How To Turn Off Apple Updates Reminders For Old Apps On Mac

You can turn off software update notifications on a Mac computer in a few steps, or set your Mac to update automatically.
Software update notifications pop up automatically to let you know when there's an available update for your computer.
While these notifications may be useful, the pop-ups can be distracting.
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Apple offers regular updates to its software and operating systems, which improve functionality and security. However, the notifications can be annoying and may pop up at inconvenient times.

Since these updates are for all the Apple programs in your computer, you may get notifications for apps you don't use. Luckily, you can turn the notifications off. With the Mojave or Catalina operating system, you can even adjust your preferences so your system updates automatically without notifying you.

How to turn off software update notifications on a Mac running Mojave or Catalina

1. Click on the Apple icon in the top left corner and click on "System Preferences…"

2. In the grid of icons, click on "Software Update," which looks like a gear. It should be located near the bottom section of "System Preferences."

3. Next to the box labeled "Automatically keep my Mac up to date," click "Advanced."

4. In the "Advanced" pop-up, uncheck the box labeled "Check for updates." This will uncheck all the other boxes and stop the automatic update notifications.

5. Click "Ok" to close the mini pop-up. If the box labeled "Automatically keep my Mac up to date" had been previously checked, it will now be unchecked.

How to automatically update a Mac, without notifications, in Mojave or Catalina

1. Open the "System Preferences" app on your Mac.

2. Click on the icon for "Software Update," which looks like a gear.

3. Next to the checkbox labeled "Automatically keep my Mac up to date," click "Advanced."

4. Click the box called "Check for updates" if it's not already checked.

5. Next, check the box for "Download new updates when available" and the box for "Install macOS updates." If you want to keep every aspect of your Mac up to date, also click the boxes for "Install app updates from the App store" and "Install system data files and security updates."

Check off the first three boxes, or all the boxes if you choose.

6. Click "Ok" to exit the mini pop-up.

7. Now, the box next to "Automatically keep my Mac up to date" should have either a small dash in it or a check mark, depending on whether or not you checked all the boxes in the mini pop-up.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

How to update iPhone apps on iOS 13 manually, or set them to update automatically when new versions are released
How to turn off automatic updates on an Android device if you're running low on data or battery life
How to turn on automatic updates on your iPhone for iOS and apps
How to temporarily turn off automatic updates in Windows 10, so your computer won't restart on its own
How to manually check for updates on a Windows 10 computer and install them

Ryan Ariano grew up in Baltimore when the Macintosh was cutting edge, lived in Los Angeles as Blackberries gave way to iPhones, and now lives in Jackson Hole where his life is held together by Bluetooth. He writes on a wide range of topics but especially loves nerding out across the tech spectrum. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.