Getting started with plug-ins

Plug-ins are extensions to the browser that for instance can add interactive audiovisual content in Web pages, content a browser cannot display by itself. If you have ever seen a movie clip in a browser window, your browser was likely using a plug-in.

Pre-installed plug-ins

Opera comes with the popular Shockwave Flash plug-in from Macromedia pre-installed.

Installing additional plug-ins

If you come across a Web page which requires a plug-in not installed on your computer, a button like this will appear on the page.

  1. Click the button to get information about the required plug-in.
  2. Download the plug-in...
    1. If the plug-in is recognized, click , then download the plug-in from the plug-in provider's Web site.
    2. If the plug-in is not recognized, go to Opera's plug-in page to find information about the plug-in. Alternatively, use Opera's integrated Web search to find information about the plug-in.
  3. Install the plug-in on your computer...
    1. If asked for browser, choose Opera or Netscape
    2. If asked for path, browse to the folder where Opera is installed and select the "plug-in" folder. Select About Opera under Help on the main menu to check where your plug-in folder is.
  4. When the plug-in has been installed, return to Opera and click Preferences under File. Select "Multimedia", then click . Click if asked about associating file types. Finally, click to exit Preferences.
  5. Reload the page to view it with the newly installed plug-in.

If you are still unable to see the content, see the on-line information about plug-ins.

Learn more about plug-ins