Startup items, or login items, are services and applications that launch every time you start your Mac. These are applications that sneak into startup items without notice, never asking if you need or want them there. This way you may end up with a dozen apps launching as soon as you turn on your Mac, weighing heavily on its processor and memory capacities and slowing it down. Such items can increase your Mac’s startup time and decrease its performance.
What are startup items?
- On the next screen, click on the current user account option in the side-bar menu and then click on the Login Items Tab (See image below). Next, click on the + button to add an application to the list of startup apps (See image above). On the next screen select the application that you would like to Launch at Startup and then click on the Add button, located in the bottom right corner.
- Start Mac in Safe Mode. This troubleshooting startup environment restricts most startup items and limits the operating system to use only the basic OS core. If you can start the Mac in Safe Mode and then use the app in question without problems, the likely cause is not permissions or preference files but a conflict with another app or a startup.
- On the flip side, you might want to an app to the startup queue so that you can start working with it as soon as you logged into your Mac. So, if you are someone who is looking to clean up the startup programs or want to add an application to startup programs, then here how you can add or remove startup programs in Mac OS X.
- If the app isn’t in use, you’ll see a menu with three items. If the app is in use, the steps are the same, but you’ll see a few more menu options. Click Options, and then select Open at Login.
One of the easiest and most straightforward methods to diagnose startup problems with Macs is to use the Safe Boot option. This method technically forces a Mac to start up with only the most important apps and programs required for startup. It scans your startup drive to make sure that everything is ready for booting.
Best free mac drawing apps. Plus, sometimes when you remove an application or a service, it leaves a login item with a broken link. These broken login items are completely useless, cause unwanted messages, and waste your Mac's resources (because they look for non-existent applications). Whether you're running macOS Catalina or El Capitan, or earlier — it's all the same, so just read on.
So, let's go over how to take control of login items, and how to get rid of unwanted, broken or hidden startup items.
How to disable startup programs?
Do you want to stop programs from running at startup? There’s an easy way to remove programs from startup and get your Mac to load faster on launch. The fastest way to turn off startup items on Mac is an app like CleanMyMac X.
- Download CleanMyMac for free.
- Launch the app.
- Open Optimization tab.
- Click on Login items.
- From the list of apps, disable the ones you don’t need on startup.
- Done!
How to change startup programs manually?
Disabling Mac startup programs is possible manually. Therefore, if you have some time and would like to do it yourself, follow the steps below.
Your login items are listed in settings. One of the easiest ways to control startup items is inside System Preferences > Users & Groups.
- Open System Preferences.
- Go to Users & Groups.
- Choose your nickname on the left.
- Choose Login items tab.
- Check startup programs you want to remove.
- Press the “–” sign below.
- You’re done.
- If you need to add an item back, press “+” and choose the app you’d like add.
- Then restart your Mac to see the changes.
How to fix broken startup items?
Broken Mac startup files are left there because some part of apps are left on your Mac long after you’ve moved the app to the Trash. To get rid of these parts and to fix your startup, you’re going to need CleanMyMac again. First, you need to check if they’re among startup items and disable them if so. You can do it following the instructions above. Then you need to remove app leftovers. CleanMyMac works fine on macOS High Sierra and earlier OS.
- Launch CleanMyMac.
- Choose Uninstaller tab.
- Scroll through the list of apps.
- If you spot any app that you’ve deleted, check them.
- Delete the app leftovers you’ve chosen.
You can also find and remove broken login items with the help of System Junk module:
- Choose System Junk tab.
- Click Scan.
- Review details and click Clean.
Finally, you need to clean your macOS startup items through launch services:
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- Open Maintenance tab.
- Choose Rebuild Launch Services.
- Hit Run.
- Done.
Once you do it, all broken app data on your Mac will be fixed.
Remove daemons and agents from startup process
If speaking of files, first go to the system folder /Library/StartUpItems. Here you’ll find all the startup files that are being launched with the system. You can delete the login item you think is necessary if you’re totally sure what you are doing.
Also, the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder contains a bunch of preference files that define how the application that is being launched along with the system should work. You might want to delete some of these files as well if you know you don’t need them and removing them is safe.
The /Library/LaunchAgents contains preference files responsible for the apps that launch during the login process (not the startup).
The above-mentioned folders contain app-related files. However, you can also check system folders to review whether you need some of the system applications to be running on startup:
- /System/Library/LaunchDaemons - note that besides preference files this folder contains other important system items that are recommended to keep untouched.
- /System/Library/LaunchAgents - most probably, you won’t also find anything worth removing in this folder, however, keeping this location in mind might help you find files related to a problematic app that causes troubles on Mac startup. If you have a problematic application that messes about on login, you can try to trace it back from this folder.
But, if you’re looking for simple ways to remove login items, we suggest using a professional Mac utility. Download CleanMyMac X for free and make unwanted and broken login items a thing of the past.
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How to change or add Startup programs on Mac – MacOS Sierra
Mac Startup Programs
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How to change or add Startup programs on Mac – MacOS Sierra: Startup programs running on your Mac (in this case, operating on MacOS High Sierra), give you an opportunity to initialize needed programs each time you boot the MacBook Pro. The login items consist of documents, applications, shared volumes and others.
The advantage of Mac startup programs gives the chance to launch the preferred application/applications that you use commonly when you start your Mac. As an example, you can begin Messages and Safari each time you boot the system. You can allow the Mac operating system to perform the startup of these programs rather than manually launching after the Mac starts.
Make sure that you are limiting or activating only the critical Mac startup programs, as initializing consumes excessive processing power and memory. It reduces the performance at times! Nonetheless, you can continue to change startup programs according to the requirement and performance of the system.
The steps discussed below will give you in-depth information about adding or removing Mac startup applications.
How to add a startup program?
The steps discussed below will give you information about how you can add and manage startup programs Mac.
1. System preferences
Use the System Preferences option to add a single user or a group. Click the logo of the Apple located at the top left corner of the screen to select System Preferences. From the menu, choose Users & Groups option. Once the new window opens, you can continue to add users or groups, alter passwords, and change profile pictures.
2. Login Items
In the new window, you can select the user or users for which you wish to add the login items. Select the Login Items tab from the right pane of the window. Clicking the tab will display the browser sheet containing the programs that start along with the system startup.
Macos Auto Start App Locations
3. Adding the startup items
From the login items window, press the (+) sign located at the bottom for the screen to open the Finder sheet. You can navigate across the list to add the item/application. For instance, choose Safari, and press the Add button. The action will add Safari to the login item list for the selected user. From here, each time you boot the MacBook and log in using that particular user, the application launches automatically.
Using drag and drop method to add startup items
In certain situations, it becomes difficult to add using the Finder sheet, such as shared volumes, servers, and additional computer resources. In such cases, the drag and drop feature comes to the aid. As the login items list supports the function, you can quickly drag and drop the feature/item/resource that you want to start automatically the next time you boot your Mac. After completion of adding to the list, ensure to close the System Preferences window.
Using dock menu to add startup items
If you are noticing that the programs that you wish to add to the startup items are initializing automatically at the start of the system from the Dock, you
can use the same to add additional programs or applications without opening the System Preferences feature.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134110910/140171472.jpg)
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134110910/871017587.png)
Right-click on the Dock icon to open the Options menu. Choose Start at Login from the list. You can then begin adding applications that you like to add during the startup of your Mac.
How to hide startup items?
After adding the applications to the startup items list, you can notice a checkbox termed as Hide. When you select the box for a particular application, the startup allows the program to start during the boot but does not display a window associated with the app.
The feature is helpful if you do not want to view Mac startup programs windows as soon as the system boots. For example, you can allow the Activity app to start during the booting of the Sierra OS on the Mac. But, you can choose not to see the window by tick marking the Hide checkbox against the app in the startup items list. If you need additional information represented by the application, you can use the app’s icon from the Dock.
How To Remove Startup Apps In Mac
How to remove an application or item from startup item list?
Too many startup apps Mac leads to a decrease in the performance of the MacBook. A better way is to remove them from starting when the system boots. You can do this to enhance the performance of the system and only focus on essential applications that you wish to start when you power on the Mac.
The startup item gives you complete control to manage startup programs Mac. You can either add programs or remove those that are not necessary. The following steps help you in removing unwanted items from the list.
1. Login items page
You have to head back to the login items tab that you can access under the Users & Groups tab from the System Preferences feature. From the left pane, select the user for which you wish to remove the items.
Edit Startup Apps Mac
2. Removing a startup application or item
After selecting the user, you will notice the startup items to the right in the browser sheet. You can now select an application or an item that you want to remove from the sheet. For instance, you can choose to remove Safari from starting at the start of your Mac. Select Safari application from the sheet and click the (-) sign button at the bottom of the sheet. It will remove the application or the item from the list. Mac will no longer start the app each time you boot the system.
Conclusion
Startup items give you flexibility and the freedom to choose what programs you want to start automatically. While it makes your workflow easy, it can take a toll on the performance of the system. Therefore, make certain that you are utilizing the startup items according to your need without hampering the
Video tutorial on how to change or add Startup programs on Mac – MacOS Sierra
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