How to Disable or Remove GoogleUpdate.exe Process in Chrome

SUMMARY: This article will help you in understanding what is GoogleUpdate.exe background process and why is it running in Task Manager in Windows? It’ll also help you in disabling and removing GoogleUpdate.exe from running in background as well as disabling or blocking auto-update feature in Google Chrome web browser.

We all know about “Google Chrome” web browser released by Google. It’s very fast and very light on resources. But lots of Chrome users are facing an annoying problem.

If you have installed Chrome, you might have noticed that a new process “GoogleUpdate.exe” (with the description or name as Google Installer) runs continuously in background. You can check it using Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc):

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GoogleUpdate_Background_Process.jpg

Even if you End Task of this process using Task Manager, it automatically comes back after a few minutes or when you launch Chrome next time.

What is GoogleUpdate.exe Process and What does it Do?

Actually this standalone EXE file is used by Google Chrome web browser to check for new version updates. If it finds any update available, it downloads and installs it. But it’s very annoying because it never asks before downloading or installing the updates and runs in background for all the time.

How to Disable or Remove GoogleUpdate.exe Process?

If you are also among all those people who want to disable or remove this annoying GoogleUpdate.exe file, then follow this tutorial and you’ll get rid of this exe file forever. This tutorial will prevent or restrict GoogleUpdate.exe process from running in your system. This process will also disable automatic update feature of Google Chrome:

METHOD A: Block Google Update Using Firewall

The most easiest way is disallow “GoogleUpdate.exe” service to access Internet using your Firewall program. You can create a new rule in your Firewall settings to block this EXE file. Once you block GoogleUpdate.exe process from connecting to Internet, it’ll be unable to download and install new updates and will never update Google Chrome to newer versions.

METHOD B: Disable Google Update Service

1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box, type services.msc and press Enter. It’ll open Service Manager.

2. Now scroll down and look for Google Update Service (gupdate) and Google Update Service (gupdatem).

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Disable_Google_Update_Services_Windows.png

3. Double-click on both services one by one and it’ll open properties window. Click on Stop button to immediately stop the services.

Now set “Startup type” to “Disabled” from the drop-down box for both services and apply changes.

That’s it. Now GoogleUpdate.exe process will stop running in background and you’ll no longer notice it in Task Manager.

METHOD C: Disable Google Update Startup Item and Scheduled Task

If you don’t use any firewall or don’t want to use the 1st and 2nd methods, then you can use following steps to permanently remove the “GoogleUpdate.exe” file from your system but remember that after removing the file you’ll no longer be able to update the Chrome web browser using its built-in auto-update function. You’ll need to manually download and install the new version.

STEP 1:

First disable “GoogleUpdate.exe” from system startup. Type msconfig in RUN dialog box and press Enter. It’ll open “System Configuration” window. Now go to “Startup” tab and uncheck “GoogleUpdate” from the list.

Disabling_Google_Update_Startup_Ent.jpg

Apply the changes and restart your system.

NOTE: In newer Windows versions such as Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10, Microsoft moved the Startup section from msconfig program to Task Manager. Right-click on Taskbar and select Task Manager option. It’ll open Task Manager. Alternatively, you can also direct launch Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys together. Now go to “Startup” tab and disable Google Update Core item.

Disable_Microsoft_Edge_Update_Startup_Program_Windows.png

PS: You can also use Registry Editor or any other 3rd party utility such as CCleaner to remove startup entry. Windows Defender can also do the job.

STEP 2:

Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box, type taskschd.msc and press Enter. It’ll open Task Scheduler.

Now click on “Task Scheduler Library” in left-sidebar and look for following tasks in right-side pane:

  • GoogleUpdateTaskUser
  • GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore
  • GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA

Deleting_Google_Update_Task_in_Vist.jpg

Select the above mentioned tasks one by one and press Delete key to delete them. Click on Yes button to confirm the action. You can also disable the tasks instead of deleting them.

STEP 3:

Now the last step! We’ll need to remove the “GoogleUpdate.exe” file permanently so that it doesn’t add its entry again in startup.

Go to following folder (Copy and paste the folder path in RUN dialog box and press Enter):

Windows XP:
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Update

Windows Vista and later:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\Update

Delete_Rename_Google_Update_EXE_File_Windows.png

In the above mentioned folder, you’ll find the “GoogleUpdate.exe” file. Just delete the file.

PS: If you can’t find “GoogleUpdate.exe” file in above mentioned folders, try to look the file in following folders:

32-bit (x86) Windows editions:
C:\Program Files\Google\Update\

64-bit (x64) Windows editions:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\

If you find any difficulties in deleting the file, make sure GoogleUpdate.exe is not running in background, if it’s running then End Task of it using Task Manager and then try to delete it again.

That’s it. Now you’ll no longer see “GoogleUpdate.exe” file in background process list.

BONUS TIPS

You can also download and install the Offline installer of Google Chrome which doesn’t include the “GoogleUpdate.exe” file:

Official Link to Download Google Chrome Standalone Offline Installer

Or you can use the Portable version of Google Chrome which doesn’t need to be installed:

Download Portable Version of Google Chrome for USB Drives, No Need to Install

Also Check:

[Tip] Disable Automatic Background Updates Feature in Mozilla Firefox

How to Disable or Remove MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe Process Running in Task Manager?

[Tip] How to Disable or Block Auto-Update Feature in Opera Web Browser

Published in: Google Chrome, Troubleshooting Guides

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. I’ve tried to get rid of googleupdate before, keeps coming back. Will see if the above instructions work this time.

    If this type of thing happened in just about any other environment, people would be doing jail time.

    Too bad the malware people don’t go after google ….

  2. how about task manager proceed to services then open services and disable it? jst asking..

  3. Thank you so much. Hope this works. What Google is doing in this case is extremely unethical.

  4. Method A worked perfectly for me. This was so annoying, and now it’s gone. Thank you!!

  5. I just uninstalled anything google related….. I swear the whole startup process is faster too…

  6. Thanks

    you can simply put this default path on step 3. It’s the same for every one and no need for change.

    %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Update

  7. Using windows 7, GoogleUpdate.exe was not located in either %APPDATA% or in %USERPROFILE%. I did, however, find it in Google’s default install directory:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe

  8. It lurks in another place: c:\documents and settings\tjm\local settings\application data\google\update\1.3.25.5.

    substitute you admin user name -not account name – for tjm

    I deleted googleupdate.exe, googleupdatebroker.exe, googleupdatecomregistershell64.exr, googleupdatehelper.msi, googleupdateondemand.exe and googleupdatesetup.exe from this folder.

    there are a bunch of .dll files in this folder. all updated last monday at 7:26 pm, strange! i didn’t touch them. infact everyfile in the folder, except googleupdatesetup.exe has a modified date of monday 7:26 pm!

  9. I run Windows Mail and recently GoogleUpdate.exe went c.zy on me.
    regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    and delete the key to run GoogleUpdate.exe

  10. is google chrome a big brother
    updates to keep it running smooth are allowable
    but all the exe stuff is driving me nuts
    what i have found here is mind blowing……
    it is costing me MONEY to keep this computer running cause of the haywired way it goes.

  11. FIREFOX IS NOW MUCH FASTER without this vermin roaming my system. (This is Mid 2015, and running it on XP)

    TIP:
    Having Firefox on while trying to kill the process in the Task Manager caused the vermin to return within 1 or 2 seconds.

    Success came after turning off Firefox for this part of the process. I finished the other two parts of the process in registry and systems folder, but also had to restart the computer to see any results. (And astonishing difference)

    I did not think of it then, but am wondering if a simple deactivation might have achieved the same results through the pluggins section of Firefox. Accessible through the Add-ons Manager – the “Never Activate” option in the drop down box.

  12. Worked brilliantly for me.
    But when u get to the step ‘delete google updater.exe’ actual file,
    do it with forced uninstall thru Revo Uninstaller.
    It came up with quite a few registry leftovers,
    and quite a few folders and files leftovers attached!!

    I would say, no do not just delete ‘googleupdater.exe’ as this article describes only,
    do it with Revo… I check in Chrome now on my about screen,
    and it says update disabled, internal error and some code muhhahaha BANISHED!

  13. No more google update files anywhere eithers. done a couple reboots.. still gone…
    I seem to have destroyed nacl annoying thing too.
    now to get rid of widevine and pepflashplayer for good..
    its like they find 10 things to make u be stuck with these google ppl :/
    apart from that i love chrome

  14. revo found it lurked in 2 different locations with dll and registry files ready to reinstall googleupdater simultaneously! so with revo its gone gone gone.
    just deleting one, its programmed to reinstall thru the other u missed…

    googleupdate.exe needs to be run thru a professional uninstaller like revo. no question

  15. Thank you for the article, one additional thing you can do to block the googleupdate.exe is to remove the privileges for all users on the system to execute/read/write on that file location. In any other case the chrome will try to restore the file. 😉

  16. rem Please copy text to cmd file
    rem run and enjoy …
    rem … and please improve

    rem Services
    sc stop “gupdate”
    sc stop “gupdatem”
    sc stop “gusvc”

    sc delete “gupdate”
    sc delete “gupdatem”
    sc delete “gusvc”

    rem Processes
    taskkill /f /im GoogleUpdate.exe /t
    tskill GoogleUpdate.exe /a
    taskkill /f /im GoogleUpdaterService.exe

    rem Toolbars
    msiexec /x {18455581-E099-4BA8-BC6B-F34B2F06600C} /qn
    msiexec /x {A92DAB39-4E2C-4304-9AB6-BC44E68B55E2} /qn
    “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Google Toolbar\Component\GoogleToolbarManager_8CA8B41417E66DEB.exe” /uninstall

    rem Tasks
    schtasks /end /tn “GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA”
    schtasks /delete /tn “GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA” /f
    schtasks /end /tn “GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore”
    schtasks /delete /tn “GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore” /f

    rem Files and Folders
    if exist “C:\Program Files\Google\Update” del “%ProgramFiles%\Google\Update” /f /s /q
    if exist “C:\Program Files\Google\Update” rd “%ProgramFiles%\Google\Update” /s /q
    if exist “C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater” del “%ProgramFiles%\Google\Common\Google Updater” /f /s /q
    if exist “C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater rd “%ProgramFiles%\Google\Update” /s /q

    if exist “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update” del “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Update” /f /s /q
    if exist “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Update” rd “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Update” /s /q
    if exist “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Common\Google Updater” del “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Common\Google Updater” /f /s /q
    if exist “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Common\Google Updater rd “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Update” /s /q

    rem User Section
    if exist “%appdata%\Google\Update” del “%appdata%\Google\Update” /f /s /q
    if exist “%appdata%\Google\Update” rd “%appdata%\Google\Update” /s /q

    rem User Reg
    reg delete “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run” /v “Google Update” /f

  17. METHOD B is harsh!

    Simplest way to disable auto updateis this (although I liked the firewall trick!)
    I am in Windows 10
    1. Enter “Services” in the search box (next to Start) and press enter.
    2. Look at all those Services running! Find “Google Update” or “Google Software Updater”. I see three separate Windows services (all this to look for updates?)
    3. If any DO NOT say “Manual” or “Disabled”, click on them, then right click.
    4. From the right click context menu (popup menu) select “Properties”.
    5. Select “Startup Type:” and “Disabled”.

    I would argue that this is the proper way to do it. Google Update is a Windows Service like any of a hundred others. Managing services (On/Off/Manual/Disable) is just bread and butter for an Admin (like you)..

  18. Thank you very much for the info. I did disable the google updater services in the via msconfig, but the updater was still popping up twice, there were two files in %windir%/Tasks that I deleted.

  19. “Empireware” – that’s an apt description Skip R.

    Android – System Settings – Apps – All (on the right) – Task Manager – “Show All” permissions.
    Then read and wonder why.

  20. Google Update Services (gudate and gudatem) are now days Windows Services. You can disable them from the list of Services.

  21. @Skip R @7-up

    Let’s just call it ‘Googleware,’ since they’re the leader, like we call any photocopy a xerox, any facial tissue a kleenex, etc.

    Oh, wait — I guess Apple does the same sort of thing.

  22. Hey VG,
    So it seams the newer offline installer installs GoogleUpdate.exe” file. I should try again without an Internet connection but seams the installer somehow installs GoogleUpdate.exe

  23. My home page has gone, screen is at half mast and I wish to banish Google from my computer totally. There is no task manager to go to. You put on Google and some brainless scene comes on to amuse you..a guest..after using Google for years!

  24. Thank you for this webpage. And, special thanks to @Balance who provided an outstanding batch script to do what I would have to do manually. Google’s virus-like updater was completely eradicated.

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