How to cancel downloads and updates from the Mac App Store

Apps make life so convenient and efficient, but sometimes they can be a nuisance. If you ever find yourself downloading or updating an app from the Mac App Store and regret it, don’t worry – Apple makes canceling downloads and updates pretty easy. Let me show you how.

How to stop downloading apps or updates from the Mac App Store

If you have unknowingly started a download or simply no longer need the app, you can cancel the download or update of the app.

Through the app store

1. Launch the App Store on your Mac. You can find it in Spotlight or click on the Apple logo → App Store.
2. Click on the “Updates”tab.
3. You should see the app that is currently downloading or updating.
4. Click the blue progress circle to stop the update. This means that the file is not downloaded locally on your device, but can be downloaded from the cloud.

Via Launchpad

1. Open Launchpad. You can find it in Spotlight or click the Apple icon → Launchpad.
2. Find the app you want to stop downloading. Its icon is greyed out, indicating that it is currently being downloaded or updated. Click it to pause the download.

How to uninstall an app you downloaded on Mac

Most downloads and updates take a very short time, so you may not notice the progress bar to cancel an app download or update.

Once the app download or update is complete, you can always uninstall it from your Mac. To remove an already downloaded application:

1. Open Finder and find the app in the Applications folder.
2. Control-click the app you want to remove and select Move to Trash. This will permanently remove the application from your computer.

You can also remove an app from Launchpad. Open Launchpad and find the app you want to uninstall. Press and hold until the icons begin to wiggle, then click the Delete icon (x) in the corner of the icon. This will remove the application from your Mac.

How to turn off automatic app updates in the Mac App Store

By default, the App Store will automatically update your apps. If you don’t want this, you can turn it off:

1. Open the App Store on your Mac.
2. Go to the menu bar and select App Store → Settings. If you’re using macOS Ventura, you’ll find App Store → Preferences.
3. Uncheck Automatic Updates. You may need to enter a password to confirm.

How to Manually Update Apps on Your Mac

If you have disabled automatic downloads, you can manually update apps on your Mac at any time. Do it:

1. Open the App Store on your Mac.
2. Go to the “Updates”tab.
3. You will see a list of available updates and their size. Click Update All or select individual apps to update.

We also wrote an article on how you can update non-App Store apps on Mac.

Completion…

That’s all! Now you can easily uninstall apps you don’t need or pause downloads and updates when needed. No more unwanted downloads or updates – your Mac will thank you for it!