How to Turn Off Automatic Updates on Mac
How to Turn Off Automatic Updates on Mac
Having your Mac or software update automatically is strongly recommended since this is one of the easiest ways to prevent bugs and vulnerabilities from affecting you. However, many users are unhappy that these updates may sometimes interrupt their work, put unnecessary load on their system, or cause other minor annoyances. If you are wondering how to turn off automatic updates on Mac, then here are instructions on how to do this quickly:
Managing Update Preferences on Mac 10.14 (Mojave) and Above
Mac updates introduce various changes to the User Interface, and one of the largest overhauls was featured in 10.14. This is why we have separate instructions for newer Mac variants. Open the Apple Menu -> App Store -> Preferences. Once there, deselect the Automatic Updates checkbox. You will still see alerts about pending updates, but you will need to start the download manually.
Managing Updates on Older Mac Versions
If you are using an older Mac, then you might not have the 10.14 and above updates available to you. In this scenario, you should follow these steps:
- Go to Apple Menu -> App Store -> Preferences.
- Make sure that the following boxes are deselected Automatically check for updates, Download newly available updates in the background, Install app updates.
- You will see another entry named Install system data files and security updates. Do not disable this one under any circumstances, as you may miss out on important security patches.
What about 3rd-party Apps?
The aforementioned methods work for App Store software. If you wish to disable the automatic updates of 3rd-party software you installed, then there might not be a generic way to do this. You will need to manually explore the app's settings and find the menu responsible for managing automatic updates.
