Google Chrome updates are pretty unobtrusive. However, if you've decided you don't want them to run automatically, there's no setting in the browser to turn them off. For people who prefer a more granular level of control over their updates, that's an issue.

Fortunately, Windows users can disable automatic updates in just a few easy steps. Keep reading to learn how to stop Chrome updates on Windows.

1. Rename the Update Folder in Google Chrome

This is the first method you should try. All you have to do is head to the update folder in your Google Chrome folder from Program Files and rename it something different.

Here’s how:

  1. Head to This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files.
  2. From there, click on Google > Chrome.
  3. Now right-click on Update and rename it to 123update or update#124.
  4. In case you get an error like the one mentioned in the screenshot below, try to change the name of the update installer inside the Update folder.
  5. Again, right-click on the Update installer and set it to something like 123Update or Update$1234.
    folder in use error caused by a folder rename attempt

If you have followed the above steps, your automatic Google Chrome updates on Windows will be disabled. You can easily verify this by launching your Chrome update menu. Just launch the Chrome browser and head to "chrome://settings/help", and you will get an update error similar to the image below.

update error in google chrome settings

2. Stop Chrome's Automatic Updates via the System Configuration Utility

The most common way to stop Chrome from updating on Windows is to use the System Configuration Utility (also known as MSConfig).

  1. To open MSConfig, open the Run prompt. You can do this by using the keyboard shortcut Win + R.
  2. Once it opens, type msconfig and hit Enter.
  3. Open the Services tab.
  4. Look for the two following items: Google Update Service (gupdate) and Google Update Service (gupdatem). To find them easily, it may be easier to either check Hide all Microsoft services or click on the Service column header to sort the list alphabetically.
    system configuration
  5. Uncheck both Google items and click OK.
  6. You will be prompted to restart your computer for these changes to take effect.

3. Stop Chrome's Automatic Updates via the Windows Services Manager

services dialog box

The second method way to prevent Chrome from updating uses the Windows Services Manager tool.

  1. Open the Windows Run utility. You can do this by using the keyboard shortcut Win + R or searching for Run using Cortana.
  2. Once it opens, type services.msc and hit Enter.
  3. Scroll down to Google Update Service (update). Double-click each item and in the General tab under Startup Type, select Disabled from the dropdown menu and click OK.
    google update service properties
  4. Repeat this process for Google Update Service (gupdatem).
    google update service properties gupdatem

Google warns against disabling updates, and in some cases, they bring with them some much-needed security changes. As such, to ensure you are staying safe, check out our list of the best Chrome extensions for better security.

4. Stop Chrome's Automatic Updates via the Registry Editor

If none of the above methods stopped automatic updates on Google Chrome on your Windows, then you should give the Registry Editor a go.

An old Windows tool, the Registry Editor helps you access and modify Windows Registry, a hierarchical database that stores information about software and hardware on your PC. Naturally, you can also use it to disable automatic updates of Google Chrome on your Windows.

But make sure you make a full Windows Registry backup first, as Windows Registry tweaks can sometimes backfire. It’s crucial that you go in prepared and have your old registry settings saved somewhere.

After you have put in a registry backup, follow the steps below:

  1. Head to the Start menu search bar, type in ‘run’, and select the best match.
  2. In the Run dialog box, put in ‘regedit’ and hit Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
  3. In the Registry Editor, copy and paste the following address in the address bar and press Enter:
    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies
  4. In most cases, you might not find a folder for Google. So create one by right-clicking on Policies and selecting New > Key. Also, rename the new folder to Google.
  5. Right-click on the newly created Google folder, click on New > Key, and rename the newly created folder to Update.
    creating a new 'update' key inside the registry editor
  6. Inside the Update folder, right-click in the empty space on the right and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Again, rename the file and set it as UpdateDefault.
  7. Double-click the UpdateDefault file and set the Value data to 0.

Finally, click on OK and close the Registry Editor. Now, all you have to do is a quick reboot, and the Registry Editor will disable all your Chrome auto-updates on Windows PC from here on.

Stopping Automatic Google Chrome Updates on Windows

By foregoing updates, you may be missing out on critical security fixes, so definitely bear that in mind before you decide to disable auto-updates. Regardless, as long as you make sure you are running manual Google Chrome updates occasionally, you will have nothing to worry about.