Several users reported finding a strange Update.exe file on their computer system but had no idea how it got there. It was found that the file originates from GitHub, while users did not appear to use any related files. In some cases, users experienced dozens of Command Prompt windows popping up at system startup. The name update.exe is quite common, and several programs like LogMeIn, etc., use it – but here we are talking about Update.exe signed by Discord and published by GitHub.
What is Update.exe?
The Update.exe file belongs to a messaging service app called Discord, whose programming error caused the issue. In some cases, Discord was even listed in the Windows Search after some users searched for Update. This application is commonly used for chatting with friends, streaming videos, or chatting while playing games.
As a result of this bad programming, Windows created a startup entry for both Update.exe and Discord. This problem may occur because the installer failed to attach the Update file to the main application. When Discord starts up, it uses this updater. Therefore, if Discord is open during startup, this program runs alongside it so it can be updated. In other words, if Discord currently launches at startup, this Updater will run alongside it to keep Discord updated. There appears to have been an error on the Discord side and this is now visible instead of being linked to the Discord startup item.
Some people are wondering why GitHub is listed as the publisher of a file from Discord. Actually, Discord signs Update.exe files, which GitHub then publishes.
Where is Discord Update exe?
Here are the steps you can take to find the update.exe file on your system:
- To get it started, open the Task Manager first. You can use the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager window directly.
- Navigate to the Processes tab and right-click Update.exe. If it is not listed here, check the Startup tab.
- Click Properties on the contextual menu.
- You will see where the file is located.
- Once you have located the file, copy its address and paste it into the File Explorer’s Address bar.
- This is usually the address of the file: C:\Users\(account name)\AppData\Local\Discord.
You can also go to the location of the Discord Update exe by copying the path above and pasting it into the File Explorer address bar. After that, hit Enter. Replace the account name with your account name. Alternatively, open the Run command box and type %userprofile%, and hit Enter. Enable the hidden items and go to “AppData > Local > Discord.”
How to disable Update.exe in Windows 11/10
Update.exe is a startup file, which means it starts automatically on system startup. If you do not want it to start automatically every time you start your system, you can disable it by using any of the following two methods:
- Using Task Manager Startup tab
- Through Windows Settings
Now let’s take a closer look at them
1] Using Task Manager Startup tab
To disable the Update.exe file from the Task Manager, follow the suggestions:
- Click on Start, type Task Manager, and press Enter.
- Switch to the Startup tab.
- Right-click on the Update.exe file and select Disable.
- You’ll see that the status column now says Disabled.
- After applying the changes, restart your system.
Hopefully, this file will not be seen again when the system is started.
2] Through Windows Settings
Alternatively, you can use the Settings app to disable Update.exe at system startup:
- Press the Windows+I keys to open the Settings app.
- Now, go to Apps > Startup.
- On the right pane, toggle the switch off to disable the program which launches Update.exe.
- Then restart your system to check if it solves the problem.
Hope this helps.
Is software from GitHub safe?
GitHub is one of the most trustworthy platforms for developers to create and build software. GitHub do significant investments in platform security, incident response, and anti-abuse. Hence, the software available on GitHub are safe, secure, and free of spam. You can also use free online scanners, like VirusTotal to scan a downloaded file.
Read next: How to disable startup items in Windows using Task Manager, WMIC, GPEDIT, Task Scheduler, MSCONFIG, Settings, etc.
