Member Avatar for pingpong08

Hi i recently got a macbook so far it's been alright, but then i found out that i can't use the Shockwave player.... i tried googling to find out how to download the player, but i cannot find any useful answers.
Could somebody please help me here?

Thanks in advance

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Dani AI

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This thread is useful historical context: correctly pointed out the emulation workaround available in 2008 and was right that many browser games used Shockwave. For anyone reading years later: the landscape changed — Shockwave Player is no longer a viable, supported browser plugin on modern systems, and relying on it on a current Mac or current browser is not recommended.

Practical options that still work today (in decreasing order of convenience and safety):

  • Run the legacy content inside a virtual machine. Create a snapshot-capable VM (VirtualBox, Parallels, VMware Fusion), install an older Windows or legacy macOS build and a browser that still accepts legacy plugins, then install Shockwave inside the VM. Keep the VM isolated from your main files and network, take a clean snapshot after setup, and revert to it when needed to limit security exposure.
  • Ask the software vendor for a modern build or native version (particularly relevant for paid language programs). Many publishers reissued or ported content when possible; vendors can also supply offline installers or replacement formats.
  • Check digital-preservation projects and archives. Some historic Shockwave games and demos have been archived or reimplemented using emulation or porting work; those projects are safer than installing deprecated plugins on a live system.

If the Adobe guide you followed mentioned a “General” mode you could not find (as experienced), that mismatch usually comes from differences in OS X versions or from instructions that target the Finder/application-level info rather than the browser preferences. The precise compatibility switches and UI elements changed across macOS releases, so old KB steps do not always map to modern UI.

Cautions: EOL plugins are unpatched and risky. Do not install deprecated Shockwave on your main machine; prefer isolated VMs or vendor-supplied updates.

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Member Avatar for pingpong08

hi joeprogrammer i viewed that but i still dont understand it. Is there anything else besides that? and can you switch back later from the Rosetta emulation mode? do i have to do that everytime i want to use shockwave?

Member Avatar for John A

As you might already know, Macs were previously PowerPC-based, and in the last few years or so they've brought in the new Macs with Intel chipsets. What this essentially meant is that all software written for PowerPC-based Macs had to be rewritten to be compatible with the new Intel Macs. The problem right now is that Shockwave hasn't been rewritten for the Intel Macs (yet).

However, Apple included an emulation technology in the new Macs which would help with backwards-compatibility issues, called Rosetta. It is possible to run Shockwave under Rosetta, however, it requires running on a web browser that is also running on Rosetta. What this means for you is that you'll have to run Safari (or Firefox, if you prefer) in Rosetta mode not only to install, but every time you wish to use Shockwave player. It's not a great solution, but it's the best one that's available to you at the moment.

Member Avatar for jbennet

but theres shockwave for x86 BSD so why not for OSX?

Member Avatar for John A

>but theres shockwave for x86 BSD
News to me. It's not even available for Linux (which at least can run Adobe Flash natively).

Member Avatar for pingpong08

Thanks so much joeprogrammer! I understand it now
I hope they have thoughts of updating their player software.. and hopefully sometime soon. or maybe a macbook wasnt a great choice for me :S

Member Avatar for John A

I don't think I've ever needed Shockwave Player, not even once. Most of the dynamic, colorful websites use Flash, which works quite well on the Intel Macs. And Shockwave Player doesn't even seem to be a huge priority for Adobe at the moment (probably for the reason mentioned above), although the way they write their article, they seem to imply they will port it eventually.

Member Avatar for jbennet

shockwave is needed for a lot of games

Member Avatar for pingpong08

jbennet is right.
I used Shockwave for online games (some that i payed for..) I also need Shockwave for a language learning program :(
Their guide doesn't even work, i don't have any modes under my 'General' tab

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