What’s with Silverlight updates

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Adobe Flash and Silverlight – we are told to treat them the same. They are not needed, get rid of them. However, if you uninstall Adobe Flash on a Windows system, it actually goes away.

I don’t have Silverlight installed but I get an optional update every month on W7 wanting me to install it. I hide the update every month and it promptly comes back again.

Since 2015, Microsoft has been encouraging companies that use its Silverlight media format on their web pages to dump the tech in favor of newer, HTML5-based media playback systems. As an example, Netflix was an early adopter of Silverlight but has since transitioned. Microsoft says it would like to see other companies do the same. It also said it will continue to support Silverlight for out-of-browser applications for the dozen or so who use it. OK, so that is a business decision that MS has made on behalf of its paying customers.

What I do not understand is why Silverlight gets sent out to systems that have it uninstalled. The user believes they do not need or want it. Why does Microsoft think otherwise?

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What I do with Silverlight on Windows 7 x86/ x64 is just ignore it completely and leave it unchecked in the optionals section. Hiding the first will reveal around another 14-15 versions to hide so what’s the point.?

Silverlight is a necessity for some web integrated programs but rarely used these days unless on a business level. Not many websites require it and is classed on the same level as adobe flash, going the way of the dodo.
IMO best to un-hide all versions of it from your ‘hidden’ section of WU and just forget about it.

In my experience installing it to later un-install it, leaves masses of dead registry keys clogging up the system.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

2 users thanked author for this post.

ch100, BobbyB

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As a point of interest: Silverlight is still needed by people with Windows 7 that want to use IE11 to watch videos, at least those from Netflix. IE11 for Windows 7 does not have HMTL5 video capability.

This is the relevant item from a list of System requirements to receive video with HTML5  posted at Netflix:

Internet Explorer 11 or later on Windows 8.1 or later

Of course, there are other browsers also available for windows 7 (Firefox, Waterfox, Chrome, etc.) that do not require having Silverlight installed to watch Netflix, because they can be used to display videos using their HTLM5 clients.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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I am wondering if anyone knows how Silverlight is presented to Windows 10 as “optional”.
If I scan with a third-party tool, let’s say WUMT, Silverlight appears in the list of offered updates. WSUS has it too, but needs approval like any other update.
If I Check for updates with Windows 10 built-in tool, even when proactively checking, Silverlight is never offered. I think it was offered in the early versions like 1507/1511, but we are beyond those versions and currently it is offered as described earlier.
I assume that it stays there and is being “officially” offered only as an update for those who already have an earlier update installed already.
My enquiry mostly refers to the mechanism of delivery and how is Silverlight diferentiated from other Windows 10 updates.

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Microfix wrote:

In my experience installing it to later un-install it, leaves masses of dead registry keys clogging up the system.

This may be the case and from a purist point of view it is undesired, but I would rather say that Silverlight uninstalls clean and the leftover keys and files if they exist are not in use.
The registry is generally like any database, may have a lot of entries which are not required, but if they are not in use by any software, they are rather invisible. However this adds to the size of the registry which if left unchecked, can consume RAM and this is more relevant to the 32-bit systems, although less of a problem with modern hardware.

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Silverlight updates are “stacked” in that whenever one is hidden an earlier version enters the update queue. To date, I have 16 versions of Silverlight hidden. When a newer version becomes available, I will hide it, too.

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
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Why not just leave it unchecked?!

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geekdom wrote:

Silverlight updates are “stacked” in that whenever one is hidden an earlier newer version enters the update queue.

Fixed that for you

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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geekdom

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If the record of hidden updates has been removed or the latest version of Silverlight installed and uninstalled, then Silverlight shows in the update queue from newest to oldest and is hidden each time. Then when a new release shows and the hidden queue is not empty, the new release would fit on top the stack.

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

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I still have Silverlight installed. Is that known to cause problems? Thanks.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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No it should not cause problems as long as it is kept up-to-date if one has it on their system. It’s something that wasn’t widely adopted as an MS alternative to adobe flash at introduction.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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OscarCP

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Hello Oscar, like MicroFix said it should be OK if you get the updates for it from MS.

MS should be doing updates and bug fixes for Silverlight 5 until 2021.

End of Life list for Silverlight.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/search/12905

However Google Chrome and Firefox has dropped it and Edge won’t use it.

The question is, “Do you use it?” If so then keep it updated. If not, then uninstall it. You should uninstall any program you do NOT use to remove a potential vulnerability into your computer.

Hope this helps.

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Microsoft shipped its last major release of Silverlight in 2011, only four years after its debut, and never tried to ship a version for Android or even its own Windows Phone software.

Plugins are notoriously insecure. Java, Adobe Flash and Silverlight. MS should not be pushing out Silverlight via windows update if the user has already uninstalled it. Hiding it should also be respected. But alas it is Microsoft.

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There are 16 distinct Silverlight updates that have been hidden. Here are two:

Silverlight last updated 2017:
https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=4023307

Silverlight last updated 2017:
https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=4017094

Searching the product life-cycle produces this:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/search?alpha=Silverlight

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

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though KB4023307 supersedes KB4017094 for Silverlight

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