I've had this iMac since 2016. For the past 2 months, every time I turn on my computer, this Microsoft #%*! icon turns on, and the pop-up is in the middle of my screen. I don't have any Microsoft app that needs any update! This is not even one of the apps that I've marked "launch at login." So where did this come from? I have to quit it every time I turn on my Mac. Any advice will be much appreciated.
If you have been bothered by this repeating Microsoft AutoUpdate pop-up, you've clicked on the right tutorial. This post from iBoysoft guides you to disable this Microsoft AutoUpdate with a step-wise guideline. Moreover, you can learn how to remove the leftovers of Microsoft lineups completely to release more available space on Mac.
Why does Microsoft AutoUpdate keep popping up?
Some users may be puzzled why this Microsoft AutoUpdate keeps appearing even they haven't any Microsoft products installed on their workstations. Well, the absence of Microsoft Office for Mac lineups at this time does not imply it was short of before.
Once you've installed its product before, then the AutoUpdate helper is downloaded on your Mac as well. Based on software developers' common behavior, they always leave some hidden root files, launch helpers, or packages on your Mac hard drive to attract your next installation, which cannot be removed completely by a simple Move to Trash option.
Luckily, you can always stop this Microsoft AutoUpdate notification whether you want to remove Microsoft Excel, Word, and Presentation or not.
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How to uninstall Microsoft AutoUpdate from Mac?
Although an update brings patches to bugs, solutions to issues, and advanced features, you can still disable it if you don't welcome any changes. Here we will show you how to remove Microsoft AutoUpdate from your Mac:
- Open Finder and click Go from the left upper corner of the Mac desktop.
- Click Go To Folder from the dropdown menu and then type in the following path:/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/
- Click Enter to access the file path.
- Locate the folder named "MAU" or "MAU2.0" and open that directory.
- Locate and drag "Microsoft AutoUpdate.app" to the Trash.
- Go to Mac Trash and click Empty in the main window.
- Then quit the MAU folder and the Microsoft AutoUpdate won't show up any longer.
You can also delete the Microsoft AutoUpdate helper to terminate it from notifying you:
Step 1: Open Finder, select the Go menu, and Go To Folder entering the following path:
/Library/LaunchAgents
Step 2: Locate "com.microsoft.update.agent.plist" and move it to the Trash.
com.microsoft.update.agent.plist
Step 3: Then go:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/
Step 4: Drag "com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist" to the Trash.
com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist
Step 5: Enter this file path still:
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools
Step 6: Drag "com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist" to the Trash.
com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist
Step 7: Empty the Trash and you're all done!
If the Microsoft AutoUpdate stops popping up, please share your experience with other people!
How to uninstall the Microsoft app and its related files from Mac completely?
A simple Move To Trash can't remove every part of Microsoft Office apps from your Mac, especially its install packages, launch helpers, support files, extensions, user files, app logs, caches, user profiles, etc scattered in different file directories, unless you remove them one by one.
In this case, a professional app uninstaller - iBoysoft MagicMenu is necessary here. This professional utility outweighs other uninstallers and workarounds due to its one-in-all uninstall feature.
Specifically, it gathers all associated files of an app before the ultimate uninstall, including user files, caches, preferences, install packages, extensions, root files, junks, etc. Once iBoysoft MagicMenu finishes the file gathering, you can choose what files to delete along with the uninstall once and for all, which greatly saves time and effort in searching for the files hiding in sorts of folders and directories.
If you want to remove Microsoft apps along with related files, cutting off the chance of reinstalling, you can try iBoysoft MagicMenu:
Step 1: Click the Free Download button below to install iBoysoft MagicMenu on your Mac.
Step 2: Launch this handy app uninstaller and search the Uninstall extension in its main window to download. Note that iBoysoft MagicMenu only takes a little space and so does the Uninstall function, which nearly does not influence your Mac.
Step 3: Go to Finder > Applications, locate the Microsoft app, then right-click it to select Uninstall from the dropdown menu. (This post takes ZeroTier as an example and the steps to remove Microsoft apps are the same.)
Step 4: Wait for this professional app remover to gather all associated files of the will-be-uninstalled app. Once it finishes, check the useless files to let them be removed along with the app.
Step 5: Click Uninstall to confirm your actions and initiate the uninstall progress. This progress may take up to several seconds.
Conclusion
Think twice before you remove the Microsoft AutoUpdate from your Mac as the update always brings fixes to bugs and advanced enhancement to vulnerabilities. If it is removed, the software you're running might be exposed to viruses and malware attacks, resulting in info and data leaks or stealing.
If you're tough-minded to stop this frequent update check notification, however, go to remove it from your machine directly! iBoysoft MagicMenu is a perfect Microsoft AutoUpdate remover, by the way.