There are a lot of great things Google has brought to the table over the years, including Search, Maps, and the Google Pixel smartphone (its cameras, anyway). Unfortunately, it's also an apex predator often accused of mining and collecting personal data in questionable ways.
Sep 24, 2019 xattr -sw com.apple.rootless “” /var. Those Terminal commands will specifically remove the affected version of Google Software Update, and then. Dec 19, 2008 According to some discussion on Google Groups, the Google Software Update can only be removed by uninstalling any plugins associated with it (Google Earth, Google Talk, etc). Well that's not fair. I never installed any plugins to begin with! Time to do it the hacky way. Apr 06, 2012 Many Mac users notice this when a process called “Google Software Update” begins to run in the background, which on some Macs can cause a spin-up of fans or a spike in CPU usage as the updater runs through itself, downloads a new version of Chrome, and keeps it ready to install. Sep 25, 2019 This will remove the affected version of Google Software Update, then restore the damaged portion of the file system. Note: An earlier version of. Apple Footer. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided; every potential issue may involve several factors not detailed in the conversations captured in an electronic forum and Apple can therefore provide no guarantee as to the. The ksfetch process on OS X is part of Google Chrome's update mechanism. The ks prefix is an abbreviation of Keystone. The process appears to be responsible for fetching updates to Google's products. It is this role that uses your bandwidth. Using slick's answer you can disable the corresponding process that uses ksfetch.
From the Home screen go to Settings Accounts & Passwords Add Account. Enter the following information and then tap Next. Email: your SUNet [email protected]. Select the option for Microsoft Exchange. Office 365 sync to mac mail apps.
A case in point is the GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app file that gets installed on Macs in the presence of Google apps such as Chrome and Google Earth.
First discovered by Wireda decade ago, the pesky file runs in the background and supports software patching and updating. Unfortunately, it also grabs your computer's hardware information, usage frequency, the number of active profiles on your computer, and more.
Recently, it's been rearing its ugly head again with the update to macOS Catalina. With the new Catalina security settings in place, updaters you may not have even known were there are being spotlighted, asking if you're OK with what they're doing. The first time you open Chrome on your Mac, you may see a notification asking if you want to run GoogleSoftwareUpdater.app, noting that Google installed it at a previous time. If you click 'OK,' you're back to what you've always been doing. If you click 'Cancel,' you have a new set of annoyances to deal with.
The folks over at E-Thinkers say what Google claims the file does is 'harmless.' However, because of how it's been designed, it 'behaves like a malware.'
What will you think if I'm telling you that there is a piece of software that:
- it installs in your computer without explicit asking for your permission, nor giving the options to decline it;
- it frequently sending data back to Google without your knowledge;
- it can't be configured via a settings menu;
- there is no uninstallation tool for you;
- and it will re-install by itself if you delete it.'
I would agree, which is why removing GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app permanently might be the best course of action for most Mac users. However, because the tool's main objective is to automatically update Google software in the background, a better solution might be to change how often Google can check for those updates.
Warning: This guide is for expert-level users. If you don't have a comfortable understanding of Terminal, low-level systems, and security, stay away. Otherwise, as a responsible adult: proceed at your own risk.
Confirming GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app
Before attempting to delete or adjust the Google file, you should confirm its existence on your computer. Hint: If you have a Google product installed, it's almost certainly there somewhere!
E-Tinkers first published each of the following steps in January 2018. Apparent changes made by Google required an update released in July 2019.
![Update Update](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126481152/319574706.jpg)
To confirm GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app is installed, you'll need to bring up Terminal.
- Selection Go on the Mac toolbar.
- Choose Utilities.
- Click Terminal.
- Type of the following command syntax:
defaults read com.google.Keystone.Agent.plist
. - Hit Return. You should see a screen like the following; if you don't, the file isn't installed:Source: E-Tinkers
Adjusting how often GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app runs
In the screenshot above, note the
checkInternal
setting. This shows how often Google checks your computer for software updates in seconds. 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.![Remove Google Software Update Bundle Mac Remove Google Software Update Bundle Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126481152/589933199.png)
- Selection Go on the Mac toolbar.
- Choose Utilities.
- Click Terminal.
- Type of the following command syntax:
defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 604800
where the check now happens every 24 hours.
If you change the checkInternal to 0, Google's no longer sending data, which E-Tinkers rightly notes is sufficient for most users.
For those who don't like how Google uses the GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app on Mac, uninstalling might be the best option.
To uninstall GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app
You can disable GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app by using the command syntax:
sudo rm -R ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/
. Unfortunately, with this solution, it will quickly return if you once again run a Google app on your Mac.Because of this, you need to take different steps to uninstall the app. These steps will prevent Google apps from reinstalling the update again by creating a dummy file with the same name:
- Selection Go on the Mac toolbar.
- Choose Utilities.
- Click Terminal.
- Type of the following command syntax:
sudo touch ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate
sudo chmod 444 ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate
One final step
In July, E-Tinkers determined Google had changed a setting so GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app would install on the global level on a Mac if a user deleted it at the user level. Therefore, you should also run this command in Terminal:
sudo touch /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate
sudo chmod 444 /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate
Google Software Update Daemon Mac
Is GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app really gone?
To confirm the Google app is now removed from your computer:
- Launch Google Chome.
- Type
chrome://help
in the URL. You should see the following:
It's light's out for GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app on your computer!
What about updates?
If you want to update a Google app on your Mac after following the steps above, you'll need to delete it, then install it again from the Google website. You'll once again need to delete GoogleSoftwareUpdate.app after doing so, however.
Any questions?
Let us know if you have any questions about the steps offered in this post below.
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