TL;DR
To remove login items on your Mac:
- Click the Apple icon and go to System Settings.
- Select General, then click Login Items.
- Find the item you want to remove and click the – button to delete it from startup.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
I got tired of my Mac taking forever to start. The issue? Too many apps launching every time I turned it on. I found some simple fixes that worked for me, and now I’ll show you how to do the same in this post.
How to Remove Login Items on Your Mac
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Now, I am going to share some quick and easy methods to find and remove login items on your Mac.
1. Using System Settings
System Settings offers a built-in way to change your startup items on Mac. Follow these steps to remove login items in System Settings:
- Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen and tap System Settings.
- Select General and click Login Items in the right menu.
- Here, you’ll see the items that launch when you start up your Mac.
- Select the login item you want to remove and click the – button at the bottom of the list to remove the login item.
2. From the Dock
Here’s how to remove an app from launching at startup using the Dock:
- Locate the application icon you want to remove in the Dock. Right-click the app icon, and a menu will appear.
- Hover your mouse over Options from the menu. In the Options menu, uncheck Open at Login.
- The application will no longer launch automatically when you log in to your Mac.
- Repeat this process for any other login items you want to remove from the Dock.
3. Using a Third Party App
Third-party apps offer an easy way to manage startup items with minimal effort. MacKeeper is a popular choice that simplifies the process with a one-click cleanup feature. Here’s how it works:
- Download MacKeeper and install it on your Mac.
- Open Login Items under Performance in MacKeeper.
- Click Start Scan.
- Select unnecessary items from the list and click Remove Selected Items.
- Tap the Remove button on the pop-up.
- It will remove your selected items from the system startup list. You can click Rescan to repeat the process.
4. Using the Library Folder
Here’s how you can use these folders to manage your startup items:
⚠️ Be careful when removing login items from the Library folder or LaunchDaemons. Deleting the wrong files could cause system instability or prevent important services from starting.
- Open Finder, click Go in the menu bar, and select Go to Folder.
- Type any of the following paths in the box to access these folders:
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
- Look for the file or folder associated with the login item you want to remove.
- Right-click the file or folder and select Move to Bin.
💡Did you know that reducing startup apps can extend your Mac’s lifespan? Less strain on the system at boot means less wear and tear on your hardware, which could lead to a longer-lasting machine
Get Rid of Unnecessary Login Items on Your Mac
Now that you know how to identify and remove login items on your Mac, you can improve its performance and security. However, if you want to optimize your Mac further, here are some valuable tips:
- Outdated drivers, software bugs, and hardware issues can cause a kernel panic error. To prevent it from harming your system, learn how to fix a kernel panic error on macOS.
- Keep your system running smoothly and improve its speed by clearing temp files on Mac.
- Get rid of unnecessary files and free up RAM on your Mac to keep it running without lagging and freezing.