Automatic Mac App updates can be useful. These will automatically run in the background and save you a little time, keeping apps fully up-to-date. But not everyone wants this feature. It can be better to know exactly what you are downloading, even if you’ve been using the same app for a while.
To permanently disable notifications about available updates, open the App Store application, click on App Store in the menu bar at top of your screen, and then select Preferences. Alternatively, open your Mac System Preferences and choose the App Store pane. Disable All the Notification Alerts You do not need a third-party app to get the job done; you just need to play around with your Mac Settings. Click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner and select “System Preferences” to be taken to your Mac settings panel. That way, you’re just disabling notifications. Disable Banner Notifications For Any App. Maybe you don’t want to disable all notifications, but only those from a specific app. You can do that, too! Head to System Preferences Notifications, but this time pay attention to the left panel. Every application that uses notifications is listed here. Dismiss a reminder. When the reminder appears, click Dismiss. Turn off all reminders. On the Outlook menu, click Turn Off Reminders. Turn off reminder sounds. On the Outlook menu, click Preferences.
In this article, we look at the ways you can prevent automatic app updates on a Mac. There are a few ways you can do this, and apps that can make it quicker and easier to ensure you’ve only got the apps you need running on your Mac.
#1: Change update preferences (macOS Mojave 10.14 and newer)
- Go to the Apple menu
- Click on App Store
- Now click on Preferences
- In this, is a box for Automatic Updates (if checked by default, uncheck the box to disable automatic updates)
In the future, when an app you've downloaded through the Mac App Store has an update coming through, you will be alerted, but it can’t download until you manually confirm it.
Depending on the macOS or older version, Mac OS X that you are running, there are other ways to disable automatic updates. For these, we've covered Mac OS X High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks in the tip below — as they follow the same process — and older operating systems in another tip further down the article.
#2: Disable automatic updates (For: Mac OS X High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks)
With older operating systems — Mac OS X High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks — the process is slightly different from the one listed above for stopping auto app updates.
- Go to the Apple menu
- Click on App Store
- Now click on Preferences
- Uncheck ALL of the following boxes to prevent automatic updates:
- Automatically check for updates
- Download newly available updates in the background
- Install app updates
However, leave the following box enabled (as this is crucial for security): Install system data files and security updates.
#3: Delete Google Automatic updaters and other background agents
With some apps, they update and even work in the background without you being aware.
These are known as background apps, or and with some they have launch agents that activate whenever a Mac is switched on. All of this potentially uses processing power, such as CPU, and even internet bandwidth. Apps shouldn't be working unless you need them and remember agreeing to open them.
Here is how to prevent this from happening:
- Download CleanMyMac X (for free, here).
- Click on the Optimization module.
- There is a Launch Agents tool within this.
- Use it to disable automatic updates, notifications and even disable Google Automatic updaters and other background apps and launch agents.
#4: For third-party apps, you can also disable updates within individual app settings
Not everyone downloads apps on a Mac from the Mac App Store.
In many cases, people get them straight from a developers website, or third-party subscription service.
With these, you need to go into the individual apps, where you should have the option to ensure they automatically update, or to switch this setting off. With these apps, they will be configured to adhere to macOS standards, so these options should come as a normal feature, ensuring they're easy to update, or not, according to what people prefer.
Before we continue, here is a cool Apple fact for you: Have you ever noticed the date shown on created and modified timestamps that have failed to download, or you cancelled or paused during a download?
Take a look. Instead of showing whichever date the download stopped, they show 24 January 1984 — the day Apple founder, Steve Jobs, unveiled the first Apple Macintosh computer to the world.
#5: Another way to keep your software updated
As mentioned above, CleanMyMac X is a great way to prevent automatic updates and remove unwanted background apps. It can also be used in a reverse way — for updating all your applications.
The free version of CleanMyMac X (download it here) comes with an Updater feature to keep all of your updates in one place — whether or not you got them from the Mac App Store. It’s especially handy for 32-bit apps that will no longer work on the 2019 macOS Catalina. But if there are newer, 64-bit versions of these apps already available, the Updater in CleanMyMac X will suggest to automatically update your Mac.
It is also useful for keeping your Mac free from viruses and other problems that can cause a Mac to slow down. Get your Mac running as good as new, and make sure you’re only downloading the apps you definitely need.
How to disable Apple software updates notifications on Mac and Windows computers?
Software updates are usually released to improve system performance or, in some cases, compatibility. If the software contains errors or bugs, updates usually solve these issues. Despite this, notifications about available updates might become annoying, especially when the longest period you are able to delay them is one day. So, if nothing changes in a day, users receive notifications needlessly. Reminders for different time intervals, say weekly, might be preferable.
In addition, daily notifications regarding apps that are little used can be annoying, since you may not necessarily want to delete them, despite the low usage of the software. Many people report this situation on various forums, stating that they were unable to find ways to disable or delay these annoying notifications for longer than one day. Fortunately, there are a number of methods on Mac computers to turn off App Store notifications. Windows operating system users can set an option to disable them. These methods can sometimes seem confusing, and so they are covered in this article for clarity and ease-of-use.
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Close and turn off App Store notifications on the Mac
To temporarily turn off notifications, there are a number of options. First, simply swipe right - the notification will disappear for several hours. Repeat this twice within a day, and you will not see the same notification that day. The same reminder will pop up the next day (this, however, might be useful if you were busy during the first occurrence). If you wish to determine the time at which reminders should return, click Later and then select your preferred option from the list.
Another temporary, but more useful and functional option, is to enable the Do Not Disturb option. When this mode is enabled, no notifications are displayed unless you change the preferences (in which you can choose applications that are permitted to deliver notifications). To enable the Do Not Disturb environment, first click on the menu bar icon at the top right corner of the screen to open Notifications center. Then scroll up to the option to enable or disable this mode. Alternatively, open System Preferences, and then open the Notifications pane and choose to enable or disable Do Not Disturb.
Unfortunately, you must repeat this procedure each time you reboot your computer. Many people use this feature at work to reduce the chances of possible distractions. You can choose the time at which this mode is automatically enabled and turned off, however you cannot set multiple times (only one period is available). To set the schedule of Do Not Disturb mode, go to Mac System Preferences, choose the Notifications pane, and select Do Not Disturb from list on the left side of the new window. Here, you may choose the time at which this mode should be enabled and disabled, and also set which type of notifications should be permitted and other conditions relating to when this useful mode should be enabled.
Disable Software update notifications permanently on Mac
This method will allow you to completely disable all notifications regarding software updates, however, when you wish to update applications, you must search and install updates manually. To permanently disable notifications about available updates, open the App Store application, click on App Store in the menu bar at top of your screen, and then select Preferences. Alternatively, open your Mac System Preferences and choose the App Store pane. In the new window, remove the checkmark from the box beside 'Automatically check for updates'. You can also choose to allow the computer to download and install (or just download) updates in the background by enabling the checkboxes beside the options below. If you enable all installation options, you will not see any notifications about new updates available, however, bear in mind that some updates requires a computer restart (and if you allow the Mac have this control, unexpected restarts might result in loss of data or your work in open files).
Alternative method to disable notifications
An alternative method is to open a built-in Mac command line application called Terminal. Use Spotlight by pressing the keyboard shortcut of Command and Spacebar, type Terminal, and then press Return. The Terminal application can also be launched through Finder - simply go to the applications folder and choose Utilities. Here, you will find Terminal. Once the Terminal app has launched, type or copy-paste the following command:
- sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate AutomaticDownload -boolean FALSE
Enter the above command and press Return on the keyboard. Terminal will ask you to confirm the action by entering the administrators account password.
Disable upgrade to High Sierra notifications
These notifications are a real problem for users of earlier models of Mac computers. You may require minor operating system updates (so you do not wish to disable all notifications) but seek to prevent your computer from upgrading to maintain best performance. Furthermore, this particular notification can seem troublesome when refused, since there are no options to 'remind me tomorrow', 'try later', or similar. Fortunately, you can disable this reminder to upgrade your operating system. First, open Mac App Store and select the Updates tab at top of the window. Under the Update tab, you should see a large banner at the top of the page announcing the new version of the Mac operating system. Right click or hold down the Control key and click anywhere on the image and select the Hide update the option that pops up.
This should be enough to stop notifications relating to system upgrades, however there is another more effective method to disable these irritating notifications. First, open Finder and click on Go in the menu bar at top of your screen. Then select the Go To Folder option and type the following path /Library/Bundles into the destination field of a new dialogue window. Then, click Go and you should find a file titled OSXNotification.bundle. Delete or move this particular file to a different location on the computer (to perform this action, you will be prompted to confirm with a computer administrator account password). Once you have moved this file, restart the Mac. When computer boots, the notifications should be gone.
Disable Apple Software Update notifications on Windows PC
This method covers the latest versions of the Windows operating system (for Windows 10, 8, 7, or Vista).
- To start, click on the Start menu icon to expand the menu. In the search field, type Task Scheduler and press Enter, or double click on the program from the list.
- In the left sidebar of the Task Scheduler window, expand the Task Scheduler Library folder by clicking the arrow, or simple double click the title.
- Then, expand the Apple folder in the same way and right click on AppleSoftwareUpdate in the main list.
- In the popped-up menu, select Disable or Delete. From this point, notifications about Apple software updates will not appear.
If you are still using Windows XP, follow this guidance to disable reminders about Apple software updates:
Download Office 2016 Updates Manually
- First, click the start menu button to expand the menu, and then select Programs.
- Open Accessories and go to System Tools. Open the Scheduled Tasks.
- Right click on AppleSoftwareUpdate and click delete.
Disable Office 2016 Update Notification Macos
This will stop all notifications relating to Apple software updates.