How to remove Google Software Update from Mac OSX?

Question

I briefly installed Chrome on OSX Mavericks. I hated using Chrome, and deleted it. My user account "manages" web browsing for me, so only websites authorised by me are allowed access. I do this so I can keep track of which websites software installed on my Mac are really accessing.

To my surprise, "Google Software Update" seems to be installed on my Mac, and is trying to connect to google analytics. I deleted Chrome, so I don't see why this should be installed.

Using Finder, I can't find any "Google" software using the search feature.

How can I remove this ? I feel it is a violation of my privacy, considering I removed Chrome.

Answer 1

The new command is now the following:

sudo /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/install.py --nuke

This was an older command:

sudo ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resour‌​ces/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/ksinstall --uninstall

In the older command above, you may prefer to replace the --uninstall with the --nuke option. The former supposedly leaves some files, while the latter removes them.

Alternatively, Google Software Update might be installed within /Library/, in which case it can be removed with:

sudo /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/ksinstall --uninstall

Answer 2

On their official help page, they only mention disabling the checks:

To disable Google Software Update from checking for updates, execute the following in the Terminal application:

$ defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0

Answer 3

Success on a Mac Sept 29, 2017:

The "official" Google-given method given to stop the Google Software Update is this, but it doesn't always work. The updater sometimes, on some systems, finds a way to reset itself and update anyway. In Terminal: defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0

The most foolproof method is to deny Chrome the permissions it needs to install the update software and run it. Empty these directories: /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/ ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/

Then change the permissions on both folders named GoogleSoftwareUpdate so that there's no owner and no read/write/execute permissions.

In terminal:

cd /Library/Google/
sudo chown nobody:nogroup GoogleSoftwareUpdate
sudo chmod 000 GoogleSoftwareUpdate
cd ~/Library/Google/
sudo chown nobody:nogroup GoogleSoftwareUpdate
sudo chmod 000 GoogleSoftwareUpdate

If you want to be double-certain, then do the same for the folder Google one level up.

cd /Library/
sudo chown nobody:nogroup Google
sudo chmod 000 Google
cd ~/Library/
sudo chown nobody:nogroup Google
sudo chmod 000 Google

I did this immediately after installing the Chrome version I need for my machine, and it worked perfectly. Now when I check About Google Chrome it gives me the error "Update failed (error: 10)" It's still trying to update, but it can't do it any more.

Answer 4

Use --help to see the various ksinstall options, i.e. ksinstall --help

cd ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resour‌​ces/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/

ksinstall --help

[--install=PKG]     Install keystone using PKG as the source.
[--uninstall]       Remove Keystone program files but do NOT delete
                    the ticket store.
[--nuke]            Remove Keystone and all tickets.
[--interval=N]      Set installed agent to wake up every N seconds.
[--lockdown]        Prevent Keystone from ever uninstalling itself.
[--force]           Perform operation even if it is a downgrade.

Answer 5

In my Mac OS X 10.9.5 ksinstall resides in the main library. The commend is thus:

sudo /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/ksinstall --nuke