It’s not like anyone expected Microsoft would want to keep Flash around for a single second after Adobe finally ends support for its outdated online multimedia standard, but today’s announcement from Redmond truly shows how Microsoft is leaving nothing to chance.
And so it has came up with a pedantically devised step-by-step roadmap for taking Flash off life support at long last. The fateful day will be December 31st, which is when the last few Microsoft-developed apps that still support the standard will officially ditch it. This primarily concerns all modern iterations of the Microsoft Edge browser, but do not forget Internet Explorer 11 is still a thing, as well.
And yes, that software relic will also be dumping Flash come New Year’s Eve. The discontinuation means Microsoft will be scrapping any sign of Flash API support from its app portfolio, in addition to blocking Flash by default on an OS level on Windows 10 machines. This end of an era has been over three years in the making as Adobe originally announced the decision to completely sunset Flash back in July of 2017.
Note that this move will also mean you won’t be able to get any sort of tech support from Microsoft staffers about issues in any way related to Adobe’s seasoned – albeit deeply flawed – multimedia standard.
