How to disable Flash in all browsers

I am currently working in a team where we are replacing an older Flash implementation of a product with a shiny new HTML5 version. Quite often we find ourselves needing to disable Flash in many different browsers as we run through the testing process with the new product. I often forget how to do this because there are so many browsers, so I thought that compiling a list of instructions for each browser might come in handy for other developers and testers out there too.

Google Chrome

Let's begin with Google Chrome. In your address bar type "about:plugins". This will bring up a page that displays all the plugins that you have installed for Google Chrome. Generally, the first plug-in on the list is Adobe Flash player, so you can simply disable it there.

Internet Explorer 9

Flash can be easily disabled in Internet Explorer using the settings menu. Click on the settings “cog" in the top right hand corner of the browser and choose "Manage add-ons".

Next, click on "Toolbars and Extensions" and choose "Shockwave Flash Object". In the bottom right hand corner of the pop up window is a button that allows you to disable the Flash add-on.

Firefox

Firefox has an easy to access menu that you can use to disable Flash. Start by clicking the "Firefox" menu in the top left hand corner and selecting "Add-ons".

You will be presented with a screen that looks similar to the image below:

If you browse through the list of plugins, you will notice the Shockwave Flash plugin. This can be easily disabled with the enable/disable button that is located next to it.

Safari

Disabling Flash in Safari is a little trickier than the other browsers and always seems to catch me out. In the top right hand corner of the browser is a settings "cog". Click this and choose "Preferences".

Next, you will need to navigate to the "Security" tab on the menu.

There is no option to disable individual plug-ins, so you will need to uncheck the checkbox and disable all plugins.

Opera

The final browser on this list is Opera. Disabling Flash in Opera is a very simple process. Simply hit F12 and you will be presented with a menu similar to the image below.

Simply uncheck "Enable plug-ins" and flash will no longer run in the browser. This list of browsers is far from complete and there are a few more browsers that I would like to add to this list. Please feel free to suggest more browsers and I will get them added to the list!