While the majority of websites are moving free of Flash but there are certain websites that have Flash Videos , and you might want to view these videos. So, we’ve listed the steps below to resolve the issue of Flash videos not playing when you use Mac within Safari and Chrome browsers.
Flash Videos Not Playing on Mac
The issue with Flash Videos not playing on Mac is due with macOS not being fully capable of working with Adobe Flash Player and it can be solved by tweaking specific settings in the browser to make Flash Videos run on Mac.
In general you should be able to solve the issue that is causing Flash Videos not playing on Mac by following these methods.
- Install Adobe Flash Player
- Make sure to enable Flash to be enabled in your Web browser
- Make sure to enable JavaScript in the Web browser
- Disable Popup Blocking
- Clear Browser Cache
- Uninstall/Reinstall Adobe Flash Player
NOTE: YouTube does not make use of Flash and you shouldn’t be having any issues playing YouTube Videos on Mac using either Safari or Chrome Browsers.
If you’re having trouble having trouble playing YouTube Videos, make sure you’ve got the latest Version of Safari and Chrome Browsers installed on your Mac.
1. Install Adobe Flash Player on Mac
To be able in playing Flash Videos, you will require downloading and installing the most recent version Adobe Flash Player on your Mac.
If you’re still not doing this it is possible to download and install Adobe Flash Player by going to Adobe’s official Flash Player page.
Important: Make sure you install Flash Player from Adobe’s official website, do not install it from any other web site.
2. Enable Flash in Safari/Chrome Browser
After installing Adobe Flash Player, you may find Flash videos not working on Mac. This is because of the default setting that is available in Safari that permits Flash to be turned on in a site-by-site manner.
This issue can be resolved by going to the Safari Preferences screen , and then turning on Flash Player Player in the plug-ins section.
Click on the Safari tab on the menu bar at the top of Mac and then select Preferences. Then, select Websites, and make sure that Adobe Flash Player Plugin has been chosen for the site (See below for an example).
On the right-hand side of the screen there is an option to activate Flash when you visit other sites. To protect yourself it is advised that you choose the default setting of activating Flash on a site-by-site basis.
If you are using Chrome browser you can turn on Flash Player support by going to the “Privacy and Security” section within Chrome Advanced Settings.
Click on the 3-dots icon at the top right corner. Click on Settings. Scroll down, and then click Advanced. Scroll further down and click on the Content Settings. It is in the “Privacy and Security” section.
Next, click Flash and then toggle on the option to Ask First (recommended).
3. Enable Javascript in Safari and Chrome
To watch Flash Videos, you also require JavaScript in order to play them. JavaScript must be turned on on the web browser. Therefore, ensure that JavaScript is turned on within Safari and Chrome Browser on your Mac.
Click on the Safari tab at the top of the menu bar on Mac and then click Preferences. Then, go to the Security tab, and check the Enable Javascript Option.
If you are using the Chrome browser, click the 3 dots in the menu in the upper-right corner. click Settings. Scroll down until you reach Advanced. After that, scroll down to “Privacy and Security” section and click on Content Settings.
The next page, select JavaScript and turn on the option to allow (Recommended).
4. Disable Popup Blocking in Safari/Chrome
Certain websites won’t permit you to play videos unless you turn off the pop-up blocker option within your web browser. Try disabling popup blockers for the specific site and then see if can access videos.
In Safari you can turn off Popup blocking by going to the Security Section of Safari Preferences screen.
On Chrome you have the option to switch on the option to be Blocking (recommended) in the Popups section, or allow Popups on the specific website by adding the site to the allow list in the Popups section.
Notice: In above image popups are only allowed for websites that are listed in “Allow” section and disabled for all other websites.
5. Clear Browser Cache
If the videos are not working, it’s likely that your internet browser is loading cached pages rather than downloading the most recent ones.
To clean Cache in Chrome to clear the cache, simply click on the three dots icons menu > Tools, and then click on the Clear Browsing Data option.
The next page, ensure you have “Cached images and files” are selected and then click the Clear Data button.
To remove Cache to clear Cache Safari browser, review the following article Methods to clear Safari browser Cache for Mac.
6. Uninstall/Reinstall Adobe Flash Player
This fix is a good option in the event that you are using the latest version Adobe Flash Player as installed on your Mac is corrupted or is out of date.
Download the Flash Player Uninstaller for Mac from Adobe’s official website . Follow the steps to uninstall Flash Player on your Mac.
After you have removed Flash Player, Restart your Mac and download/install the most current version Adobe Flash Player from Adobe’s official website.
