Microsoft's plans to offer users of its Edge browser more control over the power and resources consumed by Adobe's Flash. With the Anniversary Update to Windows 10, Microsoft Edge will auto-pause content that is not central to the web page. Windows Insiders can preview this feature starting with Windows 10 build 14316.

Microsoft said that peripheral content like animations or advertisements built with Flash will be displayed in a paused state unless the user explicitly clicks to play that content. This would reduce power consumption and improve performance while preserving the full fidelity of the page. Flash content that is central to the page, like video and games, will not be paused.

Flash has been an integral part of the web for decades, enabling rich content and animations in browsers since before HTML5 was introduced. In modern browsers, web standards pioneered by Microsoft, Adobe, Google, Apple, Mozilla, and many others are now enabling sites to exceed those experiences without Flash and with improved performance and security.

Microsoft encourages the web community to continue the transition away from Flash and towards open web standards.

"Standards like Encrypted Media Extensions, Media Source Extensions, Canvas, Web Audio, and RTC offer a rich way to deliver similar experiences with increased performance and security," said John Hazen, Principal Program Manager Lead, Microsoft Edge.