This article will guide you with different steps on how to enable flash on Windows 8 IE.
Windows 8 continues to remain a mystery in itself. Just when you get a solution to one problem, another one is waiting right on your door. And this time, it is Windows 8 Metro Internet Explorer to be blamed.
It came to our notice that Flash support for IE on Windows 8 and Windows RT has been kept limited by the Microsoft. But, Why ? Just like everyone else is trying to follow Apple, Microsoft does the same. Following the rule from the Apple’s dictionary, Microsoft decide and controls for which web pages flash is to be used on Metro Internet Explorer in Windows 8.
While this problem cannot be seen in the Internet Explorer on Desktop mode, but what if you desire to browse a flash-enabled website on your Windows RT based tablet ? Well, you’ve got two option in that case. Either sit back and cry to Microsoft to enable Flash-support for your website, or follow XDA Developers , where developer Marvin s has come up with simple hack to resolve this issue.
How does the hack works?
Before we show you how to do it, you must know how it works. In the Metro UI Internet Explorer for Windows RT and Windows 8, Microsoft has decided to provide limited Flash support by using the concept of whitelist, where only the websites listed within the whitelist will be allowed to display Flash content. The List is being updated continuously and then your browser is synched with server to have the latest version of the file.
Now if you want to enable Flash for a specific website, you just have to tweak into this file and create a new entry for it using the notepad. As simple as that. So you require nothing outside of the system.
How to Enable Flash for Metro Internet Explorer?
First of all, we need to un-synchronize Internet Explorer from the Microsoft server, by changing its behavior. To do the same, go to Desktop and open the Internet Explorer and go to Tools → Compatibility View Settings.
On the Compatibility View Settings Menu, Unmark ‘Download update compatibility lists from Microsoft’.
Now follow the instruction given below
1. Go to the path : “ %HOMEPATH%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\IECompatData\” and open the file ‘iecompatdata.xml’.
Also, You can also open the file directly through Run dialog box :
Press Windows key +R to open the Run dialog box and copy the following link :
notepad “%HOMEPATH%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\IECompatData\iecompatdata.xml”
2. Once you’ve open the file, find the meta tags <Flash> & </Flash>. All the website mentioned between these meta tags is allowed to display the Flash content. Add the URL for the desired website, save changes and close the file.
3. The last step is to delete the browser history to prevent it from caching. To do the same, Go to Settings → Internet options → Delete Browsing History.
Bingo!!!! You’re done. Now all the websites you’ve added to the list will be allowed to show Flash content on Metro Internet Explorer in Windows RT and Windows 8.
