How to Find Your Flash Version

Adobe Flash, sometimes called Shockwave Flash or Macromedia Flash, is a platform that many websites use to play video. On your end, a browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, or IE, needs a plug-in so you can play those videos. Knowing the version number of the Flash plug-in installed on your browser is important when troubleshooting an issue with videos playing or a problem with the browser.

The easiest way to tell what version of Flash you have installed in the browser in question, assuming Flash and the browser is working, is to visit the Flash Player Help page on the Adobe website. Once there, select Check Now.

In the Your System Information section, you'll see the Flash version that's running, as well as the name of the browser you're using and the operating system version.

If Adobe's automatic check doesn't work, right-click any Flash video and look for the Flash version number at the end of the pop-up box. It will look something like:

About Adobe Flash Player x.x.x.x

If Flash videos aren't working at all, you get a Flash-related error message, or you can't use the browser, manually check the Flash version for the browser.

See the Adobe Flash Player page for the latest version of Flash for every supported browser on every supported operating system. This page is another place you can visit to see which Adobe Flash version is installed.

Updating to the latest version of Flash can be done from the Adobe Flash Player Download center on the Adobe website.

Another option is a software updater. These are programs that you install to keep your other software updated, and many of them support Flash. There are several free software updater programs that perform this task.

The Adobe Check Now button is great, but if you're dealing with a major problem with Flash or the browser, determine which version of Flash is installed on the browser before you start troubleshooting.

Here's how to manually check the version of Flash running in each of these browsers:

If Chrome starts, go to the address bar, type chrome://components, then look for Adobe Flash Player in the list. The Flash version number displays next to that entry.

If Chrome won't open normally, search your computer for pepflashplayer.dll and note the most recent version number of the file. The file should be in a folder that's named with the version number.

If Firefox starts, type about:plugins in the address bar and look for Shockwave Flash in the list. The version number of Flash is shown after Version. If Firefox won't start, search your computer for NPSWF32 or NPSWF64. A number of files may be found, but take note of the version number of the file that has several underscores.

Select the gear button in Internet Explorer to open the menu, then choose Manage add-ons. Choose Shockwave Flash Object, then find the Flash version number at the bottom of the screen.

Finding the Flash version in Edge is identical to how it's done in Chrome: From the address bar, type edge://components, and look for Adobe Flash Player in the list. The Flash version number displays next to that entry.

If Edge doesn't open far enough for you to get to the components page, search your computer for the file pepflashplayer.dll. It will be in a subfolder called Edge, which is in a Microsoft folder. The DLL file itself is held in a folder with the Flash version number.

From the Safari menu, select Preferences. Go to the Websites tab and locate the Plug-ins section. Under Adobe Flash Player is the Flash version number.

On Mac OS X 10.10 or older, go to Safari > Preferences > Security and choose Plug-in Settings or Manage Website Settings to see the Flash version.

The major browsers in use today all work with Flash in different ways, making it difficult to stay updated if you use multiple browsers.

• Google Chrome keeps Flash updated automatically, so assuming Chrome is working properly and updating automatically, so will Adobe Flash.
• Mozilla Firefox doesn't keep Flash updated as Firefox updates, so you'll need to update Flash when prompted on your computer or download and install the latest versions as they become available.
• Edge & Internet Explorer (IE) in Windows 10 and Windows 8 will keep Flash updated through Windows Update. You may need to manually check for and install updates. In versions of Windows older than Windows 10 and 8, however, Flash is updated in IE from the Adobe Flash download center, just like with Firefox.
• Safari doesn't keep Flash updated. You update Flash on a Mac when there's a prompt for a Flash update, or by downloading and installing Flash Player manually. So, updating Safari doesn't update Flash.

Other browsers not listed usually follow the same rules outlined for Mozilla Firefox.