Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows 7 and earlier

Having trouble installing Adobe Flash Player? Identify your issue and try the corresponding solution.

1. Have you checked if Flash Player is already installed on your computer?

2. Are you being asked to close the browser?

On Internet Explorer, the installer needs to close the browser to proceed with the installation.

Follow these instructions.

Also, if an application is using an already installed version of Flash Player, the Flash Player installer can't run properly. In that case, close all open applications and try again.

3. Have you checked if Flash Player is enabled in your browser?

For Internet Explorer, see Enable Flash Player for Internet Explorer.

For Firefox on any OS, see Enable Flash Player for Firefox.

For Safari on Mac OS, see Enable Flash Player for Safari.

For Google Chrome, see Enable Flash Player for Chrome.

For Opera, see Enable Flash Player for Opera.

4. Are you getting errors containing ActiveX issues?

Disable ActiveX filtering for Flash Player to work properly.

See How to turn ‘ActiveX filtering’ on or off in IE9, IE10, and IE11.

5.  Did the installer start installing?

The Flash Player installer should prompt you to begin installation after the download is complete. If it doesn’t, you can start the installer directly from your Downloads folder.

1. After downloading Flash Player, close all browsers.
2. Locate the Flash Player install file. Unless you have specified otherwise, the file is saved in your Downloads folder.
3. Double-click the installer file to begin the Flash Player installation.

For more assistance on locating downloaded files, see Find a file that you have downloaded and Download files from the web in Microsoft Help.

6. Are you getting permission issues?

After installing Flash Player, everything works correctly until you restart your computer. After you restart, web pages ask you to install Flash Player again.

See How do I fix Windows permission problems with Flash Player?

7.   Is the Flash Player installer not launching?

You may need to update your operating system so it is compatible with the digital certificate (sha256) of the installer. The following operating systems require updates:

• Windows XP If your operating system is Windows XP and is running Service Pack 2 or below, please upgrade to Service Pack 3.
• Windows Vista If your operating system is Windows Vista SP2, download the update for your operating system from Microsoft Support.
• Windows Server 2008 If your operating system is Windows Server 2008 SP2, download the update for your operating system from Microsoft Support.

Still having problems?

If you are still having trouble installing Adobe Flash Player, try downloading the installer:

• Flash Player for Internet Explorer - ActiveX
• Flash Player for Firefox - NPAPI
• Flash Player for Opera and Chromium-based browsers - PPAPI

Also see:

• Installing and Updating Flash Player - FAQ
• Ask an expert in the forum
• Frequently occurring issues