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Reading .swf files after Adobe Flash Player support ends on Mozillla Firefox (NPAPI)

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Hello,

When versions 84 and 85 of Mozilla Firefox will be online (late 2020 - early 2021), Adobe Flash Player will no longer be integrated into the browser. The reasons for this removal are quite understandable but I was wondering how I will be able to continue reading Flash (.swf) content when these versions are available to the public. Some old sites that I still use for educational purposes offer to read .swf content and it is not always possible to download these animations to read them on my computer.

So do you think it is possible to continue reading these .swf files on Mozilla Firefox in another way?

Sincerly, Jeremy

Hello, When versions 84 and 85 of Mozilla Firefox will be online (late 2020 - early 2021), Adobe Flash Player will no longer be integrated into the browser. The reasons for this removal are quite understandable but I was wondering how I will be able to continue reading Flash (.swf) content when these versions are available to the public. Some old sites that I still use for educational purposes offer to read .swf content and it is not always possible to download these animations to read them on my computer. So do you think it is possible to continue reading these .swf files on Mozilla Firefox in another way? Sincerly, Jeremy

All Replies (3)

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You can possibly use the Firefox 78.0 ESR version (current is 78.3.1esr) for these websites. That you still receive security updates for about a year.

You can install a portable (ESR) Firefox version to access websites that do not work with the current Firefox release. The portable version comes with its own profile folder and doesn't interfere with currently installed Firefox versions.

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Hi Jeremy, if the SWFs are videos, there are numerous free and paid converters (free converters may be ad-supported).

If the SWFs are interactive and therefore aren't candidates for a straight video conversion, your other option might be to use the Flash ActiveX control in Internet Explorer 11. However, you may need to be selective about your Windows updates:

Beginning in January 2021, Flash will be disabled by default and Flash versions older than the June 2020 release will be blocked. Flash Player components will be removed from the Windows operating system via an update in early 2021.

Source: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/adobe-flash-player#what-are-the-changes-expected-at-the-end-of-support