What is Update-Notifier?
If you run a desktop version of Ubuntu, you are likely familiar with the Software Updater popup. Every few days, a window will suddenly appear in the middle of your screen, interrupting whatever you are doing, to announce that new software updates are available to install. This prompt is generated by a background service called update-notifier.
While keeping your system updated is critical for security, having a massive window steal focus while you are typing an email or watching a movie is incredibly annoying. If you prefer to manage your updates manually via the terminal (using sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade) on your own schedule, you can safely disable this graphical nag screen.
How to Disable the Update-Notifier Popup
You can prevent the graphical updater from launching by modifying the autostart configuration.
- Open your Ubuntu Terminal (shortcut:
Ctrl + Alt + T). - To disable the popup for your specific user account, you need to copy the global autostart file to your local directory (if it doesn’t already exist):
mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
cp /etc/xdg/autostart/update-notifier.desktop ~/.config/autostart/- Next, open the copied file in a text editor like nano:
nano ~/.config/autostart/update-notifier.desktop- Scroll to the very bottom of the file and add the following line exactly as written:
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=false- Save the file (Press
Ctrl + O, thenEnter) and exit nano (PressCtrl + X).
The next time you log into your Ubuntu desktop, the update-notifier will fail to start. You will no longer receive graphical popups interrupting your work. Remember that you must now manually run the apt update commands in the terminal periodically to ensure your system remains secure.