Will there be any way to view swf files locally after Flash EOL?

Question

Adobe has apparently built a 'kill switch' into Flash Player that will trigger on Jan. 12, 2021.

We have been diligent in informing clients about Flash EOL, but there are still many who have not pushed the button on converting their content, and it is very late in the day. We are concerned that we will receive a sudden flood of conversion jobs after EOL.

Originally, I had speculated that we could play the content locally, using Projector, but it sounds like it will be 'time-bombed' along with the Flash Player browser plugins.

Part of our QA process is to have a person compare the original Flash file with the new HTML5 Canvas file. It's fairly important for ensuring the content matches as much as possible. Is there or will there be a solution to allow locally-accessed swf files to play?

jeromiec83223024 · Accepted Answer

Flash Player will no longer load content from the open web after Jan 12, 2020. This includes the debugger and standalone player. I'm not sure about the bundled .exe files. If you want to test it, you can set the date forward to Jan 13, 2020 and see what happens.

For local file and intranet playback, you can use the Enterprise Enablement features to allow local content playback after January 12th. Again, I'd recommend setting the clock forward and testing your critical use-cases. We've already shipped the last Flash Player, so you'll need to find workarounds (or contract with HARMAN) if the existing functionality doesn't meet your needs.

Check out page 28 for the overview on Enterprise Enablement:

https://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/flash_player_admin_guide.html

To make communicating with clients easier, here are some useful links.

For background, here's the original announcement from 2017:

https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/

Here's the consumer FAQ:

https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html

Here's the enteprise FAQ:

https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/enterprise-end-of-life.html

DeanUtian · Answer

From my understanding, if you have a older browser (for example Internet Explorer) and you have not removed the Flash plugin, you will still be able to view SWF content in the browser whether it is a local file or on a website. If you have newer browsers and update them, then they will no longer allow Flash content to be viewed.

I've found a tool called Ruffle (https://ruffle.rs/#what-is-ruffle) that claims to be a Flash Player emulator. I haven't tried it myself. It does claim to provide a standalone application on your computer that can open local SWFs. The site states that Ruffle was developed specifically to preserve access to Flash content.

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