For years, Adobe Flash technology has been used to create and maintain a multitude of websites. Specifically, many online games, educational platforms, content players, and other tools used to require it in order to function properly. It all sounds good, but the problem is, since its launch, Adobe Flash has performed quite poorly, consuming a large amount of team resources.
And if it was not enough, has suffered a large number of vulnerabilities, which have put the computers of millions of people at risk. For all this, and taking into account its practically null compatibility with mobile devices, its use has been declining, to the point that today most websites are based on HTML5 or other similar languages, even for reproduction of contents.
The end of Adobe Flash is coming
Just like Adobe ad in the year 2017, in the year 2021 the support for Adobe Flash will be completely discontinued. This results in It will not be possible to download and install the Adobe Flash Player plug-in on any other computer through the official website from January 1, 2021, and in which browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge stop using it even if it is installed on the computer.
Specifically, at present, when opening a website that requires the use of Flash, different browsers usually show an alert, but it is still possible to enable the technology if the website requires it to function. However, This is something that will stop happening from 2021, putting in a bind the websites that continue to use this technology to work.
Alternatives and tricks: so you can keep using Adobe Flash in 2021
As we mentioned, in this case classic browsers will not allow you to continue using Adobe Flash. However, it is possible that for some reason you continue to need it, since the truth is that there are some websites that have not yet adapted to other technologies. If this is your case, we will show you two possible alternatives, but you must take into account the security problems that both can cause:
Use the Pale Moon web browser
As a first alternative to be able to use Adobe Flash, it is Pale Moon Navigator. In this case, it is not a very popular browser, and its somewhat outdated interface may not appeal to you too much. However, this browser is one of the few that have confirmed that they will continue to support Flash technology despite its end by Adobe. It is based on the Mozilla Firefox engine, and in addition to allowing you to use Flash, it is quite privacy-focused, allowing you to manage various related options.
In this case, the download of said web browser can be done easily from the official Pale Moon download website. You should only choose the version you need for your computer (32 or 64 bits, accompanied by the choice of the server) and download correspondent. Afterwards, you can use it without problem.
Ruffle, a free extension for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox
In addition to the Pale Moon browser, if you are not interested you can finish using Ruffle earlier. In this case, it is a free extension available for Mozilla Firefox, as well as for browsers based on Chromium technology, including Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. However, it is important that you know that it is a Flash emulator, and not the technology itself, which can lead to compatibility problems with some websites.
You will not find Ruffle in the various browser application stores, since the truth is that it is a project that is still in development. However, accessing your launches web page you can get the latest version that you need for your browser easily.
In this case, it is important that you take into account that Ruffle is removed every time you restart the browser, is not installed consistently. This can be considered a security advantage, taking into account that you will be able to activate and deactivate Adobe Flash whenever you want, but the truth is that it can also be somewhat annoying if you want to use it continuously.