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How do I prevent automatic updates?

Thunderbird Update
ron197 replied
ron197
ron197

A few weeks ago my installation of Thunderbird on my Windows 10 laptop was version 151. I want to stop it from being updated, and I asked AI for help. It suggested the following:

1. Create a directory named "distribution" and locate it as follows: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\distribution. 2. Within that directory, I was asked to create a file named "policies.json" and I did so. 3. Within that file, I was asked to place the following: { 

 "policies": { 
     "DisableAppUpdate": true 
  }

} and that's what I did.

When I had a look under Settings > Update, there was a note to say that updates have been prevented by the administrator. (That would have been the effect of what I just did.) That was a few weeks ago.

So, when I looked at my version number today, I saw that my version is now 152. It had updated, and the directory and file I created are now no longer present.

It seems that the update process deletes anything that shouldn't be there and doesn't trouble itself with the file I created.

How do I stop Thunderbird from updating my installation?

A few weeks ago my installation of Thunderbird on my Windows 10 laptop was version 151. I want to stop it from being updated, and I asked AI for help. It suggested the following: 1. Create a directory named "distribution" and locate it as follows: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\distribution. 2. Within that directory, I was asked to create a file named "policies.json" and I did so. 3. Within that file, I was asked to place the following: { "policies": { "DisableAppUpdate": true } } and that's what I did. When I had a look under Settings > Update, there was a note to say that updates have been prevented by the administrator. (That would have been the effect of what I just did.) That was a few weeks ago. So, when I looked at my version number today, I saw that my version is now 152. It had updated, and the directory and file I created are now no longer present. It seems that the update process deletes anything that shouldn't be there and doesn't trouble itself with the file I created. How do I stop Thunderbird from updating my installation?

All Replies (3)

wxie
wxie
  • Top 25 Contributor

Chosen Solution

To change update settings: 

   Click the menu button and choose Settings.
   Use the General tab.
   Below Updates, select "Check for updates, but let me choose when to install them".

This is documented in https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/updating-thunderbird

Do not follow the "PI"'s answer.

ron197
ron197 Question owner

Thanks for a quick response.

I saw that option earlier, but I was concerned I might inadvertently tick the box. There are so many dialogues that keep flicking by, and with defaults often being set to 'yes', I feared making a mistake.

I'll try it this time.

Really weird, though, that my directory and file were deleted by the upgrade.

ron197
ron197 Question owner

Does anyone know how often updates are distributed?

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