- How to stop applications from opening when you start up your Mac. There are different types of startup programs on macOS, some of which you can manually disable in System Preferences, while others remain hidden and can only be removed via the Terminal app.
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System cleanup in one click
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There are probably quite a few apps on your Mac that operate int he background, and spin up when you start your computer up. Those are startup (or login) items, and while they're meant for convenience, some can be unruly.
It's easy to see how there are apps that would benefit from running at startup. Calendars should be syncing in the background, and if you have a third-party app for managing the health of your computer, it should also be proactively starting up when you boot your computer.
Here, we'll tell you how to manage startup programs Mac computers don't need and tell you about a few ways to manage your system better.
What are Mac startup programs?
A startup program is an app that spins up when you start your computer. Instead of finding the app and clicking on an icon to activate it, your Mac tells the app when it's turned on, and the app activates in the background.
Again, this is typically convenient, but some apps activate at startup when they don't need to.
Types of startup programs
Most startup programs need to activate when you boot your Mac up. Here are some typical types of startup programs you likely won't need to worry about:
User login items. Some apps need to activate when you login to your Mac. This may be for background sync, or for apps that need access to other apps while they run.
Launch agents. These are .txt files of apps that sit quietly in the background and help the app run once you start it up.
Application login items. These help applications start when your Mac boots up. You can't delete these, but you can manage them.
Daemons. Like launch agents, daemons are little automated bits of an app that run in the background. The difference is while launch agents interact with apps, daemons are doing things on a system level.
Monitoring apps. Some apps spin up at login to keep an eye on your Mac's performance and health.
How do I stop programs from opening on startup on my Mac
When you need to know how to stop programs from running at startup Mac hardware can be a bit tricky, but we've got yout covered. The absolute best way to make sure your Mac is running in tip-top shape is CleanMyMac X. It does a ton of work, and managing startup or login items for your Mac is one of many services it offers. While a routine, scheduled cleaning of your system is the best choice, CleanMyMac X also allows you granular control over startup or login items.
Here's how to change startup programs Mac doesn't need with CleanMyMac X:
Open CleanMyMac X on your Mac
On the left side of the window, select 'Optimization'
Note: you can choose to clean up all login items and launch agents, or choose the individual processes you want to control. Because killing all startup programs can lead to unintended issues, we will tell you how to select individual startup programs to manage.
In the main window, select one of two categories: Login Items, or Launch Agents
On the right side of the window, select the items you would like to disable
Select 'Perform' at the bottom of the window
That's all it takes to remove startup programs Mac can live without.
Remove programs manually
You can change startup programs Mac computers won't always need manually, though it takes a bit of work. Here's how to turn off startup programs Mac won't use in System Preferences:
- On your Mac menu bar, select the Apple logo on the left side
- Select 'System Preferences'
- Select 'Users & Groups'
- Choose your ID from the list
Note: if you're the only user on your Mac, you may only have one profile, and won't need to choose a user from a list.
- Select 'Login Items'
- Under the 'Hide' column, un-select any items you no longer want to run at login
It takes a bit of doing, and the list may not have all items you're looking for. This is part of the reason we prefer CleanMyMac X for this; it's easier to use, and can manage all login items.
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Manage startup programs on Mac from the Dock
Okay, we've told you how to disable login items – but what about apps that aren't starting up at login? Can you get them to start when your Mac does?
Absolutely! This is a great option for apps that may be important to you, but aren't spinning up at login. Chances are the apps you use most are already in your Mac's dock, and that's the best place to manage them as startup items. Here's how:
- In your dock, right-click the app you want to open up at login
- Hover over 'Options'
- Select 'Open at Login'
Now, the app will spin up when you login to or start up your Mac. Keep in mind these apps won't run in the background; instead, the app's window will open at login. This is a great option for those with multiple profiles (one for personal and another for business, as an example) who need different apps for unique workflows.
If you find your Mac's dock a bit intrusive or cumbersome, you may like uBar. A dock replacement for your Mac, uBar keeps things tucked out of the way, and shows you in a much better interface which apps are active and running on your Mac. It even has multiple-monitor support and status bars for apps running processes or downloading content.
Delay Mac startup apps
If you don't want to disable startup items, you may instead want to know how to edit startup programs Mac doesn't need immediately. An app named Delay Start can – well, delay the start – of apps at startup. Instead of an app activating immediately, you can set some to spin up on a delay. This is great if your Mac is booting up slowly, but you still need apps to run in the background throughout your day.
It's a great app to keep in mind if you have a dedicated workflow. If you were a photo editor, you may want to delay the start of your photo editing software. If the first thing you do is import images from an external drive or camera, apps spinning up may interfere with the process. Rather than risk unintended consequences like lost images or damaged files, delaying an app's start may be the better workaround.
Remove daemons and agents from startup process
You can check which daemons and agents are running on your Mac via the Finder app, but a word of caution: daemons and agents are hidden, which indicates you shouldn't alter them unless you have a very clear understanding of the repercussions it may have. So, tread lightly.
Here's how to remove agents and daemons via Finder:
Open Finder on your Mac
Select the main library on your Mac – it's typically the username, and always has the house icon next to it
Press Shift + Command + . (the period key on your Mac) to bring up hidden folders
Select 'Library'
Select 'Launch Agents' in the next column
This shows a full list of agents and daemons you can remove.
Conclusion
Managing launch services can really help make your Mac run faster, smoother, and eliminate unwanted services from spinning up. Some of the largest and most popular apps get a bad rap because they run at launch for no reason. Often, this is a means to make the app feel as though it is a critical part of your system; cloud storage services often run at startup to sync files, but the unintended consequence of them slowing your computer down may not be worth it.
Another great app to keep in mind is iStat Menus, an app that lives in your menu bar and keeps track of your CPU, memory, and GPU use. It's one of those ‘good' apps to run at startup because it monitors your entire system. If an app is running at startup and bogging your system down, iStat Menus will know about it.
uBar, CleanMyMac X, and iStat Menus are all available for free as part of a seven day trial of Setapp, an incredible suite of nearly 200 productivity apps for the Mac. When the trial ends, continuous and unlimited access to the entire Setapp catalog is only $9.99 per month. Families will enjoy the $19.99 per month plan, which allows full access to Setapp on up to four unique Macs. We think you'll love it – give Setapp a try today!
When you turn on your Mac, various apps, add-ons, and invisible background processes start running all by themselves. This is usually what you want, but you may sometimes see items running that you don't recall adding yourself. Where do they come from?
Because such items can increase your Mac's startup time and may decrease its performance, you'll want to make sure your Mac is loading only items that are useful to you. Here's a quick primer on the various kinds of startup and login items and how to manage them.
Login items
Open System Preferences and click on Users & Groups, then click the Login Items tab. You'll see a list of apps (and even files and folders) that open every time you log in. This list is different for each user account on your Mac.
Items usually end up on this list because apps added them to it. Most apps that do so ask you for permission first or have an 'Open at login' or similar checkbox in its settings. In any case, you can add an item to the list manually by clicking the (+) button, or remove an item by selecting it and clicking the minus sign (-) button.
StartupItems folder
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Earlier versions of macOS relied on two folders—/Library/StartupItems and /System/Library/StartupItems—to hold items designated to load when you start your Mac. Apple now discourages the use of the StartupItems folders, but some old apps might still use them.
Normally your /System/Library/StartupItems folder should be empty; but if it contains something that you don't use anymore, you can drag the unwanted item to the Trash to prevent it from loading automatically the next time you start your Mac.
Launch daemons and agents
Since OS 10.4 Tiger, Apple has given developers another mechanism for launching items automatically: launch daemons and agents that are controlled by the launchd process. This provides more flexibility for developers but it is less transparent to users.
Instead of opening apps directly, launchd loads specially-formatted .plist documents that specify what should launch and under what circumstances. Sometimes these launch items run constantly in the background, sometimes they run at scheduled intervals, and sometimes they run as needed—for example, in response to an event such as a change in a certain file or folder—and then quit.
The .plist files that launchd uses can occupy any of five folders, and their location determines when the items load and with what privileges:
Items in /Library/LaunchDaemons and /System/Library/LaunchDaemons load when your Mac starts up, and run as the root user.
Items in /Library/LaunchAgents and /System/Library/LaunchAgents load when any user logs in, and run as that user.
Items in /Users/your-username/Library/LaunchAgents load only when that particular user logs in, and run as that user.
Don't change System files: Of those five folders, the two located in the /System folder (/System/Library/LaunchDaemons and /System/Library/LaunchAgents) are for components included as part of macOS, and you should resist the temptation to remove or alter them—they're essential to keep your Mac running correctly.
Modify others as you like: Feel free to browse through the files in the other folders to see what's there. You can modify them—for instance, to disable them or to change how often they run—but before you do, you should understand a few things about how they work.
When you start your Mac or log in, the launch items in the relevant folders are loaded (that is, registered with the system) unless they have a Disabled flag set. Thereafter, their instructions will be carried out until you restart, even if you drag the launch item to the Trash. To see a list of all the currently loaded launch items on your Mac, open Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities) and type launchctl list and then press Return.
If you want to stop a launch item from running without your having to restart, open Terminal and type launchctl unload followed by a space and the full path to the launch item. An easy way to add an item's full path is to drag it to the Terminal window) For example, take this command:
It unloads the launch agent that enables AppleScript folder actions. Repeat the command with load instead of unload to turn it back on.
Because most launch items run on a schedule or on demand, and because any of them could be disabled, the fact that something is present in one folder doesn't necessarily mean the process it governs is currently running. To see what's running at the moment, open Activity Monitor—but bear in mind that the name of a given process as shown in Activity Monitor might not resemble the name of the .plist file that tells macOS to launch it.
Other explanations for mystery processes
Although these methods are the most common ways to launch apps automatically in macOS, they aren't the only ones. If you have a mystery process that you can't track down in any of these places, it could also be one of these:
Kernel extensions: Kernel extensions, or kexts, live in /System/Library/Extensions and load at startup. They provide low-level features such as processing audio and adding support for peripherals. Most kexts on your Mac are part of macOS. The safest way to remove a third-party kext is to run an uninstaller provided by the developer.
Crons:Cron is a Unix scheduling utility built into macOS. It's more-or-less not used anymore in favor of launchd, but you never know what might be lingering on a Mac that has gone through a lot of updates or is running old software.
Login scripts:Login scripts, like startup items, were used in older versions of macOS but are now deprecated.
