Microsoft to Remove Adobe Flash from Windows and Server in July

While you may have fond memories of Flash from the games that ran in the browser, as the web matured, Flash did not. The technology evolved from being a tool used to build interactive components on the web to a significant security vulnerability.

Microsoft has announced that starting in July, KB4577586 (the update to remove Adobe Flash Player) will be included in the latest cumulative update for Windows 10, versions 1607, and Windows 10, version 1507. The KB will also be included in the monthly rollup and the security-only update for Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Embedded 8 Standard.

Microsoft made this announcement by quietly updating a blog post from Sept 4th, 2020, as first spotted by XDA, and it looks like after July, Flash will become a part of history on Windows.

Microsoft also notes in the post that when you install Windows 10 21H1 or later, Flash will no longer be included in that version of Windows 10. Further, you can remove Flash at any point by deploying KB4577586 to your environment.

It has been a long road for Flash and the process for migrating the entire Internet away from the technology took many years. But with Windows finally pulling the plug on the technology and no longer including the feature as part of the OS, Flash is one major step closer to being only mentioned in the history books.