How to turn off AutoUpdate on Mac

Michael Vallance 5 Reputation points
2026-11-11T04:01:37.6633333+00:00

Microsoft Office keeps insisting I turn on AutoUpdate. I do not wish to do so.

" System Settings must be changed before Microsoft AutoUpdate can run."

I have to Force-Quit every time. It will not allow me to simply Quit.

How to fix this problem please?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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  1. EmilyS726 279.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-11T05:07:28.8866667+00:00

    You can use the instructions below

    Close all Office apps.

    Open Finder, then press Command + Shift + G.

    Paste this path and press Enter:

    /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/

    Find Microsoft AutoUpdate.app and rename it to Microsoft AutoUpdate.app.disabled.

    Enter your Mac administrator password if prompted, then restart your Mac.

    This should prevent Microsoft AutoUpdate from launching normally and showing update reminders. However, it also disables automatic Office security updates, just fyi.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-11T04:01:50.08+00:00

    To stop the repeated prompt and avoid being forced to enable background AutoUpdate, use the Office setting instead of the macOS background toggle.

    1. Open any Office app such as Word or Excel.
    2. Select Help > Check for Updates.
    3. When Microsoft AutoUpdate opens, clear Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date.
    4. Confirm by selecting Turn Off.

    If the prompt still appears and Microsoft AutoUpdate is damaged or misconfigured, reinstall the latest AutoUpdate package, then turn automatic updates off again from Help > Check for Updates. Microsoft notes that AutoUpdate errors can be caused by a missing helper file or incorrect permissions, and reinstalling the latest version should help.

    If Microsoft AutoUpdate is missing from macOS System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions > Allow in the Background, that indicates AutoUpdate is missing or damaged and reinstalling it is the documented fix.

    If the Mac is managed by an organization and software installation is blocked, contact the Helpdesk or IT administrator.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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