How to Remove or Disable GoogleUpdate.exe in XP / Vista

Contributor Icon Contributed by davak Date Icon October 17, 2008  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

GoogleUpdate.exe is installed with several google applications. In runs in the background and checks for updates to google’s programs. Many people do not like extra, unnecessary processes running. Here are the directions for disabling this pesky, reoccurring application.


In google’s defense, windows does not have a good system for finding updates on non-Windows applications. Because of this, many applications install these background processes to detect when updates occur. Unfortunately, any background application will use a little CPU and memory. Therefore, many people want all, nonessential background processes removed. Here is how to do it.

The same directions will work for vista and xp. Depending on your security level, you may have to jump through a few more dialog boxes in Vista.

1. In the Control Panel go to Scheduled Tasks

2. Select GoogleUpdateTaskUser

3. Then click on the Delete link to remove it. Confirm when the dialog box appears. This will prevent the task from relaunching itself.

remove google from scheduled tasks

4. To remove the active process, right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the context menu.

5. Within task manager, select GoogleUpdate.exe and press the End Process button. Confirm when the dialog box appears.

googleupdate kill task

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  • nafnosseb
    Cool, i had 2 google update processes running. No longer.
  • albcoe
    Nice, thanks
  • kbywg
    In my Windows XP Task Manager there was also a Google Updater Service.exe which I also deleted.
  • Rod
    YIKES! In Vista I finally found the Task Manager in the Control Panel under the Administrative Tools but can't find anything entitled "Google Update". Obviously this task is more complicated with Vista. The Task Manager has a "Library" with a sub-heading of "Microsoft" with a sub-heading of "Windows" and 26 sub-files beneath that - none contain Google Update.
    The only place I found GoogleUpdate.exe was in the program files and I am afraid to delete that. What if I want it back someday?
    Maybe my "Vista Manager" program already disabled Google Update as an unnecessary program.
  • Ozh
    Does not work. After some time I noticed the task was back again.
  • anton
    Thanks broo, your tips simple but powerfull...
  • m
    thank man
  • a name to comment
    These instructions do NOT work for Vista. There is nothing called "Scheduled Tasks" in the vista control panel. When you find the task in the task explorer, you get a message, "Error opening process, denied". No description about this either. Next link.
  • durdy
    Type in "Administrative Tools" in your search bar and it's called "Task Scheduler" for Vista.
  • stine
    I think they changed the name of the task to "GoogleUpdateTaskMachine"

    I set mine to run after 600 minutes of idle time pretty much insuring that it will only run saturday morning at 11am
  • critofur
    There are no scheduled tasks shown in my control panel Scheduled Tasks applet window.
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