Go to your Applications folder. Open the Utilities folder. Run the Terminal application. Copy and paste the following into the Terminal window: /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/install.py -uninstall. The short answer is that Google wants to auto-update any Google software installed on your Mac OS - stuff like Picasa, Google Earth, Google Drive, App Engine or Google Chrome. They want to install updates in the background without the user’s intervention and hence need this permission. Jul 09, 2014 Google Software Update is an application that helps ensure you always have the most updated versions of the Google software you have installed. So if you are using any Google software on your Mac.
When installing desirable software for good, it’s nice to be kept advised of updates. One way to do that is through a Mac OS X mechanism called launch agents. They activate a request to check for updates. However, after you’ve deleted experimental software, those update checks can linger and consume system resources. Here’s how to delete them.
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. John Martellaro explains. Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
Sometimes those software update agents are innocuous. But other times, they’ll leave behind remnants of themselves, for example Menu Bar items. Or they’ll constantly pop up in Little Snitch, if you use that, begging for permission. It can get a little annoying. At the very least, it’s messy to leave these persistent messengers around (that phone home) after you’ve deleted experimental software.
The first place to look for remnant agents is in System Preferences -> Accounts -> Login Items to see if any agents are still being launched at login. If you don’t see anything suspicious there, look in:
- ~/Library/LaunchAgents (local)
- /Library/LaunchAgents (global)
In the case of Google’s Chrome, it installed a launch agent on my system in my local Library.
Google’s Chrome Launch Agent
If you see something like this, and know you don’t want it around anymore, you can just delete the file. In this case: com.google.keystone.agent.plist. Then, at your convenience, restart to reset the tasks for launchd.
In general, when a new application comes with a .pkg installer, one must be on guard because an installer will often install other files, in addition to the app in /Applications. One tip: it asks for an admin password. If you want to be extra cautious, you can inspect all the files that will be installed by looking at the installer’s File menu -> Show files.
However, some apps, simply dragged to /Applications, when launched, can also sneakily insert files into other locations in your system, for example, Chrome. Vigilance (and a tool like Little Snitch) can smoke out these unwanted tidbits of code in your system after you’ve deleted the primary app.
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.
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.
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:
- Launch Terminal (Finder > Applications > Utilities).
- Type this command into Terminal: defaults read com.google.Keystone.Agent.plist
- Hit Return. A screen that looks like this should come up:
Uninstall Google Software Update Mac
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:
- Launch Terminal.
- 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
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.
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.
Google Software Update Agent Mac Remove Mac
You can adjust this time in Terminal. Here’s how:
- Launch Terminal.
- 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.
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.
- Download CleanMyMac X - you can try out the software for free.
- Install and launch the app.
- Go to Malware Removal and hit Scan.
- 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.
Remove Google Software Update Agent Mac
Hope this was helpful!