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Which Terminal command to permanently hide updates in Apps store?

katbel

katbel

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 19, 2009
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I 'm using High Sierra and tried to use a terminal command to hide apps in the Mac App store I do not want to see among my updates but that I'm still using. Tried to hide the receipts, not working. After everything I've done , I restarted the iMac but no success
The Terminal command could be the wrong one, any idea of how to fix it?

Code: 
sudo softwareupdate --ignore "xxx"

where xxx is the app name

The only thing that works is how to hide the annoying notification that popups everyday and where there is no:
"Stop Annoying Me" to click. Just Install now or remind me tomorrow sigh

I removed it this way

Paste the following command in the Terminal window and hit Enter on
the keyboard:
Code: 
sudo mv /Library/Bundles/OSXNotification.bundle ~/Documents/

The command requires administrative privileges so you need to authenticate by providing your Mac user accountʼs password.
3) Restart the computer to have the change take effect.

To revert the command and receive upgrade notifications again, execute the following command in Terminal and restart your Mac so that changes take effect:
Code: 
sudo mv ~/Documents/OSXNotification.bundle /Library/Bundles/

The Terminal method temporarily moves “OSXNotification.bundle” from its original location in the /Library/Bundles/ folder to your user accountʼs default Documents folder.
“OSXNotification.bundle” is a small Apple-signed bundle that controls macOS upgrade notifications. Reverting the change puts the file back in its original location.
 
I tried the command on Mojave on another computer: it works to stop the notification about updating to Catalina but not to the apps I do not want to update. I wonder if it's not softwareupdate the process involved with Mac App Store. Is anyone knowing which process is? Not the App Store app.
 
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katbel said:
The Terminal method temporarily moves “OSXNotification.bundle” from its original location in the /Library/Bundles/ folder to your user accountʼs default Documents folder.
“OSXNotification.bundle” is a small Apple-signed bundle that controls macOS upgrade notifications. Reverting the change puts the file back in its original location.
Click to expand...
I'm adding that works only if you compress the “OSXNotification.bundle” that you put in another folder and delete the non compressed one
I've been off notification since 1 week 😊 and I still have two apps to update. I prefer to have the badge since at least I know I have some updates in case I need it
 
Try this:
Code: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>PayloadContent</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications</key>
            <true/>
            <key>PayloadDescription</key>
            <string>Configures App Store settings</string>
            <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
            <string>App Store settings</string>
            <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
            <string>PayloadIdentifier2</string>
            <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
            <string></string>
            <key>PayloadType</key>
            <string>com.apple.appstore</string>
            <key>PayloadUUID</key>
            <string>PayloadUUID1</string>
            <key>PayloadVersion</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
        </dict>
    </array>
    <key>PayloadDescription</key>
    <string>Disable Software Update Notifications</string>
    <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
    <string>Disable Software Update Notifications</string>
    <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
    <string>PayloadIdentifier3</string>
    <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
    <string>Company Name</string>
    <key>PayloadScope</key>
    <string>System</string>
    <key>PayloadType</key>
    <string>Configuration</string>
    <key>PayloadUUID</key>
    <string>PayloadUUID2</string>
    <key>PayloadVersion</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>


Save it as .mobileconfig and install it. It will show up in System Preferences - Profiles like this

DisSUN.jpg


It disables App Store notifications for software updates, but not the Dock App Store badge.
 
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bogdanw said:
Try this:
Code: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>PayloadContent</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications</key>
            <true/>
            <key>PayloadDescription</key>
            <string>Configures App Store settings</string>
            <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
            <string>App Store settings</string>
            <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
            <string>PayloadIdentifier2</string>
            <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
            <string></string>
            <key>PayloadType</key>
            <string>com.apple.appstore</string>
            <key>PayloadUUID</key>
            <string>PayloadUUID1</string>
            <key>PayloadVersion</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
        </dict>
    </array>
    <key>PayloadDescription</key>
    <string>Disable Software Update Notifications</string>
    <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
    <string>Disable Software Update Notifications</string>
    <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
    <string>PayloadIdentifier3</string>
    <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
    <string>Company Name</string>
    <key>PayloadScope</key>
    <string>System</string>
    <key>PayloadType</key>
    <string>Configuration</string>
    <key>PayloadUUID</key>
    <string>PayloadUUID2</string>
    <key>PayloadVersion</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>


Save it as .mobileconfig and install it. It will show up in System Preferences - Profiles like this

View attachment 894696

It disables App Store notifications for software updates, but not the Dock App Store badge.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! You should get the Oscar for best Terminal solutions 😊
Should I put the “OSXNotification.bundle” back and use just this?
 
katbel said:
Thanks again! Profiles can be made just for Catalina I imagine or can you make a profile for High Sierra or Mojave as well?
Click to expand...
That same profile works for pretty much any recent version of macOS. Configuration profiles in general have been supported in macOS since around 10.7, if I am remembering correctly.
 
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katbel said:
Profiles can be made just for Catalina I imagine or can you make a profile for High Sierra or Mojave as well?
Click to expand...
I've installed the same Disable Software Update Notifications profile in Catalina and Mojave.
While profiles can be installed on various versions of macOS and iOS, some values are not available for all or are deprecated.
In this case, according to Apple, DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications is "Available in macOS 10.10 and later."
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/appstore
 
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bogdanw said:
I've installed the same Disable Software Update Notifications profile in Catalina and Mojave.
While profiles can be installed on various versions of macOS and iOS, some values are not available for all or are deprecated.
In this case, according to Apple, DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications is "Available in macOS 10.10 and later."
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/appstore
Click to expand...

I just tried on High Sierra but I got an error using Textedit. I believe because of the format

Then I thought BBEdit should work better (saved with Line Breaks UNIX - Encoding: Unicode) changed after to mobileconfig and it works: Thanks a lot!

BTW Yesterday after one week of no notifications , even without the bundle , I got oneo_O
Let's see with the profile if High Sierra will behave
 
@katbel Thank you! I created the profile in Xcode using a property list template and saved with mobileconfig extension. Installed seamlessly and now let's see if the prompts return. Usually they happen after I switch partitions containing different versions of macOS I still use. The current one is High Sierra Mojave. I wonder what keys I should use in Mavericks.
 
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maverick28 said:
@katbel Thank you! I created the profile in Xcode using a property list template and saved with mobileconfig extension. Installed seamlessly and now let's see if the prompts return. Usually they happen after I switch partitions containing different versions of macOS I still use. The current one is High Sierra. I wonder what keys I should use in Mavericks.
Click to expand...
Glad and hope it will work as it did on mine. No idea of what to do on Mavericks, probably trying should not break anything. If you have a backup(and Im sure you do) you can always go back
Now I'm using Mojave and it still works 😊 but to avoid Catalina you need few little extra tricks because Apple is trying to break our ability to avoid upgrades, sadly.
 
Damn, I rebooted several times to High Sierra from other macOSes: launched Pages and Numbers without prompts. Rebooted again: Pages, Numbers - still no prompts, Keynote - prompt. What if there're some other mechanism that counts launches or days between the prompt is activated? I see storeagent plists in System Agents and Demons, but have no clue of whether unloading or deleting them will suppress these prompts. There's AppStore folder in Volumes' Library containing adoption.plist. But I didn't find anything worth of attention there.
 
There seem to be some additional values that can be configured through profiles. I haven't tested them.
forceDelayedSoftwareUpdates
boolean
If true, delays user visibility of software updates. In macOS, seed build updates are allowed, without delay. Requires a supervised device. Available in iOS 11.3 and later, macOS 10.13 and later, and tvOS 12.2 and later.
Default: false
Click to expand...
enforcedSoftwareUpdateDelay
integer
Sets how many days to delay a software update on the device. With this restriction in place, the user doesn't see a software update until the specified number of days after the software update release date. Requires a supervised device. Available in iOS 11.3 and later, macOS 10.13.4 and later, and tvOS 12.2 and later.
Default: 30
Minimum: 1
Maximum: 90
Click to expand...
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicemanagement/restrictions
 
Considering the former excerpt: "delays user visibility" by what interval? Is it affected by system boot?
 
maverick28 said:
Considering the former excerpt: "delays user visibility" by what interval? Is it affected by system boot?
Click to expand...
As I understand it, the interval is set by enforcedSoftwareUpdateDelay:
Default: 30
Minimum: 1
Maximum: 90
It should not be affected by the number of reboots.
 
This is the latter of the two keys. The former is "forceDelayedSoftwareUpdates". It's unclear by what amount of time the delay happens. Should I use the 2 keys in concert or any one of the two?
 
Last edited:
I think they go together, something like this
Code: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>PayloadContent</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>PayloadDescription</key>
            <string>Configures restrictions</string>
            <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
            <string>Restrictions</string>
            <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
            <string>PayloadIdentifier3</string>
            <key>PayloadType</key>
            <string>com.apple.applicationaccess</string>
            <key>PayloadUUID</key>
            <string>PayloadUUID4</string>
            <key>PayloadVersion</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
            <key>enforcedSoftwareUpdateDelay</key>
            <integer>90</integer>
            <key>forceDelayedSoftwareUpdates</key>
            <true/>
        </dict>
    </array>
    <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
    <string>SoftwareUpdateDelay</string>
    <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
    <string>PayloadIdentifier3</string>
    <key>PayloadRemovalDisallowed</key>
    <false/>
    <key>PayloadType</key>
    <string>Configuration</string>
    <key>PayloadUUID</key>
    <string>PayloadUUID3</string>
    <key>PayloadVersion</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>
SoftwareUpdateDelay.jpg
 
How do the updates prompts happen on your Mac with these profiles? Do they pop-up every 90 days?
 
I didn't install the last one, the image is from a virtual machine I use for tests and the profile was installed to soon to notice anything.
There seems to be confusion about what the values are meant to do
https://babodee.wordpress.com/2020/...enterprise-options-for-macos-software-update/
https://mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/
2. We are taking this sentence literally “Starting with macOS 10.15.4, major releases of macOS can be deferred for up to 90 days using MDM.” Meaning the change was not backported to 10.14 and we will be unable to ignore 10.16 on Mojave.
I have reached out to Apple for clarification on this.
Click to expand...
I have the DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications profile in Mojave, but I rarely use Mojave, as my main system is now Catalina.
Maybe chrfr could offer more insight into the use of SoftwareUpdateDelay.
 
bogdanw said:
I didn't install the last one, the image is from a virtual machine I use for tests and the profile was installed to soon to notice anything.
There seems to be confusion about what the values are meant to do
https://babodee.wordpress.com/2020/...enterprise-options-for-macos-software-update/
https://mrmacintosh.com/10-15-5-2020-003-updates-changes-to-softwareupdate-ignore/

I have the DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications profile in Mojave, but I rarely use Mojave, as my main system is now Catalina.
Maybe chrfr could offer more insight into the use of SoftwareUpdateDelay.
Click to expand...
I’m not any more familiar with SoftwareUpdateDelay than the two folks who have blogged about it- I manage my users’ software updates using a Reposado server but am expecting that to lose support soon as well.
Supposedly the 10.15.6 beta adds back some of the softwareupdate options which were removed in 10.15.5, but I haven’t seen the AppleSeed release notes yet, and I don’t know if those changes would apply to the next security updates for 10.13.6/10.14.6.
 
bogdanw said:
Try this:
Code: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>PayloadContent</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>DisableSoftwareUpdateNotifications</key>
            <true/>
            <key>PayloadDescription</key>
            <string>Configures App Store settings</string>
            <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
            <string>App Store settings</string>
            <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
            <string>PayloadIdentifier2</string>
            <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
            <string></string>
            <key>PayloadType</key>
            <string>com.apple.appstore</string>
            <key>PayloadUUID</key>
            <string>PayloadUUID1</string>
            <key>PayloadVersion</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
        </dict>
    </array>
    <key>PayloadDescription</key>
    <string>Disable Software Update Notifications</string>
    <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
    <string>Disable Software Update Notifications</string>
    <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
    <string>PayloadIdentifier3</string>
    <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
    <string>Company Name</string>
    <key>PayloadScope</key>
    <string>System</string>
    <key>PayloadType</key>
    <string>Configuration</string>
    <key>PayloadUUID</key>
    <string>PayloadUUID2</string>
    <key>PayloadVersion</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>


Save it as .mobileconfig and install it. It will show up in System Preferences - Profiles like this

View attachment 894696

It disables App Store notifications for software updates, but not the Dock App Store badge.
Click to expand...

@bogdanw,

Was I supposed to just copy and past all of the code into the terminal and then export the text with the ".mobileconfig" extension? Yes I'm trying to ignore app updates from the app store but I'm not able to. I have a 2010 macbook air with Catalina on it an I don't want to update iMovie since the latest version is not compatible. Any ideas and thanks a ton!

Best,
Matt
 
I think all these app update prompts are tied up closely with the inbuilt store synchronizing mechanism supervised by demons or agents and modifying MDM profiles will have 0 effects. In fact, I believe it makes difference less and less. The storeagentd process comes into my mind, and so, if you want to block the prompts you have to unload it and prevent from loading upon the system's boot or logging into your user account. If it's the case then it could be as simple as creating a demon launchd instance and placing it either in the /System or /Library LaunchDemon folder, but I haven't done that.
Likewise, the issue is plaguing me with the prompts to update the iWork apps despite the incompatibility with the macOS I run. I'd like to resolve it once and for all.
Also, even if manipulating storeagentd will do the job, then giving security implementations in newer macOSes it's unclear whether they must be done in Recovery mode with or without System Integrity Protection being disabled.
 
Last edited:
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