You may actually want to add programs to those that load automatically at start up, so here’s how to do that as well. How to enable new user login items on Mac
It will require your password to allow changes. Click the Lock icon in the bottom left corner to change startup programs.Go to System Preferences → Users & Groups.
It’s worth monitoring startup programs (or Login Items as they’re often called) on a regular basis, as when you install new apps some can insert themselves into this category without you even knowing. Other programs offer similar functionality, so it’s not all bad, but if you have too many programs auto-loading, then it doesn’t take long before your computer will get bogged down. You’ll find that cloud storage programs, such as Google Drive or OneDrive, will often do this so that you can get on with your work and have your files synced in the background without needing to log in to your account every time you restart your Mac. While it might sound like some kind of virus or malware, having programs automatically opening when you start up your Mac can actually be very useful. Why do programs start automatically on my Mac? An easy tool to manage startup programs on Mac How to enable new startup programs on MacĤ. How to stop applications from opening when you start up your Macģ. Why do programs start automatically on my Mac?Ģ. We explain how to change which programs start automatically on macOS as well as how to remove them completely.ġ. Over time, as the number of these programs increases, you may notice your system starts to slow down. Other explanations for mystery processesĪlthough these methods are the most common ways to launch apps automatically in macOS, they aren’t the only ones.Every time you switch on or restart your Mac, some programs start running automatically. plist file that tells macOS to launch it. 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. Repeat the command with load instead of unload to turn it back on.īecause 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. It unloads the launch agent that enables AppleScript folder actions.
An easy way to add an item’s full path is to drag it to the Terminal window) For example, take this command: launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/.plist 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.
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. plist documents that specify what should launch and under what circumstances. Instead of opening apps directly, launchd loads specially-formatted. This provides more flexibility for developers but it is less transparent to users. 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. 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. Apple now discourages the use of the StartupItems folders, but some old apps might still use them. StartupItems folderĮarlier versions of macOS relied on two folders- /Library/StartupItems and /System/Library/StartupItems-to hold items designated to load when you start your Mac. IDG Everything in the Login Items list-whether added by you or by an app-opens automatically when you log in.