PowerPoint YouTube Video Won't Play: "You Must Install a Later Version of Flash Player." Really?

June 10, 2015 Update - YouTube recently removed the "Old Embed Code" feature.  To use the new embed code, please see my recent post here.

This post only applies to PowerPoint 2010, as the Insert Video from Website option is no longer available in PowerPoint 2013.  Click here for a link to a good, and extremely complicated, to add that functionality back into 2013.

I thought I had the put-a-youtube-video-into-PowerPoint thing down with my blog PowerPoint and YouTube - Automatically Starting the Video.  Then Microsoft did one of its updates.  Suddenly everyone began getting this message:

Oh, just install a later version of Adobe Flash Player, right?  Wrong.

I thought it was an issue with our office computers’ security, so I had IT come to my office.  They tried five fixes over five weeks.  Nothing.  I brought in my home laptop.  Same issue.  I uninstalled Flash Player, reinstalled Flash Player, still nothing.   I have a presentation in two weeks, so this was definitely a problem.  I emailed IT one more time and they sent me the magic fix.

In my previous blog I told you how to add the autoplay feature in the html.  Now we’re going to remove a feature.  Here is the note from my IT department:

Now, using the Old Embed Code, paste the code into the PowerPoint, but before you click ok you need to remove the two items related to Version 3 (see highlighted example). Make sure you delete from everything from semi-colon to semi-colon. 

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wf_IIbT8HGk?hl=en_US&amp;version=3&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wf_IIbT8HGk?hl=en_US&amp;version=3&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Now, my IT department thought the cat video was pretty funny (it was, but no, I do not condone fat cats).  I prefer a little more sophistication, so my favorite YouTube video is the Warsaw, Poland, cast of Les Miserables singing “One Day More” as a flashmob at a fancy mall.  Here is the old embed code:

<object width="1280" height="720"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXgCrhIevwU?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXgCrhIevwU?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="1280" height="720" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

So first, we are going to delete the version stuff:

<object width="1280" height="720"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXgCrhIevwU?;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXgCrhIevwU?;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="1280" height="720" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Now, let’s add the autoplay=1.

<object width="1280" height="720"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXgCrhIevwU?;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0;autoplay=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXgCrhIevwU?;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0; autoplay=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="1280" height="720" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Now click Insert tab>Video>Video from web site to put into PowerPoint.

It may take a few seconds.  Stretch it out to the size you want, then double click the big black rectangle to play.  And enjoy the music.