Flash is still used to broadcast videos, even though it is old technology. It is an in-built feature in the Chrome browser. To support video services, every system includes Flash as a built-in technology.
According to many users, Shockwave Flash routinely crashes in Chrome under Windows 10, independent of the page or type of content being watched. Unlike other browsers that rely on the host system to accomplish streaming content, Google Chrome uses an in-built shockwave flash.
After further investigation, we discovered that the error “Shockwave flash has crashed” in Google Chrome is caused by a conflict with Adobe Flash Player, among other things. So, learn why you’re having trouble and how to resolve this vexing issue.
What Does The Error “Shockwave Flash Has Crashed” In Google Chrome Mean?
Flash is dwindling in popularity as it transitions out of most systems. Android hasn’t utilized this technology in a long time, whereas iOS has never used it. Adobe continued to support Flash until the end of the year 2020.
Since two Flash versions operated simultaneously on older Windows versions, crashes like these would occur. In addition to Chrome’s version of Flash, most PCs have a pre-installed, packaged with other software, or downloaded from Adobe’s website version of Flash.
The two Flash versions would collide, causing the browser to crash and become unresponsive.
However, since Google Chrome became clever enough to disable itself when it detects a system-wide Flash installation, this should no longer be a problem. However, this is only true if you have a recent enough version of Chrome.
What Causes The Error “Shockwave Flash Has Crashed” In Chrome In Windows 10?
This article will offer a list of efficient troubleshooting steps if you’re currently experiencing this problem. Below is a list of techniques that other affected customers have used to remedy the problem. Please go through each possible solution until you find one that works. Let’s get started.
- Chrome Add-Ons Conflict
Add-ons are Google Chrome extensions that enable you to do more with your browser or improve your user experience. AdBlock, for instance, is an ad-blocking add-on. Extensions can be manually installed or installed by other programs on your system.
It’s possible that one of your add-ons is broken or interferes with your browser or other add-ons for some reason, resulting in the error “Shockwave Flash has crashed“.
To see whether this is your issue, briefly disable all of your add-ons and see if the problem goes away. If that’s the case, one of your add-ons is most likely to blame, and all you have to do now is find out which one.
- Outdated Adobe Flash Version
Flash has reached the end of its useful life, and Adobe no longer supports it. Chrome, on the other hand, has embraced HTML5 with newer upgrades. It could be why you can no longer enjoy services from Shockwave flash.
- Outdated Windows
If you’re using an insider build, there’s a chance you’re experiencing a bug that’s causing your Shockwave Flash to crash. Many users have reported Flash issues with versions 10130 and 10147. Whether you haven’t yet installed the most recent updates, we strongly advise you to do so and see if the problem goes away.
- Outdated Network Drivers
It’s usually due to a lack of network adapter driver, outdated driver software, or a driver conflicting with the system. You may encounter this issue when you update Windows systems or have neglected to update the network driver for a long time. In this instance, we first need to inspect the network adapter driver on your machine.
- Conflicting Issues
Chrome, unlike other browsers, contains an integrated Flash plugin that can clash with an external flash player in specific instances. Another way, the Adobe Flash version clashes with the browser’s Flash.
13 Best Fixes for Shockwave Flash have Crashed In Chrome
Now that you’ve determined what’s causing the “Shockwave flash has crashed“ error in Chrome, let’s explore some quick fixes.
- Restart your PC
- Turn off Chrome add-ons
- Disable Hardware Acceleration
- Update Your Graphics Driver
- Update Or Reinstall Google Chrome
- Clear The Browser Data Of Google Chrome
- Check For Conflicting Software
- Scan For Malware Or Virus
- Modify Flash Settings In Chrome
- Run The Google Software Removal Tool
- Change Headphone Settings
- Update Windows
- Use Another Browser
1. Restart Your PC
First, go by the old-school method and restart your PC. If your Shockwave flash issue is because of your PC or the application lagging, this technique will resolve the problem. But if it doesn’t, we have a list of methods you can try to run the application again.
To do so:
- Click on the windows option in your display’s far left bottom corner.
- Press the power button and click on the restart option.
Hopefully, you’ll have a functioning Flash application when your PC restarts.
2. Turn off Chrome add-ons
If Google Chrome does not crash or become unresponsive when your extensions are disabled, you can assume one of them is to blame. If you find that one of the extensions is causing the Flash crashes, we’ll re-enable each one to see which is creating the problem.
Here’s how to do it:
- Choose the three-dot menu option (located in the upper-right corner of Chrome).
- Select More Tools, then Extensions from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, type chrome:/extensions/ into the address bar and click Enter.
- Chrome’s extensions are listed on the Extensions page. The extension is enabled or disabled by a blue or grey toggle switch.
- Select the blue toggle switch until it turns grey to disable an extension. Select the grey toggle switch until it turns blue to allow an extension.
Note: On a Mac, you can also access the extensions settings by selecting the menu bar, selecting Chrome> Preferences, and selecting Extensions from the Chrome Settings menu.
3. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration is a browser feature that assigns all visuals and text rendering to the GPU, resulting in an excellent video-watching and playing experience.
However, it can also be the cause of the Shockwave Flash has crashed/is not responding issue. So, we’ll turn off the feature to see if the problem goes away:
- Click the three vertical dots button in Chrome’s upper-right corner > Settings.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Advanced.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and uncheck the box next to Use hardware acceleration when available in System.
- Relaunch Chrome and see if the video content now loads correctly.
4. Update Your Graphics Driver
If your graphics card driver is outdated, you may occasionally receive “The following plugin has crashed: Shockwave Flash” warning messages. Using a specialist driver management program like Bit Driver Updater is the best method to fix the problem.
This software will update your obsolete and damaged graphics device drivers, allowing your PC to run quicker and smoother.
Else, you can also update drivers manually.
5. Update Or Reinstall Google Chrome
Make sure Google Chrome is clever enough to deactivate the built-in Flash version if another system-wide Flash is activated.
Please remember that prior versions of Google Chrome would compel the use of the built-in Flash player even if the system-wide Flash player were active.
This would result in crashes, periods of inactivity, and general browser instability. If this is causing the crash, updating your browser to the newest version should cure the problem.
Here’s how to update Chrome to the latest version quickly:
- Open Google Chrome and go to the top-right edge of the screen to the action button (three-dot icon).
- Go to Help and then About Google Chrome from the action panel.
- Wait until the process verifies if you have the most recent version accessible in the Help Window. Suppose you don’t, install the newest version by following the on-screen instructions.
- Restart Google Chrome after the update is finished to see if Shockwave Flash crashes again. If the problem persists, try the following method down below.
6. Clear The Browser Data Of Google Chrome
When web browsers are overburdened with data saved in cache memories and postdated cookies, they are prone to malfunction. Due to this, you may lose some passwords and other data, so we recommend making a backup. To complete this step,
- Launch Chrome.
- In the top-right corner, click the three dots.
- Select More Tools, then Clear Browsing Data and Double-Check All Points.
- After that, you’ll need to sign in to your Google accounts.
- Check to see whether the issue has been resolved.
7. Check For Conflicting Software
Some applications on your system can cause Google Chrome to break if it conflicts with it. This covers spyware and network-related software that causes Google Chrome to malfunction.
A concealed page in Google Chrome will tell users if any application on their computer will likely clash with Google Chrome. Go to Chrome’s address bar and type chrome:/conflicts to get to it.
For a list of software that causes Chrome to crash, go to Google’s website and look at the Software that Causes Chrome to Crash page. On this page, you can also find instructions for resolving issues with some clashing software.
If you have any conflicting programs on your system, you should upgrade them, deactivate them, or remove them.
8. Scan For Malware Or Virus
The existence of any malware in the system can sometimes create shockwave flash crash issues and a variety of other problems and errors.
You may check your machine thoroughly and extensively using effective and powerful antivirus protection. You may use malware removal tools to remove malicious software from your computer.
With the assistance of the Chrome browser options, you may uninstall unwanted apps or viruses from your system and clear the Chrome browser of any interfering programs that lead to errors in various ways and degrade the customer experience.
You can either go to the Google Chrome help center or follow the procedures below:
- Select More from the Chrome menu.
- Then go to Settings and select Advanced from the drop-down menu.
- “Reset and Clean Up” is an option you’ll find.
- You can then select “Reset Settings” after selecting “Restore settings to their original defaults.”
- A new “Clean Up Computer” feature appears underneath the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option.
- This option will successfully remove all malware from your system.
When you do this and restart Chrome after resetting Chrome, it will remove all problem-causing apps, and Chrome will no longer crash.
9. Modify Flash Settings In Chrome
The Flash plugin is already present in Chrome but is disabled by default; you must enable Flash in Chrome’s Flash settings.
- Go to the Settings menu in Google Chrome.
- Click “Privacy and security” at the page’s bottom.
- Select Site Settings Flash from the drop-down menu.
- “Block sites from running Flash (recommended)” is a default toggle set to the off position. Turn it on so that it says, “Ask first.”
Instead of banning Flash Player, Chrome will now ask for your permission to play it whenever you visit a page that requires it. However, your preferences will only be effective until you close Google Chrome. So remember to come back and reset it after that.
10. Run The Google Software Removal Tool
Google has just released a new tool that enables you to clean up your Chrome browser and remove anything obstructing regular operation. To get started:
- Go to www.google.com/chrome/srt/
- Select the Download Now button.
- It will ask you to reset your website when it resumes, which can be quite helpful in avoiding crashes and other issues.
11. Change Headphone Settings
If you’re only receiving Flash crashes in your browser when you’re wearing headphones, you might be able to solve the problem by tweaking the Sound menu settings.
One user who was only experiencing the issue while wearing a headset could cure the problem by enabling Dolby Audio and changing the Quality Format. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish it:
- To open a Run box, press the Windows key + R. Then, type “
mmsys.CPL“Press Enter to bring up the Sound menu in the Run box. - Go to the Playback section in the Sound panel, right-click on your headset, and select Properties.
- Adjust the sound quality to 2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 Hz using the drop-down menu beneath Default Format on the Advanced tab (CD Quality).
Note: If a Dolby Audio tab appears, expand it and enable the option.
- To make the changes take effect, click Apply and restart your computer.
- Use your headset correctly on the next startup to test if the Flash failures in Chrome have been rectified.
12. Update Windows
If you’re using an insider build, there’s a chance you’re experiencing a bug that’s forcing your Shockwave Flash to crash. Many users have reported Flash issues with versions 10130 and 10147.
Whether you haven’t yet installed the most recent updates, we strongly advise you to do so and see if the problem goes away.
Here’s a fast method to keeping your Windows 10 computer up to date:
- To open a Run box, press Windows key + R. To open Windows Update, type or paste “
ms-settings:windowsupdate” and press Enter. - Click the Check for Updates option on the Windows Update screen and wait for the probe to finish.
- Follow the on-screen steps to install any non-optional pending updates. Please remember that your computer may restart numerous times if you have many waiting updates. Navigate to the Windows Update menu to see if more updates need to be installed.
- When your Windows version is up to date, reboot and see if the problem has been repaired at the next startup.
13. Use Another Browser
If you’ve gotten this far with no luck, changing your browser is one last option allowing you to play Flash material without crashing. However, this is only true if your issue is limited to Google Chrome (not system-wide).
If you’re willing to give up Chrome in exchange for a more dependable Flash browser, try Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera. Experiment with these browsers to see which is most suitable for your web browsing needs.
Conclusion
Shockwave flash has crashed in Chrome, a frustrating issue many users have experienced. Some customers could solve the problem by reinstalling Windows and stopping Chrome’s regular Shockwave Flash crashes. Although this is a harsh method, completing a repair installation can help to mitigate the harm.
You have it – simple solutions to your Shockwave Flash have crashed in the Google Chrome problem. We hope this article was helpful, and you can now quickly and fast cure the shockwave flash crash bug using the hacks mentioned above.
