6 Simple Ways to Play SWF Files Without Adobe Flash Player

SWF files were designed to be Flash animations and games embedded in a website and run using Flash Player. Adobe ended its support for Flash Player in December 2020 due to security risks, so no browsers support SWF files anymore. If you still have some old SWF files you want to play, you can download the old Flash Player Projector Content Debugger from the Wayback Machine or use a third-party Flash emulator. If you want to play some classic Flash games and animations, use the Wayback Machine or a Flash archive like BlueMaxima Flashpoint. This wikiHow article teaches you how to open and run SWF files on your computer or Android.

Quick Steps

Go to Archive.org
Search for www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html
Select April 1, 2022 as the date and click a snapshot.
Download and install Flash Player Projector Content Debugger.
Go to File > Open > Browse and select your SWF file.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Using Flash Player Projector Content Debugger

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Download Flash Player Projector Content Debugger from the Wayback Machine. Flash Player Projector Content Debugger is no longer available on Adobe's official website. However, you can still download it from Archive.org. Use the following steps:
- Go to https://web.archive.org/ in a web browser.
- Search for https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html in the bar next to "Wayback Machine" at the top of the page.
- Select 2022 in the timeline and April 1 in the calendar.
- Click either snapshot in the pop-up window and wait for the web page to load.
- Click Download the Flash Player projector content debugger below whichever operating system you are using.
- On a Mac, double-click the DMG file and follow the installation instructions.
If you are using Windows, it will most likely be the "flashplayer_32_sa_debug.exe" file, which can be found in your Downloads folder. If you are using a Mac, it will most likely be in your Applications folder. It has a burgundy icon with a white "f."

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Browse for a SWF file. Use the following steps to browse for an SWF file using the Flash Player Projector Content Debugger.
- Click File in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Open.
- Click Browse.
- Select an SWF file and click Open.
- Alternatively, if the SWF file is on a website, you can enter the URL for the SWF file.
This opens the SWF file.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Using Ruffle

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Go to https://ruffle.rs/#downloads in a web browser. Ruffle is a Flash emulator you can use to play most SWF files. You can download it as a standalone application or as a web browser extension to view Flash websites.
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Click the download link for the operating system you use. It's below the "Latest Nightly Release" header. Click whichever operating system you are using. This will download the Ruffle standalone app in a zip file.
- If the download gets flagged as a potentially dangerous file by your web browser or antivirus software, click the file download in the list of downloads and click the option to continue.
- You can download and install the web browser extension in the web store for Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.
The Ruffle standalone application will be downloaded inside of a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip you just downloaded. By default, your downloaded files can be found in your Downloads folder.
It has an icon that resembles a yellow "r." Navigate to where you extracted the Ruffle app and click it to open Ruffle.
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Click Browse. It's next to the bar labeled "File or URL" in the center of the screen. This opens a file browse.
- Alternatively, you can copy and paste a web URL to an SWF file from the internet.
Navigate to where you have saved an SWF file. Click the file to select it and click Open.
It's in the lower-right corner of the "Open File or URL" window. This starts your SWF file.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Using Newgrounds Player

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Download and install Newgrounds Flash Player. Newgrounds.com used to be one of the biggest hubs of Flash content. After Flash was discontinued, they created their own player so you can continue to enjoy Flash content. Use the following steps to download and install Newgrounds Flash Player:
- Go to https://www.newgrounds.com/flash/player in a web browser.
- Click Click here to download the installer.
- Open the "Install_Newgrounds_Player.msi" file in your Downloads folder.
- Select an installation location and click Next.
- Click Next
- Click Close.
Click the Newgrounds Player icon in the Windows Start menu to open Newgrounds Player. It has an icon that resembles a yellow and orange "NG."
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Browse for an SWF file. Use the following steps to do so:
- Click File in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Load.
- Click browse.
You will see the location of the SWF file next to the "Browse" button.
It's below the bar that lists your SWF file. This lauches the SWF file in Newgrounds Player.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Using Flash Game Archive

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Download and install Flash Game Archive. Flash Game Archive is a free application that aims to preserve old Flash games. It allows you to download and stream classic Flash games and play local SWF files, and you can use it to load your own SWF files. Flash Game Archive is only available for Windows. Use the following steps to download and install Flash Game Archive.
- Go to http://www.flashgamearchive.com/ in a web browser.
- Click Download.
- Click Download again.
- Unzip the contents of the zip folder in your Downloads folder.
You can either download an SWF file from the internet or locate your previously made in Flash. Right-click the SWF file and click Copy.
To do so, open the "Flash_Game_Archive_v3" folder you just downloaded and unziped. Then open the "Flash_Game_Achive_v3_Data" folder. Then open the "FGA_DOWNLOADS" folder and paste the SWF file inside.
To do so, open the "Flash_Game_Archive_v3" folder and double-click the "Flash Game Archive v3.exe" file. It has a burgundy icon with a white "f" that resembles the classic Flash logo.
It's in the upper-right corner. This option lets you play SWF files you downloaded or saved to your computer.
It's the button in the middle of the screen. This displays all the SWF files in the "FGA_DOWNLOADS" folder.
The icon with the checkmark is in the lower-right corner. This will launch the SWF file in Flash Player.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Using Elmedia Video Player Mac

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Download and install Elmedia Video Player. Elmedia Video Player is available for free from the Apple App Store. Use the following steps to download and install Elmedia Video Player:
- Open the App Store.
- Type "Elmedia" in the search bar in the upper-right corner.
- Click GET below "Elmedia Video Player".
- Click Install app below "Elmedia Video Player".
- Enter your Apple ID password and press "Enter."
It's the icon that resembles a magnifying glass in the upper-right corner.
This displays a list of apps on your Mac that match your search.
This opens Elmedia Video Player.
This allows you to continue using the free version of Elmedia Video Player.
It's in the menu bar at the top.
This option is near the top of the File drop-down menu. Doing so opens a Finder window.
Click the SWF's folder on the left side of the Finder window, then click the SWF file.
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Click Open. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will open your SWF file inside of Elmedia Player; if the SWF file is a video file, it will begin playing automatically.
- Not all SWF files can be played in Elmedia Video Player. If the file doesn't open, you will need to use Ruffle or Flash Player Projector Content Debugger

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Using SWF Player for Android

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1
Download and install SWF Player. SWF Player is an Android app that allows you to play SWF files on your Android. To download and install the SWF Player:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Search swf player using the search bar at the top
- Tap SWF Player - Flash File Viewer.
- Tap Install.
Tap the SWF Player icon on your Home screen or apps menu, or tap Open in the Google Play Store when it is finished downloading.
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Tap Local Files or Downloads. If your SWF files are saved to your Downloads folder, tap Downloads. If they are saved to a different folder, tap Local Files.
- The first time you access this feature, you will need to grant SWF Player permission to access the file system on your phone. Tap the toggle switch to allow the SWF Player to access to your phone's file system.
To do so, tap the folder that contains your SWF Files. Then tap the SWF File you want to open.
To do so, tap SWF Player at the bottom of the screen and then select a plug-in. You can play SWF Files using Ruffle, or Adobe Air. Tap either plug-in to play your SWF File.

Community Q&A

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Question

Can I open SWF files with my Windows phone?

Community Answer

Yes, if you have an SWF player or Puffin Browser on your phone, then you can run these files.

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When I put the file into my browser, it downloads a copy of the file. How do I fix this?

Community Answer

Try downloading Flash and Shockwave players for your browser first. You should get them directly from Adobe's official website and not anywhere else. They are free downloads.

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How could I do this on Chrome?

Community Answer

Drag the SWF file to Chrome, or right-click on the SWF file and select Open With > Chrome.

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Tips

If you have any old Flash ".fla" files, you can open them using Adobe Animate.

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Warnings

Mobile platforms like smartphones and tablets don't typically support Flash, meaning that they can't play SWF files with the same reliability as a computer can.

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