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Google Chrome auto-updates itself and its extensions. I don't want Chrome to automatically update itself every time it is run; I only want it to update when it asks for confirmation, like Firefox does. Is this possible?

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    This is a great negligence by google. I know they want to keep it simple, but I get mad when my computer suddenly grinds to a halt. No one has answered the question adequately. We need it to check for updates, then ASK before installing them. I might have to write a script for this :S While I'm complaining, when will someone write an OS with decent IO scheduling, so that the computer DOESN'T grind to a halt when some process uses the disk?
    – Sam Watkins
    Aug 15, 2012 at 4:09
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    I doubt there is (or at this rate, ever will be) a way to prevent Chrome from automatically updating. The devs are very hostile to any user feedback and act like it is their own personal project instead of a product that they are being paid to create. Look at this innocuous request to stop updates just in the About page that was immediately shut down.
    – Synetech
    Dec 16, 2012 at 3:40
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    Also, be aware that even if you disable the update plugin (in chrome://plugins), it will spontaneously re-enable now and then (whenever Google wants). Likewise, deleting the Google Update Windows Scheduler tasks is no good because Chrome keeps recreating them. Instead, just disable them; so far that works… for now.
    – Synetech
    Dec 13, 2013 at 3:33
  • Please see this answer to an actually duplicated question.
    – Enrico
    Oct 18, 2018 at 22:19

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
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Good. I did that too.

Click on Start, then "Run". Type services.msc. Enter password if necessary on Vista or later. On the Name column, find "Google Updater Service" or similar. Right click it and open Properties. For Startup Type, change it to Disabled. You may click on the Stop button as well. OK and exit all the windws and you're done.

If you want to ever update some day, follow the steps, set the startup back to Automatic, reboot AND Google Chrome will update the next time it is run.

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  • Thanks, I think there's no GUI option for that confirmation. BTW, will it disable auto updating extensions?
    – user
    Apr 18, 2011 at 6:11
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    I also believe there is no confirmation using this method. Stopping the service silently keeps Chrome and other Google products (like Earth) from auto-updating. Every time you install a new google product, they will re-enable the service, so remember to disable the service again before restarting Chrome just after getting the new Google Desktop, Earth or Picasa or something. Also, I forgot that extensions update on their own --I have no fix. If you disable an extension, then it will autoupdate when you decide to re-activate it.
    – Vlueboy
    Apr 18, 2011 at 6:23
  • Why not just set it to "Manual"?
    – u1686_grawity
    Apr 18, 2011 at 12:29
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    @grawity, "disabled" is hardly ever changed against your orders. Manual makes it easier for you to restart at will later, but many chains of programs and services can silently just nudge parts marked "manual" to start them up as part of other tasks, and field experience shows that even Microsoft's tools leave your changes alone when you've gone and disabled things they callously touch.
    – Vlueboy
    Apr 19, 2011 at 22:33
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    services.msc shows three different 'Google Updater Services' for me: i.imgur.com/XSrxv.png - Should I disable them all?
    – galacticninja
    Jul 23, 2012 at 0:41
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If you are on Windows, the article Disable Automatic Update Google Chrome suggests to use regedit to go to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update and create a string item named DisableAutoUpdateChecksCheckboxValue and set its value to 1.

Otherwise, you could consider switching to Chromium, built upon the same sources as Chrome but with improvements, which doesn't auto-update.

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  • Actually, I also use ubuntu. And what I am looking for, is asking my confirmation before updating or an option for disable like firefox. Is there any extensions can do that?
    – user
    Apr 18, 2011 at 6:02
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    No such option on Chrome, although Update Notifier does warn you after the update. You could block the update thru the firewall - I believe update is done via http://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx. You could also find the scheduled auto-update job and disable it.
    – harrymc
    Apr 18, 2011 at 6:17
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I managed to find a way to completely stop google chrome from auto updating itself and you can still re-enable it to update when needed. Just follow the steps below:

  1. First, you need to find where the google chrome updater is located (they keep on moving it every once in a while), you can either search for it with windows search or you can right click on the google chrome shortcut then hit "properties" and on the shortcut tab hit "Open file location" the "Update" folder usually is in the google folder just 2 folders back from the location of the google launcher where the shortcut will bring you.

  2. Make a backup/archive of the "Update" folder using winrar or any similar application you prefer.

  3. Delete the "Update" folder (I'm not sure if you need to close chrome first, but to be sure just close any running google application first including the updater from the task manager if you can.).

  4. Open chrome, then hit on "The Generals" Button?? which is the former "wrench" icon. and click on the "About Google Chrome" button from the drop down to see this "Update failed (error: 3)" which will verify that the updater is no longer working.

Then, in the case that you need to update chrome again just extract the "Update" folder from step 2 in its proper location (so, make sure that you note where that is before deleting the folder) and you will be able to update google chrome again.

Sorry for my english. Goodluck..

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Go to Start → Run… → enter msconfig → go to Startup Options → disable Google Update and restart the system.

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