Installing Flash on Ubuntu

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Want Flash 9?
If you already have Flash 7 installed on Ubuntu but want the latest Flash, go to this tutorial

Want Flash 7?
You don't have Flash at all? Well, that's what this tutorial is about. There are basically three different ways to install Flash in Ubuntu, and here they are.

Local Installation
If you're the only user on your machine, there may not be a reason to install Flash systemwide.

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To install it locally, just visit a website that requires Flash. For this example, I'm visiting the website for the Rhode Island School of Design.

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Click the Install Missing Plugins button. An Available Plugin Downloads dialogue will appear. Click Next to go to the next step.

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Check the I agree box for the Adobe Software End User License Agreement. Then click Next

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Wait for Flash to download.

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Click Finish

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Now Flash is installed, and you should be able to view the website that requires it.

Quick Terminal Installation
If you're not afraid of copying and pasting commands into the terminal, you can copy and paste these commands in to install Flash a bit more quickly (and system-wide; not just for your user):

wget -c http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/f/flashplugin-nonfree/flashplugin-nonfree_7.0.63.3ubuntu3_i386.deb
wget -c http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/g/gsfonts-x11/gsfonts-x11_0.17ubuntu4_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i gsfont*.deb
sudo dpkg -i flash*.deb

This is what it'll look like in action:

username@ubuntu:~$ wget -c http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/f/flashplugin-nonfree/flashplugin-nonfree_7.0.63.3ubuntu3_i386.deb
--23:20:15-- http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/f/flashplugin-nonfree/flashplugin-nonfree_7.0.63.3ubuntu3_i386.deb
=> `flashplugin-nonfree_7.0.63.3ubuntu3_i386.deb'
Resolving archive.ubuntu.com... 195.248.90.54, 195.248.90.23
Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com|195.248.90.54|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 16,492 (16K) [application/x-debian-package]

100%[====================================>] 16,492 43.28K/s

23:20:16 (43.14 KB/s) - `flashplugin-nonfree_7.0.63.3ubuntu3_i386.deb' saved [16492/16492]

username@ubuntu:~$ wget -c http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/g/gsfonts-x11/gsfonts-x11_0.17ubuntu4_all.deb
--23:20:16-- http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/g/gsfonts-x11/ gsfonts-x11_0.17ubuntu4_all.deb
=> `gsfonts-x11_0.17ubuntu4_all.deb'
Resolving archive.ubuntu.com... 195.248.90.54, 195.248.90.23
Connecting to archive.ubuntu.com|195.248.90.54|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 9,402 (9.2K) [application/x-debian-package]

100%[====================================>] 9,402 48.35K/s

23:20:17 (48.18 KB/s) - `gsfonts-x11_0.17ubuntu4_all.deb' saved [9402/9402]

username@ubuntu:~$ sudo dpkg -i gsfont*.deb
Selecting previously deselected package gsfonts-x11.
(Reading database ... 74882 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking gsfonts-x11 (from gsfonts-x11_0.17ubuntu4_all.deb) ...
Setting up gsfonts-x11 (0.17ubuntu4) ...

username@ubuntu:~$ sudo dpkg -i flash*.deb
(Reading database ... 74921 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace flashplugin-nonfree 7.0.63.3ubuntu3 (using flashplugin-nonfree_7.0.63.3ubuntu3_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement flashplugin-nonfree ...
Setting up flashplugin-nonfree (7.0.63.3ubuntu3) ...

username@ubuntu:~$

Ubuntu Configuration

Configuring flashplugin-nonfree

If you are currently connected to the Internet accept here, and install_flash_player_7_linux.tar.gz will automatically be downloaded and installed from Macromedia's web site. If you are not connected to the Internet, you should refuse here. You can install flashplugin later as the root user by running update-flashplugin (8).

Would you like flashplugin to be automatically downloaded and installed from the Internet?

Just answer Yes, and it'll be installed for all users.

Synaptic Package Manager Installation
If you want to install Flash system-wide (for all users), and you are deathly afraid of highlighting four commands, copying them, and then pasting them into the terminal, then you can install Flash graphically using Synaptic Package Manager.

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First, go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager. You'll need to be an admin user (the first user created during installation is an admin--you can always make other users admin too if you go to System > Administration > Users & Groups). Enter your user password when prompted.

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First, you'll have to enable extra repositories to have more software (including Flash) become available. Go to Settings > Repositories.

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Double-click the unchecked (or unticked) boxes next to Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Binary).

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Check (or tick) Non-free (Multiverse) and click OK.

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You'll be told that information needs to be reloaded. Click Close.

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Then, click Reload and you'll see the package information downloading.

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Once Synaptic has checked to see what software is available, click Search and search for the term flash.

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Mark flashplugin-nonfree for installation by right-clicking it and selecting Mark for Installation

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You'll be told you also have to mark another package. Go ahead and Mark it.

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Then, click Apply.

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Wait for the changes to apply.

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Accept the licensing agreement by clicking Forward.

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Wait for Flash to install.

Now it's installed for all users.

If you have suggestions or corrections for these tutorials, please post in this Ubuntu Forums thread or leave a comment on my blog.

I will not give help to people posting in the above places. If you require technical support, start a support thread on the Ubuntu Forums. That is the appropriate place to ask for help.