Apps and helpers

What is Microsoft AutoUpdate?

Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) keeps Office, Teams and other Microsoft apps up to date. It checks Microsoft's servers in the background and downloads new app versions. Its own window has the settings.

Process: Microsoft AutoUpdateAlso seen as: Microsoft Update Assistant, msupdateMade by MicrosoftApplies to: Microsoft apps installed from Microsoft, not from the Mac App Store, on macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Checked on 1 November 2026 against Microsoft's documentation.Checked: 1 November 2026

Short answer

Microsoft's updater for Office, Teams and other Microsoft apps on the Mac. It checks for updates and, by default, downloads and installs them.

Block with care

Blocking it stops Office and other Microsoft app updates, including security fixes. On a hotspot, pause it or update later instead.

Path
/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft AutoUpdate.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft AutoUpdate
Signing identifier
com.microsoft.autoupdate2

What it is

Microsoft's documentation says that MAU is the program that updates Office on a Mac. Its preference domain is com.microsoft.autoupdate2.

Microsoft says that, by default, MAU checks for updates every 12 hours. Its preferences document a check interval that organizations can change.

Microsoft says that it doesn't ship single security updates. Each update is a new app bundle, such as a new Word, with all the changes.

Apps from the Mac App Store update through the App Store instead. Microsoft says so in its update article.

Why it uses the network

  • Update checks. MAU asks Microsoft's servers whether new versions of your Microsoft apps exist.
  • Update downloads. In the default automatic mode, MAU downloads and installs updates on its own.

How much is normal

Small checks a couple of times a day are usual.

Large downloads when new versions come out are expected. Because each update is a whole app bundle, several apps updating at once add up.

Organizations can manage MAU, so on a work Mac its behaviour may differ.

When it uses a lot, and why

  • Office updates. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams each update as a new app bundle. Several can update on the same day.
  • A Mac that was off for a while. When it next checks, every pending update downloads.

Is it safe to block?

Block with care

Blocking it stops Office and other Microsoft app updates, including security fixes. On a hotspot, pause it or update later instead.

What breaks if you block it

  • Office, Teams and other Microsoft apps stop getting updates and security fixes.
  • Help › Check for Updates in Microsoft apps can't find updates.

Blocking means a firewall rule that refuses its connections. Don’t quit or disable a macOS process to save data: macOS starts it again, and other features depend on it.

Reduce its use

  1. Open a Microsoft app, such as Word. Choose Help › Check for Updates. The MAU window opens.

  2. Clear “Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date” to install updates when you choose.

  3. Microsoft warns that apps then don't get updates on their own. Check for updates on your usual network.

See how much it uses

  1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications › Utilities. Click Network.

  2. Type Microsoft AutoUpdate in the search field. The Sent Bytes and Rcvd Bytes columns show what it moved since it started.

  3. In Terminal, watch only this process. Press d to show the change per second, and q to quit. nettop cuts names to 15 characters.

    nettop -p 'Microsoft AutoU' -P

With Kilobat

  1. With Pro and the network filter, Kilobat pauses Microsoft AutoUpdate on metered networks. Your Microsoft apps keep working.

    kilobat updaters

  2. In Connections, click ⓘ on one of its rows. The popover shows this answer without going online.

  3. Ask the same question in Terminal.

    kilobat explain 'Microsoft AutoUpdate'

The live view and the explanations are free. History in the app needs Kilobat Pro. Blocking needs Pro and the network filter: see the network filter, Protection and the hotspot data saver.

Questions

Can my company control MAU?

Yes. Microsoft documents managed preferences for MAU, such as the check interval and the update channel.

Do Mac App Store versions of Office use MAU?

No. Microsoft says that apps from the Mac App Store update through the App Store instead.

Can I update only some Microsoft apps?

Yes. Microsoft says that you can choose which apps to update, for example Word and PowerPoint now and Excel later.

Sources

Checked on 1 November 2026.