Microsoft has announced that it will now allow Flash content to run on Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 and Windows RT devices by default, beginning 12 March. 

The folks in Redmond have made the change because a number of websites now support Windows touch, performance and battery life, according to the company. The feature was previously available for Internet Explorer 10 running on the full Windows 8 desktop mode and only a small number of websites which Microsoft deemed trustworthy.

The Flash-enablement will come in especially handy for tablets running on either OS. Taking a dig at Apple's iPad, which doesn't run Flash, Microsoft said: "As a practical matter, the primary device you walk around with should give you access to all the web content on the sites you rely on. Otherwise, the device is just a companion to a PC."

Microsoft says an update will be available for the web browser to get Flash content under way. However, a small number of sites will remain blocked until they are up to the company's standards in terms of Windows compatibility. Only 4 per cent of the thousands of websites Microsoft tested will fall into the blocked category. 

Microsoft has been working with Adobe to develop a Windows 8 and Windows RT compatible version of Flash since last autumn. "Flash in IE10 on Windows 8 and Windows RT provides a bridge for existing sites to transition to HTML5 technologies where it makes sense and at a pace that is right for the experiences they want to deliver to their customers," Microsoft said.