How to Download Embedded Flash Files using your Browser
Today, Flash is everywhere. Animations, music, games, advertisements or even streaming presentations. Speaking of games, here’s a list of site with the best flash games.
The use of Flash plug-ins in browsers is now almost obligatory. Yes, it’s easy to view and enjoy the rich media content delivered by interactive Flash embedded pages. But what if I want to download some of these files as keepsakes? The greatest benefit – I can watch them offline in my own jolly time. Convert them to a format of my choice. Or embed them again in a PowerPoint presentation. Or even transfer them to my mobile phone.
Flash animation files are embedded as SWF (Small Web Format) files in webpages. Rather than depending on any software or a third-party website, downloading Flash content is dead simple. The only tool required is a browser and a bit of patience to do the rummaging around.
Just one note: As we will be heading into the internet cache folders of the respective browsers, it pays to clear it of all old files before navigating to the desired page. It makes the Flash file search a lot easier.
So, here’s how to do it in three of our popular browsers.
Download SWF files using Firefox
- Fire up Firefox and browse to the page which contains the embedded SWF Flash file that you are eyeing to download. Let the SWF file stream through once completely.
- On any empty part of the page, right-click and select the Page Info context menu option. Or alternatively, go to Tools – Page Info.
- Select the Media tab. The Media tab lists all image formats, icons, style sheets and flash files that were rendered by the webpage.
- Look amongst the items to find the particular file with the SWF extension. The type column will show up with an Embed filetype. Highlight the file and click Save as to save the file on your hard drive.
Download SWF files using Internet Explorer
In IE8, we have to head to the Temporary Internet Files folder which stores all rendered files during a browsing session. (It can be directly accessed from here in Windows XP – C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files.)
- Go to the IE Menu bar. Click on Tools – Internet Options.
- On the General tab, click on Settings under Browsing History.
- The Temporary Internet Files and Browsing History box opens up.
- Click on View Files. You will get all the rendered webpage elements in this folder.
- To rummage about effectively amidst the mass of files, choose View – Arrange by Type from the menu. Also go to Tools – Folder Options, and uncheck the Hide extensions for known file types option.
- Seek out your SWF files, copy and then paste it to your preferred location.
Download SWF files using Opera
In Opera, downloaded SWF files can be accessed in two simple ways –
- Type opera:cache in the address bar.
- Go to Tools – Advanced – Cache from the toolbar.
Either way, a huge list of downloaded page elements opens up with their URLs. Search for a file with the .swf extension. Alternatively, you could search (Ctrl+F ) and hunt it down, with swf as the search query.
Right-click on the particular file and choose either Saved Linked Content As or Save to Download Folder to save the SWF file on the hard disk.
After downloading the SWF file, one can use the Adobe Flash Player to view the Flash file or a supported media player like Media Player Classic. Or, an easier way would be to just open it in a browser by right-clicking it and selecting the browser of choice.
These are the ways we can use to single out the Flash files from a webpage. In my experience, I personally have been more comfortable with Firefox than the other two. I am still searching a way perform this in Chrome but it is proving impossible without third-party support. Numerous third-party tools can do the same job better by converting it to a format of your choice. But it always pays to know that you can fall back on a browser alone.
Aibek had the same idea about offline Flash files when he covered How To Download and Play Flash Games Offline in a previous post. That post extends the possibilities of the fun we can have with Flash files.
What about you? Do you let it play on the webpage or do you dig under and take a Flash file offline?
(By) Saikat is a techno-adventurer in a writer's garb. When he is not scouring the net for tech news, you can catch him on his personal blog ruminating about the positves in our world.
Thanks so much for the information. I have been trying to figure this out for a while? What about embedded videos?
For videos embedded in flash you can also try out http://www.vidimonkey.uni.cc
“Flash animation files are embedded as SWF (Small Web Format) files in webpages.”
–i believe that SWF means “Shockwave Flash” file, not small web format file.
good article, though i still prefer to use file2hd.com (thx to whoever wrote the offline flash game tut) because its less complicated
The most simple way to do this is use the Firefox extension Downloadhelper. Easily download just about any media without opening backend windows.
I also use the Downloadhelper extension for Firefox. It really is the simplest way to capture flash video – what could be easier than clicking the extension’s browser icon and saving the flash file?
Shaneecy, SWF was originally called Shockwave Flash but Macromedia changed it to Small Web Format
Nice article, and I am sure this will come in handy for some people
Yes, Mickey…that’s true. But what’s surprising is that this fact is so difficult to establish. In fact, it’s not even mentioned in the SWF specification doc which is 278 pages long!!!
Yeah ! But doesn’t work for some sites, even with software like Orbit that are almost perfect for retrieving content from youtube, or dailymotion.
One problem that is overlooked here is the fact that Flash files have the ability to load content dynamically. For instance, the swf that you save locally may need to load images, text, code or even other swf’s in order to render correctly.
If a Flash developer doesn’t want you getting at the Library or ActionScript, you’re likely going to be left with an empty container that does nothing at all. This is usually the case with games and more complex animations or interactive movies.
You’re right, I’ve seen this in many photo galleries sites, very bad. Anybody has a walkaround for this problem?
Try Flashgot plugin for Firefox
Good tips thanks. I have found that it does not work in all cases though. I sure wish there was a “save as.”
http://baseballtraderumors.com/
Wow, now isnt that amazing!
RT
http://www.online-privacy.vze.com
From “Shockwave Flash” to “Small Web Format” becaure Macromedia acquired it.. Then I guess it should be now called ASWF (Adobe Small Web Format) as Flash is their product now..
Sweat find and share! I have been looking for this hack..
I use my own little method to download embedded flash media, using Adblock Plus (as weird as it sounds) http://yanguang.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/how-to-use-adblock-to-download-media-files/
Thanks for the tip of using adblock
Works perfect for what I needed to download
Safari can do this without any third-party add-on. Just load the window containing the flash file and look under the Activity Window (Manu > Window > Activity) for whatever has a rapidly growing byte count. Double-click that entry and the file will be saved in your download folder.
Thank you for this tip! Never had a clue that Safari was capable of this!
Doing this in Chrome is as easy too.
1. Ctrl+U [Page Source].
2. Ctrl+F [Find]
3. Type “swf”
3. Keep hitting F3 till you come to the swf file you need.
4. Chrome will present it to you as a clickable hyperlick – so all you have to do is to right-click and save.
PS: I do this ALL the time
Thanks Sid, actually I tried this before I wrote the article. but the files wouldn’t play. While it would when downloaded thru the remaining browsers. Probably a glitch, I couldn’t figure out at that time. There are of course a few programs that help out Chrome with this job just like the many add-ons for FF.
Doing this in Chrome is as easy too.
1. Ctrl+U [Page Source].
2. Ctrl+F [Find]
3. Type “swf”
3. Keep hitting F3 till you come to the swf file you need.
4. Chrome will present it to you as a clickable hyperlink – so all you have to do is to right-click and save.
PS: I do this ALL the time
You can find it in Google Chrome by typing “about:cache” into the address bar. It helps if you clear the cache out first.
yea….. Downloading flash files using Google chrome is the most simplest.
Thanks for this article
In Firefox I have Adblock. On every flash file window I have the “Block” button. I simply click on it and copy the full url from the field.
Certainly I do not press the “Add filter” button if I do not want to block it.
AdBlock Plus is the way to go for dynamically loaded media! Thanks!
Well, Adblock is not for that certainly – but is there any sense in installing one more Firefox-addon just for downloading a few files? For me not.
If I want to make an offline collection of hundreds of flash games – I use an addon.
So if I stumble into a good flash game or video once in 1-2 months – I use a simple way but without installing another addon.
The firefox addon downthemall works here too. Look for it in the “Pictures and Embedded” tab…
There’s also DownloadHelper
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3006
Hi, all frnds….
hi, all frnds….
I want to download one photo gallery from one webpage but it cant download. pls anyone help me… thanks..
To download a photogallery, you can try “downThemAll” extension for Firefox.
hi, Nacho
thanks for your reply. i want to download photo gallery from this url
http://www.talkofnewyork.com/archives/index.php?pID=4658#/content/start/
but i cant can you pls tell me how can i get it.
Many thanks..
(Comments wont nest below this level)hi, Nacho
thanks for your reply
i want to give you url for that photo gallery but here it doesn’t allow me so how can i give to you.
and i use that downThemAll but still i can’t download it.
many thanks.
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For anyone who isn’t helped by the above: I found a flash file that, for whatever reason, was not downloaded into the cache, but into the Documents and Settings\Default\Local Settings\Temp directory as a .tmp file. If I tried to copy it, even when the movie was stopped, I’d get a “file in use” error. If I closed the window containing the movie, the .tmp file disappeared. If I used the source code window to find the file, there was none. I solved the problem by using freeware program ShadowCopy, which can copy files that are still open. Info for anyone else who has this problem.
Thanks for the info. I guess this is the link to the freeware.
safari is just option+command+a
already knew how to do this, though. I was thinking maybe there was another option..
great information on flash files. thanks
Is there a easy way to download .SWF files that are “hidden” behind a preloader?