• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechChanging Face of Security

Yes, Google Chrome Is Dumping Adobe Flash This Year

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 10, 2016, 12:35 PM ET
Google Chrome
BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 03: Posed scene on the topic google chrome, photo lens in front of the google chrome company logo on September 03, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)Thomas Trutschel—Photothek via Getty Images

The end is nigh for Adobe Flash.

Google (GOOG) Chrome plans to kick the software, known for its bugginess and perennial security flaws, to the curb this year. The team behind the popular web browser reiterated its commitment to ditching Adobe’s (ADBE) multimedia-friendly tool by 2017 in a blog post on Tuesday.

The Chrome browser will begin blocking the majority of the web’s Flash—more than 90%—next month, the company said. By December, the browser will make Flash’s replacement, HTML5, a markup language for displaying media on web pages, its default. (Sites that support only Flash will require a person’s permission to run.)

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Anthony LaForge, the Chrome team’s point person for Flash and author of the blog post, credited Adobe’s software for helping to make the Internet a livelier place. “Adobe Flash Player played a pivotal role in the adoption of video, gaming and animation on the Web,” he said. But the time has come for a new technology to shine, he added.

LaForge said that HTML5 offers “improved security, reduced power consumption and faster page load times.” Aside from having to click the occasional checkbox on Flash-only sites, “the only change you’ll notice is a safer and more power-efficient browsing experience,” he wrote.

 

For more on Google Chrome killing Adobe Flash, watch:

The deprecation of Adobe Flash has been a long time coming. Google (GOOGL) began the process of banning Flash-based ads last fall, got serious about it intentions to eliminate them earlier this year, and already published roadmaps for the ultimate phase out.

Google is not alone. Other browsers, like Mozilla’s Firefox, followed suit. Even Adobe has recognized the writing on the wall.

High-profile technologists have bashed the buggy software, too. Facebook’s (FB) chief security officer Alex Stamos got vocal about the need to dump Flash last year. He echoed complaints once voiced by the late Apple (AAPL) founder Steve Jobs, who famously denied enabling it on products like the iPhone.

According to data from the Irvine, Calif.-based analytics firm Net Applications, Google Chrome boasts roughly half of the browser market share on desktops as well as tablets and phones. The runner-up, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Internet Explorer claims about 30% on both.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

sam altman
AIOpenAI
Sam Altman tells staff at an all-hands that OpenAI is negotiating a deal with the Pentagon, after Trump orders the end of Anthropic contracts
By Sharon GoldmanFebruary 27, 2026
9 hours ago
Future of Workthe future of work
Have good taste? It may just get you a job during the AI jobs apocalypse, says Sam Altman
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 27, 2026
9 hours ago
CybersecurityMeta
Trump’s FTC backs off social media regulation despite finding that nearly 20% of America’s children are online for 4 hours or more
By Catherina GioinoFebruary 27, 2026
10 hours ago
Emil Michael smirks
AIAnthropic
Emil Michael, the Silicon Valley exec turned Trump official leading the war against Anthropic, has deep ties to the tech world
By Lily Mae LazarusFebruary 27, 2026
10 hours ago
AIMilitary
Trump orders U.S. government to stop using Anthropic but gives Pentagon six months to phase it out while Hegseth adds supply-chain risk designation
By Jason MaFebruary 27, 2026
11 hours ago
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
The battle over WBD left three big winners on Wall Street—while the thousands who lost out will remain behind the scenes
By Geoff ColvinFebruary 27, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt robot vacuum maker iRobot says Elon Musk’s vision of humanoid robot assistants is ‘pure fantasy thinking’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
'The Pitt': a masterclass display of DEI in action 
By Robert RabenFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
It’s more than George Clooney moving to France: America is becoming the ‘uncool’ country that people want to move away from
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 27, 2026
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Jeff Bezos says being lazy, not working hard, is the root of anxiety: ‘The stress goes away the second I take that first step’
By Sydney LakeFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
24 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.