I’m looking for help with managing my Mac startup. Recently, several apps start automatically every time I turn my computer on, and it’s slowing down the boot process. I’d like to know how to stop certain apps from launching during startup and any settings I should check.
Alright, here’s the deal – stopping apps from launching at Mac startup isn’t rocket science, but apparently Apple enjoys hiding settings in places we only stumble upon by accident. Anyway, here’s how you wrestle control back:
- Go to System Settings (or System Preferences, depending on your macOS version).
- Find the Users & Groups section. Click on it like you’re hacking into the Matrix.
- Select your account on the left-hand side (obviously, your own account—don’t mess with others unless you’re feeling mischievous).
- At the top, there’s a tab called Login Items. Click it, and voilà. You’ll see a list of all the apps greedily launching with your Mac.
- Click on any app you want to boot off the list, and hit the little minus button (‘-’). Boom. Gone.
Bonus: For apps that keep sneaking back in like uninvited party guests, check inside their settings. Some apps have their own ‘Launch at startup’ option that’s sneakily enabled by default—as if we’re all dying to have Spotify or Discord leap to life the moment we log in.
If you’re still haunted by startup apps, maybe it’s time for a deeper clean. Look for random daemons or StartupItems in /Library/StartupItems or /Library/LaunchAgents, but only mess there if you’re good with a bit of tech tinkering.
Or just accept your Mac’s fate as a digital Times Square trying to load 500 billboards at once every time you boot up. Hey, live your truth.
Oh man, fighting startup apps can feel like battling hydras sometimes—cut one off, and another pops up. Sure, @caminantenocturno covered the basics (and yeah, Apple does have a knack for hiding settings like they’re Easter eggs), but let me toss in a couple of extra moves.
First, check System Settings > General > Login Items in newer macOS versions (because Apple likes renaming things with updates). Same drill: find the culprits, hit the minus button, and bask in the satisfying power of decluttering.
Now here’s where things get sneaky: some apps bypass this list entirely. For these, go directly into the app itself—dig into the preferences or settings menu and hunt for the ‘Open at Login’ checkbox hiding in shame. Uncheck it like you’re ripping off a band-aid, no hesitation.
Still having trouble? Do a quick sweep of Activity Monitor (search for “Startup” or services hogging resources upon boot). While Apple keeps a lot of this under wraps, third-party apps like CleanMyMac (or free ones like Onyx) can sometimes help you clean out these lingering intrusions.
Not to sound like a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but some apps install hidden launch agents or demons. If you’re tech-savvy, peek into /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons, or even your user-level equivalents in ~/Library/. Delete anything sketchy—BUT, and this is huge, Google it first to confirm you’re not nuking something critical to macOS.
And hey, as much as people love piling on startup items as the reason for slow boot times, don’t forget other culprits: outdated hardware, spotlight re-indexing, bloated system caches. Maybe it’s not just the apps, but your Mac needing a bit of TLC. Or a retirement plan. Just saying.
Alright, here’s a quick take in case you’re swimming in advice that’s all starting to sound the same. While @boswandelaar and @caminantenocturno have laid a solid foundation, let’s pivot to some overlooked aspects. They nailed the whole “System Preferences” and “Login Items” clean-up (spot on, honestly), but let’s talk less obvious culprits.
1. Notifications & Widgets Overkill
Your Mac also loads certain widgets at startup. Go to the Notification Center (click the top-right corner of your screen, or swipe with two fingers if you’re all about trackpad life). Scroll to “Edit Widgets” and prune unnecessary items. They can hog processing power like apps, even if they’re not “officially” startup programs.
2. Safari and Chrome Hang-ons
If you’re like me and forget to close your browser with 239 tabs, check your browser settings (Safari > Preferences > General or Chrome > On Startup). Disable the option to restore previous sessions at startup. Otherwise, your browser turns into a startup app in disguise, guzzling resources from the get-go.
3. iCloud Drive & Sync
Sometimes, the bottleneck isn’t apps but background services like iCloud Drive. Check “System Settings > Apple ID > iCloud” and see if there’s something syncing unnecessarily. Reducing synced folders or disabling auto-backups can shave seconds off boot times.
4. Disable “Reopen Windows When Logging Back In”
Every time you shut down or restart your Mac, there’s a sneaky little checkbox to reopen previously closed apps. Make sure it’s unchecked! Otherwise, your Mac will haul back every piece of your last session like some overachieving digital butler.
Pros of Customizing Startup:
- Faster boot times = less coffee wasted waiting on your Mac.
- You control the tech, not vice versa (power move).
- Keeps things minimalistic and focused.
Cons:
- Overly aggressive pruning could result in essential processes like antivirus software being disabled.
- Takes time if you go spelunking into launch daemons without proper know-how.
- Third-party apps for cleanup are hit-or-miss.
@boswandelaar and @caminantenocturno mentioned CleanMyMac. Yeah, it’s a solid tool for junk-clearing, but it’s not the holy grail for this issue. Alternatives like OnyX (free) are just as competent for deep Mac diagnosis and repair if you’re on a budget. Just make sure not to dive too deep into tweaking unless you’re totally sure about what’s critical and what’s expendable.
TL;DR: Don’t underestimate browser load, widgets, or hidden sync tasks. Apple likes to keep these tweaks in tiny, obscure settings menus, so be thorough. Just don’t press delete on essential system components unless you enjoy panicked Googling at ungodly hours!