The Background Bandwidth Drain
By default, macOS is designed to run silently in the background, constantly pinging Apple’s servers to check if new system updates, security patches, or application updates are available. When it finds them, it often begins downloading gigabytes of data behind the scenes to prepare your system for an eventual installation. While this ensures your Mac is always running the latest software, it can be highly annoying if you are working on a metered internet connection (like a cellular hotspot), if you need maximum bandwidth for a video call, or if you simply prefer to review and install updates on your own schedule rather than having your system resources consumed unpredictably.
How to Disable Automatic Update Checks in System Settings
You can take back control of your Mac’s update cycle by turning off the background polling entirely via the primary settings menu.
1. Click the Apple logo () in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings from the drop-down menu (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
3. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on General.
4. In the main pane, click on Software Update.
5. Next to the “Automatic Updates” heading, you will see a small circular Info (i) icon. Click it.
6. A sub-menu will appear with several toggle switches. The top switch is labelled Check for updates.
7. Click the toggle to turn it Off.
Note: Disabling this top toggle will automatically disable the options below it, such as “Download new updates when available” and “Install macOS updates,” because the Mac will no longer know if those updates even exist.
8. You may be prompted to enter your administrator password or use Touch ID to confirm this system-level change. Click Done.
The Importance of Manual Checking
By disabling this feature, your Mac will never download a large file unexpectedly. However, this also means you are responsible for your own system security. You must remember to manually open the Software Update pane periodically (e.g., once a month) to see if Apple has released critical security patches that protect your machine from vulnerabilities.