ADOBE FLASH PLAYER

What is Flash Player?

Adobe Flash Player is software created by Adobe that lets you view interactive content and applications on the web. Flash Player compatible content  (SWF and FLV files) can be found across the web, and Flash Player is installed on 98% percent of the world's desktop computers. Visit the Adobe website to see some great experiences built with Flash or to learn more about creating SWF or FLV content.

Why am I being asked to install an update?

Periodically, Adobe updates Flash Player with new features or corrections and automatically notifies you so that you can install the updated version immediately. You are being asked to install the update because an update is now available, and your notification settings in the Settings Manager are configured to send you automatic notifications whenever an update is available.

Updates to Flash Player help ensure that Flash Player works properly and may include changes to security or new product functionality. Adobe recommends that you update to the latest version of Flash Player whenever a new version is available, especially when a security update is mentioned.

Note: Automatic notification is available on all Windows platforms. To install updates, you also need to have permission to install software on your computer; that is, you need to log in as an administrator or as a user who has permission to install software.

Does it cost anything to download Flash Player?

No. Flash Player is a free download provided by Adobe.

Is Flash Player associated with pop-up ads that appear on my computer?

In addition to many other types of online content, some advertising on the web uses Flash. Flash Player is used to display this content; except where the advertisement features Adobe products or services, the creation and placement of these advertisements is done by third-parties independent of Adobe.

What information is being sent to Adobe?

Flash Player does not send any information about you or your computer to Adobe or any third-parties during the auto-notification and update process. Flash Player is only requesting data from Adobe.com to determine if it is the latest version; no information is transmitted. Read more about our privacy policy.

Flash Player does make available limited information about your computer's capabilities and can allow SWF or FLV content to save data in a specific location on your computer. However, as a Flash Player user, you have control over the privacy and storage settings for individual websites or all websites. To learn more about configuring your privacy and security settings, see What can I do with the Settings Manager?.

Are there security issues with downloading Flash Player?

While there is always risk when you view websites and download information on the web, Adobe has taken extensive steps to virtually eliminate this risk when downloading the update from Adobe.com. The Flash Player update is downloaded over a secure connection, and Adobe thoroughly checks each update to help ensure it is safe for customers to download before it is posted. In addition, the auto-update mechanism only allows the update to be downloaded from Adobe.com.

In some cases, the new version of Flash Player that you are downloading includes enhancements that give your computer additional protection when browsing the web.

How do I change how often I receive notifications of updates?

In the Global Notifications Settings panel, you can change how often Flash Player checks for updates, or you can deselect the Notify Me When an Update Is Available option to stop receiving notifications.

What should I do if I don't want to receive notifications of updates?

To stop receiving notifications of updates, deselect the Notify Me When an Update Is Available option in the Global Notifications Settings panel. You can download updated versions of Flash Player from the Adobe downloads page.

How can I manually check for updates?

Users   on all supported platforms can manually check whether their installed Flash Player is the   latest, most secure version. To check which version of Flash Player you are   running, go to the Flash Player home page. This page runs a   version test that reports your currently installed version of Flash Player and   lists the latest available version for the platform. To install the latest   version of Flash Player, visit the installation page.

Users can check for Flash Player security advisories. This   page describes the available security updates for different versions of Flash Player.   At the top of the page, you can also sign up to receive email notification of all   future security advisories.