How To Manage Startup Apps On Mac

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Mac is getting slow and slow as you keep using it. Many apps have been installed into your Mac OS X. Most of them will start running automatically after you boot your Mac. This will definitely drag your Mac slow. Today, we will guide you how to manage these startup and login items on your Mac. Some ways are pretty technical operations while they are really helpful. Let's get started.

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.


How to Manage Startup & Login Items on Your Mac Manually?


Overall, managing startup items in Mac is no brainer. Its your Mac and you should decide what comes up and what doesn’t. By following these simple steps, you can easily manage the items you want your Mac to automatically launch at the startup. Just make sure you don’t get carried away by startup items or you may face some consequences. 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 you have so many applications running on your startup then that means that your Mac will take forever to boot up and that its performance will run slow as well. In addition to what we have mentioned, once that you remove a certain application or a certain service from your startup, it actually leaves some login items that contains a broken link. Or drag app icons across to Startup Items; In the future, all the selected apps will open automatically when you start up your Mac (unless you hold down the Shift key after clicking the login button). How to Stop an Application from Opening at Startup With Mac OS X. This wikiHow teaches you how to prevent a startup application from running on your Mac. Open the Apple Menu. Click the black Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the. Using a Mac Optimization App Along with cleaning up your system, Mac optimization apps such as CleanMyMac also provide utilities that help the average user easily manage login items and launch agents, as well as startup items, in four easy steps. Launch CleanMyMac and click on the Extensions tab. Click on Login items or Launch Agents.

The first one would be the easiest way as you can find it online easily. And for most users, they actually know where it is. Go to your System Preferences and choose Users & Groups. And choose to add or remove the startup items and logins as your wish.

However, the above way usually does little help for the optimization of startup. Some of the apps create the configuration file to make sure that it will reload once you reboot your Mac. For this kind of situation, you have to do more technical work to stop it from reloading.

1. Right click Finder and Choose Go to Folder

2.Input ~/Library/LaunchAgents

3.All of the files ending with .plist are the startup configuration ones.

4.If you choose to disable it, input the command in terminal: launchctl unload ,then drag the .plist file behind and Enter the command.

5.If you choose to delete it, then open the .plist file and find the ProgramArguments path. Locate the file and delete it

One more situation we would like to mention, that is, the above action is for the user's folder. But some app creates its startup configuration file into the system folder. You should go to the system folder to do the same work as above. But remember, the system folder would be /Library/LaunchAgents/xxx.plist and /Library/LaunchDaemons/ xxx.plist. And the disable command would be: sudo launchctl unload xxx.plist. The rest operations are the same. You may check the following pictures for your reference.

So we have showed you the ways to manage your startup items on your Mac. Two more things we would like you to know, one is that the above actions might cause damage to your app. If you remove the startup file, the app might not be able to launch correctly. The other one is that some of the apps are really tricky. They are good at disguise. They might create their startup items neither in the user's folder nor the system folder. They will put the items somewhere it is hard to locate. We actually take these apps as malware for who knows what they are doing behind the scenes.


As you can see, managing the startup items on your Mac manually will take your much time and effort. If you are not a geek, we don't suggest you do this manually. Instead, we recommend you a professional Mac cleaning app to handle it for you easily. Published by IObit, world's top system utility and security software provider since 2004, MacBooster, as a one-stop Mac maintenance tool, is definitely your best choice. It provides you with real-time protection which will monitor your startup. Once there is a startup item, it will notify you to check and decide to keep, disable or remove. Here is how you can do it with MacBooster easily:

1: Download MacBooster 7 and open it

2: Go to the Startup Optimization module

3: Choose to disable the startup items

Startup Programs Mac

MacBooster 7 lists all Login items on your Mac. You can tick the startup items you don't need, and then click the Disable button to disable them to be launched at Login. The Recommendation column gives you appropriate suggestions to manage the startup items based on our analysis of your Mac's performance and relevant data. What's more, you can also click the Add Item button to add your favorable items to run when your Mac starts up.


After you optimize your Mac startup items with MacBooster 7, you can surely enjoy a faster Mac experience. Most importantly, it saves your time and effort. Just try it now and check out how many startup and login items you have on your Mac.




Check out more useful tips:




System cleanup in one click
Make your Mac fast and secure with CleanMyMac X.

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:

  1. Open CleanMyMac X on your Mac

  2. 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.

  1. In the main window, select one of two categories: Login Items, or Launch Agents

  2. On the right side of the window, select the items you would like to disable

  3. 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:

  1. On your Mac menu bar, select the Apple logo on the left side
  2. Select “System Preferences”
  3. Select “Users & Groups”
  4. Choose your ID from the list
Startup

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.

  1. Select “Login Items”
  2. 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.


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:

  1. In your dock, right-click the app you want to open up at login
  2. Hover over “Options”
  3. 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.

How To Manage Startup Apps On Macbook


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:

  1. Open Finder on your Mac

  2. Select the main library on your Mac – it’s typically the username, and always has the house icon next to it

  3. Press Shift + Command + . (the period key on your Mac) to bring up hidden folders

  4. Select “Library”

  5. 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!

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