Microsoft turns Flash on by default for Windows 8 and Windows RT

Since the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT, users haven’t had wide-open access to Adobe Flash content on the web. Microsoft had opted to restrict Flash playback to certain sites that it believed to offer an acceptable “Windows experience for touch.”

That’s changed today, with Microsoft announcing that Flash playback will now be switched on by default for Internet Explorer 10 on both Windows 8 and Windows RT. The change applies to both the immersive and desktop versions of IE10 On Windows 8. Additionally, the IE10 desktop browser on Windows 8 will play all Flash content by default.

Other versions of Internet Explorer 10 will follow a new list. While most content should just play, certain sites that are known to be incompatible will be blacklisted. Microsoft says it’s a small list, but doesn’t offer any specifics. If you happen to stumble across a site that streams video using Flash and it doesn’t work, you’ll know you found an IE10 blacklist entry.

One reason Microsoft cites for making the change now is that web developers have clearly been working hard to make sure their Flash-based apps are working well with Windows 8. Fewer than 4% of the thousands of domains that Microsoft tests for compatibility are still causing issues just six months after the Windows 8 retail launch.

It’s an interesting about-face. Microsoft was accused of trying to put the final nail in the Flash coffin last October, since its whitelisting approach had the potential to create a content delivery nightmare for sites that weren’t quite as well-known as Disney or ESPN. Now, it turns out that Microsoft wants to make sure that more of the web “just works” with Windows 8.