookies/flash.html|archive-date=April 16, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Thus, users with those versions, having deleted HTTP cookies and purged browser history files and caches, may believe that they have purged all tracking data from their computers when in fact Flash browsing history remains. Adobe's own Flash [https://web.archive.org/web/20120404195828/http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html Website Storage Settings panel], a submenu of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100620070041/http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html Settings Manager web application], and other [[Local Shared Object#Editors and toolkits|editors and toolkits]] can manage settings for and delete Flash Local Shared Objects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/526/52697ee8.html|title=How to manage and disable Local Shared Objects|publisher=Adobe Systems Inc.|date=September 9, 2005|access-date=March 8, 2010<!--DASHBot-->|archive-date=February 18, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100218135619/http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/526/52697ee8.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
*[[The Brothers Chaps]], creators of one of the most popular applications of Flash, the ''[[Homestar Runner]]'' cartoon series 
*[[Colin Moock]], an Adobe Flash and ActionScript expert, author, tutor, and programmer<ref>[http://tv.adobe.com/show/colin-moocks-lost-actionscript-weekend/ Colin Moock's Lost ActionScript Weekend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307180935/http://tv.adobe.com/show/colin-moocks-lost-actionscript-weekend/ |date=March 7, 2019 }} tv.adobe.com</ref>

==See also==
*[[Adobe Creative Cloud]]
*[[List of 2D animation software]]
*[[OpenFL]]
*[[Silverlight]]

== Explanatory footnotes ==
{{Reflist|group="spec"}}
{{Reflist|group="note"}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
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* {{Official website|https://www.adobe.com/products/flashruntimes.html}}

{{Adobe Flash}}
{{AdobeCS}}
{{Adobe eLearning Suite}}
{{Adobe Systems}}
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