Google Software Update Agent Mac Remove

When you install Google Chrome, you're not just getting a browser. Google's automatic update software gets installed behind the scenes on your Mac, without your consent. This how-to explains why it's there, how to manage it and how to delete it if you don't need it.

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Mar 26, 2013  To automatically uninstall Google Update and unwanted programs, navigate to the Uninstall tab and search for Google Update, etc. In the list of installed programs. Uninstall the programs as selected. Uninstall the programs as selected. Applies to Mac users who sign in to a managed account on Chrome Browser. As a Mac ® administrator, you can use Google Software Update to manage Chrome Browser and Chrome apps updates on your users' Mac computers. There are 2 types of Google Software Update policies: Global policies apply to all Google apps installed on a device. App specific policies apply only to a specific app and override.

All Mac users should be aware that when they install Google Chrome on their Mac, additional software is installed that is able to conduct automatic updates. In general, this is a Good Thing™, except for two things.

1. The user isn't notified that the software is being installed, nor given the option to decline. As a result, a false perception is created that the user is only installing a browser.

2. The update software has a fairly aggressive update cycle and has also been blamed for slowing a Mac down in a mysterious way. [Perhaps the update server wasn't responding.]

Oct 14, 2019  In the example above, Google checks every five hours (3,600 x 5 = 18,000 seconds) by default. You can adjust this time by changing it using Terminal. By changing how often the updater check for software updates, you can continue to use your Google apps, but only run it once in a while. Selection Go on the Mac toolbar. Choose Utilities. Jul 13, 2014  how to remove Google’s secret update software from your mac. Locate Google Updater. Triple click the first of these two lines, and choose ‘Services Reveal in Finder’ from the contextual menu (that. Run the uninstaller commands. Run these in Terminal (again, triple clicking to highlight.

What You Need to Know

1. If you install any Google software on your Mac, such as Chrome, Hangouts, Earth, and so on, a Launch Agent and supporting software are also installed.

2. A check is made every 5 hours (18,000 seconds) to see if there's an update for one of the Google apps.

3. If you don't want to delete this auto update software but manage it instead, you can change the time interval of the checks to your liking.

4. If you elect to delete all your Google apps, not just one of several, you may want, for the sake of tidiness, to remove all the Google software. But if you run, say, Chrome again, it will all be re-installed.

Note: many Mac users disable or delete Adobe Flash from their Macs (or Windows) and use Google Chrome, with its built-in version of Flash, only when necessary to view a Flash video. WIth that in mind, it's a good idea to let Chrome always update itself with the latest version of Flash.

Software Locations

In your own account's Library, that is, /Users/your_account_name/Library as well as the the System Library, that is, Macintosh HD/Library/ look for these files. [If your own Library directory isn't visible, here's how to fix that.]

For example,

If you decide that you're done with all Google software and the auto-updater, delete the directory and files listed above plus the Google apps from your Applications directory.

Inspection & Awareness

If you're keeping the auto-updater and want to get a feel for what Google software is installed, when it was checked, and what update interval is, enter this command from the terminal.

It will look something like this, depending on the Google apps you have installed.

Change the Update Interval

If you'd like change the interval when the check is made, select the desired interval in hours and multiply by 3,600. For example, if you want the interval to be every 48 hours, calculate 48 x 3600 = 172800.

Then, enter this command in the terminal. [Copy and paste is always a good idea.]

If you want to leave the software installed for future use but don't want any checks to occur for the time being, use a time interval of 0, a numeric zero. For example:

This is probably the best course of action for a temporary disable because the Google software takes up an insignificant amount of space on your drive, is always there if you need it, and you can enable it at any time with a non-zero update interval. In that case, revert to Google's default of 18000 seconds.

Final Thoughts

If you use Chrome as an alternative for viewing essential Flash videos, you should consider leaving the updater software as-is with its default update interval. Otherwise, you might forget to re-enable and software won't get its security updates.

Some observers have reacted strongly to this surreptitious installation of auto-updater, but in this era of constant security updates, knowledge of the software and the means to manage it is a better course than a hasty scrubbing.

Many Google superfans and casual users alike have set their default browsers to Chrome. However, some have become frustrated when they’ve tried to launch the browser and the following message has popped up:

But what does it mean?

Here, we’ll explain what this app and bundle are (and why some users consider them so “shady”), what the pop-up means, and what you can do to take care of it.

Uninstall Google Software Update Mac

What is Google Software Update?

Google Software Update—also called Google Update—is a program that is automatically installed when you download Chrome. Google Update is used to support software patching (including both automatic/background and on-demand software updates) for Google Chrome and other Google products (such as Google Earth).

While what Google claims the file does is benign in and of itself, because of how Google Update has been designed, it actually behaves like malware. Back in 2009, Wired even posted an article called “Google Software Update Tool is evil.”

The problem is that Google Update is automatically installed onto your computer when you download software like Chrome. Google never actually asks for your permission to download it and doesn’t give you an option to deny it. Because of this, most people don’t even know that Google Update is installed on their computers. In fact, many don’t even know that the software exists — hence the confusion when the “GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle” pop-up appears.

It’s because of these factors, particularly that the app is installed without your knowledge, as well as the fact that it’s notoriously difficult to uninstall—that Google Update is often seen as behaving like malware.

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What the “GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle” pop-up means

A bundle is a library that can be used by one or more apps to perform common tasks. In other words, an app uses a bundle to do whatever work it’s designed to do. In this case, Google apps use the GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle to help automatically check for updates.

All software you download from the App Store is reviewed and approved as trustworthy by Apple. However, when you download third-party software from outside of the App Store, such as Chrome, Apple treats it differently.

The “GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle” pop-up in particular, then, shows up because it might be triggering warnings in macOS. For example, Apple might detect that the bundle could make operating system calls that could potentially be dangerous if misused. Just as users opposed to Google Update have noted, Apple has identified that this software has the potential to behave like malware.

Find out if GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle is installed your Mac

First off, you’ll want to make sure that Google Update is installed by locating it on your computer.

Here’s how to find GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app on your Mac:

  1. Launch Terminal (Finder > Applications > Utilities).
  2. Type this command into Terminal: defaults read com.google.Keystone.Agent.plist
  3. Hit Return. A screen that looks like this should come up:

If you don’t see a screen that looks like that, Google Update hasn’t been installed on your computer. If you do have GoogleSoftwareUpdate, read ahead to find out how to remove it.

Uninstall GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app

In order to uninstall Google Update (and prevent Google apps from installing the update again), you’ll need to use a different approach.

Here’s how to completely uninstall the app:

Google Software Update Agent

  1. Launch Terminal.
  2. Type the following commands:

sudo touch ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate

sudo chmod 444 ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate

For complete removal of GoogleSoftwareUpdate, execute such commands:

sudo touch /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate

sudo chmod 444 /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate

Check whether GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app is gone

Google Software Update Agent Mac Removed

Google software update daemon mac

After uninstalling Google Update, you’ll want to make sure it’s been completely removed from your Mac. To make sure it’s gone for good, launch Chrome and type chrome://help into the Chrome’s address bar.

You should see a message that looks like this:

If you do, then congrats! You’ve successfully uninstalled Google Update.

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Change how often GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app runs

Because Google Update’s main goal is to automatically update Google software, you may not want to delete the app completely. Instead, you may want to change how often Google checks for software updates.

After typing defaults read com.google.Keystone.Agent.plist into Terminal, notice the “checkInterval” setting.


This shows, in seconds, how often Google checks your Mac for software updates. By default, Google checks your computer every 5 hours (18,000 seconds) for updates.

You can adjust this time in Terminal. Here’s how:

  1. Launch Terminal.
  2. Type the following command: defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 86400

By running this command, you’ve set Google Update to check for updates every 24 hours (86400 seconds). You can increase this time by making the interval larger.

Conversely, you can set an interval to 0, which will mean that Google will no longer send any update data to your computer. This is enough for most users to stop seeing notifications about GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app.

Mac

Detect and remove malware with CleanMyMac X

No one likes malware. Even worse, it can be a pain to locate and get rid of.

Luckily, you can use CleanMyMac X to easily check your Mac for malware. In particular, its Malware removal module gives you the power to find and remove malicious files.

  1. Download CleanMyMac X - you can try out the software for free.
  2. Install and launch the app.
  3. Go to Malware Removal and hit Scan.
  4. Remove the threats, if there is any.

That’s all! Now, your Mac’s probably cleaner and safer. Additionally, you can clear out junk and unneeded files using CleanMyMac X’s Smart Scan feature.


As you see, removing GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle isn’t difficult. Be aware that removing this file, you actually stop Google from regularly updating its software. So, if you want to keep your browser or other Google software up-to-date, don’t remove the bundle. Instead, adjust how often Google can check for updates.

Hope this was helpful!