Flash Player FAQ
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Top Issues
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Installing Flash Player
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General Issues
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Windows Issues
- The Flash Player installer doesn't list my browser!
- Why doesn't the Flash Player installer install scripting support?
- Can I use Flash Player for Internet Explorer with Mozilla?
- Why does the Mozilla ActiveX Plugin conflict with Flash Player?
- How do I uninstall Flash Player?
- I didn't install Flash Player for Mozilla, so why is it using it?
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Macintosh Issues
- Support Resources
Top Issues
What to do if QuickTime takes over handling Flash content
When you install QuickTime, or change your QuickTime settings, it may take over handling of Flash files. However, this can be fixed quite easily. To stop QuickTime from handling Flash files, do the following:
- Close Mozilla (or Firefox)
- Open the QuickTime Control Panel
- Select "Browser Plug-in" from the dropdown menu
- Open up the MIME Settings dialog
- Make sure "Flash file" is not selected. This is listed under Miscellaneous.
- Click OK, and close the QuickTime Control Panel
- Remove the file pluginreg.dat from your Profile Folder. This file will be recreated next time you start Mozilla
- Remove npqt*.dll from your Mozilla or Firefox plugins folder. These files are not required, and can cause problems when QuickTime is upgraded
After doing this, you may need to reinstall Flash Player. These instructions should be the same for both Windows and MacOS X, with the exception of the last step.
ActiveX Plugin conflicts with Flash Player
The Mozilla ActiveX Plugin will conflict with many other plugins, particularly Flash Player, if it is not configured correctly. Remove the ActiveX Plugin if you do not require it. If you need it, see the Embedded Windows Media in Firefox 1.0.x Guide on the MozillaZine Forums for more information.
Installing Flash Player
How do I install Flash Player on Windows?
On Microsoft Windows, download the Flash Player Installer, and install it.
How do I install Flash Player on Linux?
On Linux, download Flash Player 9. Once downloaded, copy libflashplayer.so to your Mozilla plugins directory and flashplayer.xpt to your Mozilla components directory.
How do I install Flash Player on MacOS?
On MacOS, download and run the Flash Player Installer.
How do I install Flash Player on Solaris?
Flash Player 7 is now available for Solaris on both Sparc and x86. To install it, copy libflashplayer.so and flashplayer.xpt to your browser's plugins directory.
Download: [Solaris (Sparc)] [Solaris (x86)]
How do I install Flash Player on OS/2 Warp?
Flash Player for OS/2 Warp is available from InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH. To install it, launch the installer and follow the instructions.
Note: Flash Player for OS/2 is not free. Licenses cost 20 euro plus applicable taxes at the time of writing, and are available at the Mensys Online Shop.
General Issues
I've installed Shockwave Player. Does this include support for Flash?
No, Shockwave Player does not include Flash support. You will need to install Flash Player seperately.
Keyboard shortcuts can not be used when Flash Player is loaded (full page)
This is a known problem with all plugins, not just Flash Player. There are several bugs filed on this issue. [Bug List]
I do not have Flash Player installed. How can I stop Mozilla from asking to download it?
To stop Mozilla from asking to download Flash Player if it is not installed, you will have to delete the Default Plugin, which is located in your browser's plugins directory. This file is named npnul32.dll on Windows, and libnullplugin.so on Unix-based systems (Linux, Solaris and others). On other operating systems, you can check the file name using about:plugins.
How do I selectively filter out Flash content?
This can be done using a proxy. If you only want to hide it, you can use Adblock.
Windows Issues
The Flash Player installer doesn't list my browser!
Mozilla stores information in the Windows registry, which is used by plugin installers to locate your Mozilla installation directory. If this information does not exist, or is incomplete or incorrect, the Flash Player installer may not be able to find your browser.
If your browser is not shown in the list of available browsers, you can manually select your browser plugins directory by clicking on "Other Browser" and browsing to it. Note that this will not install scripting support.
Why doesn't the Flash Player installer install scripting support?
The Flash Player installer does not install the scripting support file (flashplayer.xpt) for undetected browsers. On some systems, it does not install it for Mozilla Firefox either. This is a known issue with the installer, which may be fixed in a future release.
Can I use Flash Player for Internet Explorer with Mozilla?
No. Flash Player for Internet Explorer is an ActiveX control, which is not supported by Mozilla.
Why does the Mozilla ActiveX Plugin conflict with Flash Player?
When the Mozilla ActiveX Plugin and Flash Player are installed, the ActiveX plugin may attempt to use the Flash Player ActiveX control. This conflicts with the Flash Player plugin, and is also not a supported configuration. Since the ActiveX plugin can cause a number of problems when installed, it is recommended that you either don't install it, or configure it to only use ActiveX controls that you specifically allow (this is the default for Netscape 7.1).
How do I uninstall Flash Player?
To uninstall Flash Player, you can use the Flash Player Uninstaller, or delete npswf32.dll and flashplayer.xpt by hand.
I didn't install Flash Player for Mozilla, so why is it using it?
Mozilla's plugin scanning is locating another copy of Flash Player, using the Netscape 4.x plugin scan. To disable this, open \default\pref\winprefs.js, and uncomment the following line by removing the //.
//pref("plugin.scan.4xPluginFolder", false);Note that this will prevent any plugins from being detected using the Netscape 4.x plugin scan, not just Flash Player. More information about plugin scanning.
Note: In recent Mozilla builds, you will need to edit \greprefs\all.js instead of \default\pref\winprefs.js.
Macintosh Issues
Can I use Flash Player for Internet Explorer with Mozilla?
Yes. Mozilla and Internet Explorer for Macintosh both support and use Netscape plugins.
Support Resources
I have a question that is not answered by this FAQ. Where can I ask it?
If you have a question that is not covered here, please search the MozillaZine forums to see if the problem has been mentioned before. If it hasn't, and the information contained in this FAQ and PluginDoc doesn't help, by all means post to the MozillaZine Forums.
How do I contribute information to this FAQ?
If you wish to contribute information to this FAQ, send an e-mail to Michael Hendy.
