{"id":436,"date":"2005-06-29T16:46:00","date_gmt":"2005-06-29T11:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/29\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:35:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:05:52","slug":"save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Save Flash Animations from Websites and Play Them in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How can you <strong>save Flash animation<\/strong> from a website? In 2005 the trick was to dig the .swf file out of Internet Explorer&#8217;s Temporary Internet Files folder, because right-clicking a Flash movie only showed Settings and About Macromedia Flash Player. Adobe ended Flash Player at the end of 2020, and browsers no longer run Flash at all. But old animations and games are not lost. Here is how to save SWF files and play them safely in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63483\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/save-flash-animation.webp\" alt=\"How to save and play Flash animations in 2026\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/save-flash-animation.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/save-flash-animation-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/save-flash-animation-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/save-flash-animation-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/save-flash-animation-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> To save a Flash animation, open the page, press F12 for developer tools, go to the Network tab, reload, filter by &#8220;swf&#8221; and open or save the file. To play it, use the free Ruffle Flash emulator, which runs SWF files in your browser or on your desktop. Thousands of preserved animations and games are also available through Flashpoint Archive and the Internet Archive.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad54ebef401b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad54ebef401b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#What_happened_to_Flash\" >What happened to Flash?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#How_to_save_a_Flash_SWF_file_from_a_website\" >How to save a Flash (SWF) file from a website<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#How_to_play_saved_Flash_animations\" >How to play saved Flash animations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#Do_not_install_old_Flash_Player\" >Do not install old Flash Player<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#Turning_Flash_animations_into_video\" >Turning Flash animations into video<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#The_2005_Internet_Explorer_method\" >The 2005 Internet Explorer method<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#Can_I_still_play_Flash_games_in_2026\" >Can I still play Flash games in 2026?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#What_is_an_SWF_file\" >What is an SWF file?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/06\/save-shockwave-flash-animation-on-web-sites\/#Is_Ruffle_safe\" >Is Ruffle safe?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_Flash\"><\/span>What happened to Flash?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Adobe stopped supporting Flash Player on 31 December 2020 and began blocking Flash content from running in January 2021. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all removed the plugin. Websites that still embed SWF files now show an empty box unless they use an emulator. If you run a site with old Flash content, see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2011\/07\/convert-flash-swf-files-to-html5\/\">convert Flash SWF files to HTML5<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_save_a_Flash_SWF_file_from_a_website\"><\/span>How to save a Flash (SWF) file from a website<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open the page with the Flash animation in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.<\/li>\n<li>Press <strong>F12<\/strong> (or right-click and choose Inspect) and open the <strong>Network<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n<li>Reload the page so the browser requests the files again.<\/li>\n<li>Type <strong>swf<\/strong> in the filter box to show only Flash files.<\/li>\n<li>Right-click the file and choose <strong>Open in new tab<\/strong>, then save it with Ctrl+S. You can also search the page source (Ctrl+U) for &#8220;.swf&#8221; to find the direct link.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Some old sites load extra SWF files for levels or sounds; save all of them into one folder. Only download content you are allowed to keep for personal use.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_play_saved_Flash_animations\"><\/span>How to play saved Flash animations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ruffle.rs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ruffle<\/a> &#8211; a free, open-source Flash emulator written in Rust. Use the desktop app to open SWF files, or the browser extension to play Flash content on websites. It runs most animations and many ActionScript 1 and 2 games, with ActionScript 3 support improving.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/flashpointarchive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flashpoint Archive<\/a> &#8211; a preservation project with a launcher that plays well over 100,000 Flash games and animations offline.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Internet Archive<\/a> &#8211; its software collection includes playable Flash animations and games in the browser, powered by Ruffle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_not_install_old_Flash_Player\"><\/span>Do not install old Flash Player<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Old Flash Player installers have serious security holes and are no longer patched. Fake &#8220;Flash update&#8221; pop-ups are also a common way to spread malware. Use Ruffle or Flashpoint instead, and if you were tricked into installing something, run a free scan with a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/07\/mcafee-avert-stinger-antivirus-tool\/\">McAfee Stinger<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Turning_Flash_animations_into_video\"><\/span>Turning Flash animations into video<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Want to share an old animation on YouTube or keep it as a video? Play it full screen in Ruffle and record it with a screen recorder such as <a href=\"https:\/\/obsproject.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OBS Studio<\/a>, then trim the clip. Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/07\/free-file-format-conversion-online\/\">free online file converters<\/a> can help change the video format afterwards.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_2005_Internet_Explorer_method\"><\/span>The 2005 Internet Explorer method<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For history fans: in Internet Explorer we opened Tools, Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files, Settings, View Files, sorted by type and copied any &#8220;Shockwave Flash Object&#8221;. If the folder was crowded, we deleted all offline content and reloaded the page so only the new SWF file appeared. Internet Explorer itself has now been retired by Microsoft.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_play_Flash_games_in_2026\"><\/span>Can I still play Flash games in 2026?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, with Ruffle, Flashpoint Archive or the Internet Archive. You do not need Adobe Flash Player.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_an_SWF_file\"><\/span>What is an SWF file?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SWF (Small Web Format or Shockwave Flash) is the file format used by Flash animations and games.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Ruffle_safe\"><\/span>Is Ruffle safe?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ruffle is open source and runs in a secure sandbox, avoiding the security problems of the old Flash Player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can you save Flash animation from a website? In 2005 the trick was to dig the .swf file out&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65254,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436\/revisions\/65254"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}