At the end of 2020, Adobe will officially kill Flash. Microsoft is taking a pre-emptive strike though by using an optional Windows Update to both uninstall and block Flash from being reinstalled. However, it's not doing a very thorough job.
As Bleeping Computer reports, the update is available through the Microsoft Catalog and removes the version of Adobe Flash Player bundled with Windows 10. The description for the update states, "This update will remove Adobe Flash Player from your Windows machine." Once installed, it cannot be uninstalled, but Flash does remain available to use afterwards depending on your setup.
It seems the update doesn't check to see if Flash has been installed using Adobe's standalone installer, meaning if you have ever installed Flash Player manually, it remains available to use. Web browsers can also have a Flash Player component installed, and these also remain available after the update.
If you have no intention of using Flash again (and why would you?), the Windows Update to remove it is worthwhile simply to make your system a bit more secure. However, it's worth checking if the Flash Player is installed as an app as well and removing it through Settings > Apps once the Windows Update is complete. If it's not already, it should be easy to disable or remove the Flash component from your web browser of choice.
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