Adobe Flash Player For Mac changing settings on its own!

Apple doesn’t routinely monitor the discussions. These are mostly user to user discussions.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem or a suggestion for change. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem/suggested change solved sooner.

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I've been seeing the exact same thing with Adobe Flash Player and the Safari browser since updating to Mac osx El Capitan. I had no idea that by deleting the locally stored data, Safari>Clear History>Clear History, that it's been the cause of Adobe Flash Player's settings to revert to their defaults. I've been scratching my head over this for a long time now, and it still persists. So, I've been checking and often resetting the Flash Player settings back to my preferences multiple times a day, because I do regularly delete all the history, cookies, etc. during and after using the Safari browser.

I posted this issue on Adobe's forum site some months ago, listing it as a bug in previous Flash Player versions. One of the forum moderators at Adobe pushed it on to the Flash Player developers. So, when the latest Flash version came out, 24.0.0.221 I had high hopes the issue would be resolved, but it has not been.

So, is it a problem within Safari or Flash, or both?

Whichever it is, it seems to me Apple and Adobe need to collaborate on fixing this ongoing problem. Despite the fact that Apple would like to see Flash Player disappear forever (because it is so hackable and therefore a security issue), many of us that watch videos online, require Flash Player to make many of them play. There's no excuse for this to still be happening.

Note to Apple: Mac users still need Java, Javascript, and Flash Player, for many reasons, not just for video playing, and likely will continue to do so for a long time.

Yes Eric, I know Apple doesn't read these forums. I was just being cheeky. 😝

Thanks for the feedback link though. I already had it booked marked, but hadn't reported it just yet. Will do so over my lunch break.

All that is for others who are having the same issue though to know what to do, and now you have also provided how to send them feedback. Well appreciated!

You're a champ here.

Please select

 ▹ System Preferences… ▹ Flash Player ▹ Advanced ▹ Delete All...

In the sheet that opens, check the box marked

Delete All Site Data and Settings

then click Delete Data. Close the preference pane.

A

Back up all data before proceeding.

This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership, permissions, and access controls to the default. If you've intentionally set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it, but you do need to follow the instructions below.

Step 1

If you have more than one user, and the one in question is not an administrator, then go to Step 2.

Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:

sudo find ~ $TMPDIR.. -exec chflags -h nouchg,nouappnd,noschg,nosappnd {} + -exec chown -h $UID {} + -exec chmod +rw {} + -exec chmod -h -N {} + -type d -exec chmod -h +x {} + 2>&-

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.

You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.

The command may take several minutes to run, depending on how many files you have. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear, then quit Terminal.

Step 2 (optional)

Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1, if you prefer not to take it, or if it doesn't solve the problem.

Start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select

Utilities ▹ Terminal

from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. In that window, type this:

resetp

Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:

resetpassword

Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.

Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.

Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.

Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.

Select

 ▹ Restart

from the menu bar.

B

"CleanMyMac" is a scam and a common cause of instability and poor performance. Depending on what version you have, the developer's instructions may not completely remove it. Follow those instructions, then do as below.

Back up all data before proceeding.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

from the contextual menu.* A folder may open with an item selected. If it does, move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.

Repeat with this line:

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent

Restart the computer and empty the Trash.

You may also have to remove one or more of these items in the same way:

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac.helperTool.plist

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac.volumeWatcher.plist

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

Never again install "CleanMyMac" or anything like it.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

What you are objecting to is the default settings of Flash. You can change those settings, but if you then delete the settings file, the settings will indeed revert to their defaults. Only Adobe can change the defaults.

Hi, i have this problem to with maverick, I've had this problem for a month or so, when resetting safari, settings changes in flash player settings. So its not only with El Capitan.

@Backto**********

That was my solution also, i simply deleted flash player, I definitely didnt like the fact it turned settings on for all the settings I had turned off.

There is something wrong with Flash that its preference settings change on their own back to Adobe's defaults after the user meticulously sets them for greater security. I have not found that clearing Safari history and cookies is the cause of this. It should not be happening.

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