When Microsoft Office is installed on a Windows machine, regardless of the version — Microsoft 365 Apps, Office LTSC 2021, Office 2019, Office 2016, or even Office 2013 — the automatic update option is activated by default whenever a new update is provided by the firm.
If you discover that the updates are disabled or that the ability to manage the updates is disabled or inaccessible, you can use the Registry Editor or the Local Group Policy Editor to hide the option to activate or disable Office Updates on your system for Microsoft Office.
In this step-by-step instruction, we will teach you how to conceal the automatic office updates option for Microsoft Office using the Local Group Policy editor, which is a bit easier than the lengthy process required when using the Registry Editor to make the changes.
How to hide enable or disable updates option in Microsoft Office
Step 1: Download the Office Group Policy templates on your device using this link.
Step 2: Open the download file and extract its contents. Then, copy all the content into “C:/Windows/PolicyDefinitions/admx” and copy the admin folder to the language-locale subfolder.
Step 3: Open the Local Group Policy Editor tool on your computer.
Step 4: When the Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to the following location:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Office 2016 (Machine) > Updates
Step 5: Look for the policy named “Hide option to enable or disable updates” on the right side and double-click on it.
Step 6: In the new window that opens, select the “Enabled” radio button from the options and then click the “Ok” button.
Using the Local Group Policy Editor on your Windows computer, make the modifications listed above to conceal the enable or disable office updates button from the Microsoft Office programs on your device.