Microsoft AutoUpdate on Mac: CPU and removal

What Microsoft AutoUpdate does

Microsoft calls the updater MAU. It checks for new versions, downloads them and can apply them in the background. Security fixes are one reason to keep a working update route, even if you do not want new features immediately.

The app’s origin matters. Microsoft says Office apps downloaded from its website use AutoUpdate, while Mac App Store editions update through the App Store. A Microsoft 365 subscription does not by itself tell you which installation channel you chose. Check the installed app and use its documented update route.

Microsoft documents the updater under /Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft AutoUpdate.app. We found that app on the Mac used for this page, running macOS 27.0.1 on 23 October 2026, but no Microsoft AutoUpdate process was running during the read-only process check. We therefore do not assert a measured CPU load or a live process owner for this installation.

Open it and update Office

1. Save the documents you are editing.
2. Open a Microsoft app such as Word or Excel.
3. Choose Help › Check for Updates.
4. If AutoUpdate opens, inspect the offered app versions and use Update or Update All when ready.
5. Close and reopen apps when the update workflow requests it.

Microsoft’s update instructions explain both AutoUpdate and the App Store route. On an employer’s Mac, updates may be delayed or deployed centrally; ask IT if an option is unavailable instead of changing management settings.

The update controls belong to the Microsoft app, so their wording depends on that app’s version rather than whether you use macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe or macOS 27. Do not use an old screenshot as a reason to delete a functioning updater.

Checking versus automatically installing

The current end-user instructions offer Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date. Leave it enabled if you want the documented automatic workflow. If you need control over timing, inspect the controls offered in your installed version and schedule updates before a long work session.

Microsoft’s administrator documentation makes the policy distinction explicit: AutomaticDownload checks and applies updates, while AutomaticCheck checks and prompts the user to begin installation. It also says Manual no longer appears in the graphical interface and does not automatically offer other app updates.

Those are documented configuration modes, not a promise that every edition presents a three-way switch. This guide does not give a Terminal preference command to override your organization’s policy. For a managed Mac, have IT choose a supported policy that meets your work requirements.

Background permission is part of updating

On macOS 15, 26 and 27, use System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions to inspect background activity. Microsoft’s background-permission article says disabling its entry can lead Office apps to ask you to turn it back on, or reinstall MAU if it is missing or damaged.

Switching the entry off is not an uninstall. If you deliberately change it on a personal Mac, record the previous state and turn it back on when restoring the automatic update route. If you want fewer interruptions, solve the timing question in the supported updater controls rather than leaving installed apps without updates indefinitely.

If it is busy or keeps showing an error

Check whether an update is in progress before quitting anything. Downloading and replacing app bundles involves work; a temporary CPU or disk increase is not sufficient evidence of a fault. Microsoft does not publish a universal normal CPU percentage for MAU.

For persistent failures, note the error and the app being updated, save your work, then restart normally and retry the update. If a work policy controls it, contact the help desk. Microsoft’s troubleshooting page recommends the current official MAU installer for missing helpers or incorrect permissions. Do not manually remove shared helper files or change their permissions recursively.

You can inspect a running updater with this read-only command:

ps -axo user,pid,comm | grep '[M]icrosoft AutoUpdate'

It needs no sudo, changes nothing and requires no undo. We ran it on macOS 27.0.1; it returned no matching process at that time. That does not establish that MAU is uninstalled. Use Activity Monitor to inspect it when it is actually active.

Can you remove Microsoft AutoUpdate?

If Office or another supported Microsoft app still relies on MAU, keep a working update route. Removing the updater does not improve the safety of an old app version and can mean missing security fixes. App Store versions have a different route, but first confirm which editions are installed.

If you are removing Office completely, use the Office uninstall guide and review MAU last, after checking other Microsoft products. Microsoft support responses describe locating the updater through its Dock icon’s Options › Show in Finder control and removing it only after quitting it. Do not turn that into a command that erases the Microsoft shared Library directory.

Removing an updater is also separate from canceling Microsoft 365. Billing and license activation remain account-level decisions.

How Tend helps

Tend’s free Startup Items view lists supported launch agents and daemons, including Microsoft entries when present. It can switch an identified item off, with administrator approval for system services. Use it to understand what starts; leave update helpers enabled when installed apps need them.

Free Energy & Apps shows processes it can sample in your account. MAU was not running during our check, so we do not promise a particular live row. Tend’s Updates list does not directly replace Microsoft AutoUpdate; its other-app feed support is for compatible update feeds. Pro adds longer energy totals and alerts, not an Office update engine.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

• Microsoft, Update Office for Mac automatically.
• Microsoft Learn, AutoUpdate preferences and msupdate and MAU’s installed location.
• Microsoft, Allow background activity and troubleshoot AutoUpdate.
• Microsoft staff support response, locating and removing MAU for a reinstall (2023; not a blanket cleanup instruction).
• Local macOS 27.0.1 process and installed-app checks, 23 October 2026. No MAU process was active during inspection.

Sources checked 23 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.