Microsoft Edge will block Flash content by default

Microsoft continues to make changes in order to make Edge a browser that has greater acceptance by users. Its adoption data is not what Microsoft expected, something that in Redmond has not gone down well and that is leading the company to think of new ways to create a new standard with its proposal.

As we have learned thanks to BetaNews Microsoft Edge will no longer play Flash content, replacing it with HTML5. It is worth remembering that this 2016 has been a black year for the component developed by Adobe, which has seen its failures have been the most exploited in 2016 and how its adoption has been decreasing and present in only 10% of the main websites.

Before reaching this point and from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, there had already been an interesting change in Microsoft Edge. This change is none other than the possibility to pause little relevant Flash content at the discretion of the user, as we already published in Genbeta.

John Hazen, a leading Microsoft Edge programmer, had previously promised to try to “find a future where Flash is no longer needed as a default Microsoft Edge experience.” From what you see, that future is getting closer.

Edge will only use HTML5

From Microsoft say the changes will take effect with the arrival of the next version of Edge , where they will encourage the “transition to HTML5 alternatives offering additional control to the user when loading Flash content.” In other words, you will have to click on the contents to be reproduced.

The way it works is very direct. In the words of Microsoft itself …

Websites that support HMTL5 will default to a clean HTML5 experience. In these cases will not even charge Flash, improving performance, battery life and safety. For websites that still rely on Flash, users will have the opportunity to decide whether they want Flash to load and run, and this preference can be remembered for later visits.

As it happened when Google began to promote HTML5 on Flash, the great webs that still trust the component of Adobe will not be affected initially. However, Microsoft will reduce the number of exceptions it makes over time.

The new version of Microsoft Edge will come as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update, although users who are part of the Insider program will be able to test it in future builds.