Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac Help

About AutoUpdate

Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac keeps your Microsoft software up to date automatically by delivering critical updates and information directly to your computer. AutoUpdate delivers these updates by connecting online to Microsoft. For details about what information is collected and how it is used, see the Microsoft AutoUpdate privacy statement.

When you install a Microsoft application on your computer that supports AutoUpdate, such as Microsoft Office for Mac, the application registers with the AutoUpdate application on your computer. Then AutoUpdate looks for updates only for the Microsoft applications that you have installed.

AutoUpdate provides a list of updates, and then you choose which updates you want to download and install. Once the updates are downloaded to your computer, AutoUpdate installs them for you. AutoUpdate does not download and install updates without your consent.

Updates are either optional or critical. Critical updates address high priority issues such as security vulnerabilities, stability issues, or performance concerns. You can choose to either ignore or install any update. If you choose to ignore an optional update, AutoUpdate will not ask you again to install it. If you choose to ignore a critical update, AutoUpdate will continue to remind you to install the critical update each time that AutoUpdate checks for updates.

If AutoUpdate is unable to download or install an update, AutoUpdate deletes the incomplete files from your computer and leaves your Microsoft software untouched. To install the update later, open AutoUpdate, and then click Check for Updates. To open AutoUpdate from any Office application, on the Help menu, click Check for Updates.

You can specify when you want AutoUpdate to check for updates to your Microsoft software. For example, you can use AutoUpdate manually when you want to check for updates, or you can set AutoUpdate to check for updates automatically on a regular schedule.

Download and install available updates manually

Before you install updates, make sure that you have a user name and password that has administrator privileges on your computer. For more information about user accounts and administrator privileges, see Mac Help.

  1. Click Manually, and then click Check for Updates.
    For more information about an update, click the update in the list.
    To prevent AutoUpdate from downloading and installing an update, clear the check box for the update.
  2. Click Install.

Notes

Schedule automatic checks for updates

You can set AutoUpdate to check for updates automatically on a regular schedule.

Ignore optional updates

When you set AutoUpdate to ignore optional updates, AutoUpdate will not ask you to install an ignored optional update again unless you reset ignored updates.

  1. Click Check for Updates.
  2. Click the optional update that you want to ignore, and then on the Updates menu, click Ignore Update.

Reset ignored updates

You can display a list of all available updates for your computer, including those that you previously ignored.

  1. Click Check for Updates.
  2. On the Updates menu, click Reset Ignored Updates.