Trouble uninstalling Adobe Flash Player

[Lee5D3E]

I used the Adobe Flash player uninstaller from Adobe's web site. After a restart, I went to C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash. When I tried to delete the files in the folder, I got the following message:

"You need permission to perform this action. You require permission from TrustedInstaller to make changes to this file:

Flash.ocx

Type: ActiveX control

Size: 27.6 MB

Date modified: 10/2/2020 7:33 PM

Can you help me delete the files in this folder?

[jeromiec83223024]

A couple questions: 

1.  What version of Windows are we talking about? 
2.  Do you have Administrator rights on the machine?

[_maria_ · Accepted solution]

Flash.ocx file without version number in file name is most likely the Windows 8.x/10 browser-embeded Flash Player ActiveX Control, which Microsoft considers a browser component and prevents end-users from deleting the file by locking it.

Adobe's uninstallers do not remove/delete browser embedded Flash Player.  For Windows 8.x/10, Microsoft has released an update to remove the embedded Flash Player ActiveX Control.  See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4577586/update-for-removal-of-adobe-flash-player for more information.  If you encounter issues running the update, please contact Microsoft as it's their update.

[Guest]

i got the same issue but i got a fesh drive, there never were earlier versions of windows on it

[Guest]

it seems like this finally links back to the original adobe uninstal help page.

there are no clear solutions and if they are ... it is a lot of research.

Adobe should just come up with a better uninstaller.

[_maria_]

"Adobe should just come up with a better uninstaller."

Adobe's uninstallers do not remove browser embedded Flash Player.  It can't as those files are part of the browser and owned by the browser.  The solution, at least for Microsoft, is the 'correct' answer to this post.

For Chrome, Google removed Flash Player support from Chrome (including removing the embedded Flash Player files) in Chrome 88, released Jan 19, 2021.