by Martin Brinkmann on February 15, 2017 in Google Chrome - 16 comments
The following guide walks you through the steps of checking the installed Flash version in Google Chrome, and forcing it to update if an outdated version is used by the browser.
All versions of the Google Chrome web browser ship with Adobe Flash installed natively in the browser. While Chrome does not support classic NPAPI plugins anymore, Chrome is still supporting PPAPI plugins of which Flash is one.
Aug 28, 2018 - Adobe Flash Player is directly integrated with Google Chrome and enabled by default. Available updates for Adobe Flash Player are.
This is good usually for users who require Adobe Flash. The main reason why that is the case is that users don't have to worry about the installed version of Adobe Flash too much, as Google takes care of the updating.
How to force Flash updates in Chrome
While this works fine most of the time, usually before or at the time Adobe releases updates for Flash, it may happen that Google is late to the party when it comes to pushing the updated version of Flash to Chrome installations.
This has the effect that Chrome users run an outdated version of Flash, and that should be cause for concern as that goes along with a truckload of vulnerabilities usually.
Downloading and installing the latest Flash Player from Adobe won't help in this case, as Chrome relies on the PPAPI version of Flash and ignores the NPAPI version that is installed from Adobe's site.
Adobe offers Flash PPAPI versions for download, and that is one option that you have to update Flash in Chrome and Chromium. But, there is another option, one that is more comfortable than having to visit Adobe's website, downloading the new Flash installer from it, and running it on devices that you want to update.
We talked about Chrome's chrome://components/ page back in 2012 for the first time, and hinted at the possibility of using it to check for updates.
Basically, what you want to do is the following to check for, download, and install Flash updates in Chrome:
Load the internal chrome://components/ page by pasting it in the address bar and hitting the Enter-key (or typing it).
Locate Adobe Flash Player on the page. You can check the version right then and there, or hit the 'check for update' button underneath it right away.
This runs an update check. If Google has released an update, but not yet delivered it to your device, it will be downloaded and installed.
It is certainly a possibility that Google has not yet made available the update for Chrome's Flash plugin. The check for updates fails in this case, and your only option is to head over to the Adobe website to perform the manual update instead. (via Computerworld)
Tip: you may disable Flash in Chrome entirely as well if you don't need it.
Closing Words
Google is usually pretty fast when it comes to Flash updates in Chrome. But if you notice that Adobe released an update for Flash, and Google did not yet push it to your device, you may use the method to try forcing the update. (thanks Ilev, via Computerworld)
Now You: Do you use Flash at all anymore?
How to force Flash updates in Chrome
Description
The following guide walks you through the steps of checking the installed Flash version in Google Chrome, and forcing it to update if an outdated version is used by the browser.
Author
Ghacks Technology News
Logo
Advertisement
Last updated: October 18, 2017
Related articles:
Watch the Video: How to update Flash Player in Chrome
Google bundles Flash Player (PPAPI) with its Chrome web browser. Google first enabled the integrated Flash Player by default when it released Chrome 5.0 in June 2010. Chrome automatically updates when Adobe releases a new version of Flash. This allows Chrome users to receive the abundance of Flash security updates upon their release. Its importance becomes more evident when Adobe assigns patched Flash vulnerabilities a Priority 1 severity rating. Priority 1 updates resolve “vulnerabilities being targeted, or which have a higher risk of being targeted, by exploit(s) in the wild…” So is there indeed no need to update Flash Player in Chrome since Flash updates automatically?
It is possible that Chrome may appear to be up-to-date when the bundled Flash Player is not the latest version of Flash available. When you use Chrome to visit Adobe’s Flash verification page to check, you see Flash Player is pre-installed in Google Chrome and updates automatically!
This message displays in Chrome even when the Flash version is not the latest available version. Security-conscious Chrome users can ensure their integrated Flash Player version is up-to-date by manually checking for updates.
Manually check for Flash Player updates
To manually update Flash Player in Chrome, visit chrome://components in the omnibox. Scroll down to Adobe Flash Player.
Take note of Flash Player’s Version number in this February 15, 2017, screenshot. Chrome was up-to-date at version 56.0.2924.87. Adobe Flash Player 24.0.0.221 was the latest version. The installed version of Chrome is the latest too, yet the integrated Flash Player version is still the previous 24.0.0.194 version from Adobe’s January 10, 2017, update. Next, click the Check for update button.
The Status changed from New to Component updated. The Adobe Flash Player version number changed from 24.0.0.194 to 24.0.0.221. Now the integrated Flash Player version in Chrome is the latest version.
Download Flash Player for Chrome
Another option is to download the latest version of Flash Player for Chrome from Adobe’s website. Under Step 1, select your computer’s operating system. Under Step 2, select FP 24 for Opera and Chromium – PPAPI. Click the yellow Download now button, and follow the prompts.
Note the Optional offers on Adobe’s download page. If you do not want to accept the optional offers when you download Flash Player, uncheck the pre-checked boxes.
Thank you for visiting Tech Help Knowledgebase to learn how to update Flash Player in Chrome.
Image credit:Pixabay / PeteLinforth
Tech Help Knowledgebase creates how-to articles and video tutorials for common issues, and provides technical support for the categories covered by our site. Get Support.