By Adela D. Louie, Last updated: August 27, 2019
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.
The third-party app Delay Start lets you set a timer for specific apps to control when they start up. Delay Start works similarly to the Mac's own internal interface. Click the plus sign to add a. For apps that control their startup behavior from within the app, you’ll want to visit the app directly. Look for an item in the app’s preferences about starting at login. Uncheck that box, and the app will not run at login in the future.
Mac is one of the most reliable devices that we have nowadays. However, for the longest time that you are using it, you will be able to experience that your Mac might run slow because of too many files, applications and junks that you have in it. This also includes the startups getting slow. The best solution for you to do this is to remove or change startup programs on your Mac.
In this article, we are going to show you how to change startup programs on your Mac and a lot more. So if you are looking for a solution for your startup, then this is for you to read.
Part 1: What Are Startup Items?
Startup items are those items and logins, services, and those applications that launch every time you start your Mac. These are the applications that try to find their way to becoming one of the startup items without you noticing it. Thus, it never asks your permission to do so. If this continues on the long run, then you might end up having like a dozen applications launching once that you start to turn on your Mac.
So if this is the case, then this means that your Mac is taking a lot of burden on its processor and its memory as well. 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. These items are actually completely useless and can cause some unwanted messages and can waste up your Mac’s resources. That is why you will be needing to do something about this.
Part 2: How To Change Your Startup Programs Manually on Mac
Having to disable your Mac’s startup program is not an impossible thing to do even if you do it manually. So that means that if you have some time and would like to do it on your own, then you can go ahead and follow the guide below to do so. Disabling them is one way for you to be able to change the startup programs that you have on your Mac.
One of the easiest ways for you to be able to control your startup is by going to your System Preferences and then go to Users and Groups. Here is how you do it.
Step 1: Go ahead and launch on the System Preference on your Mac.
Step 2: After that, go ahead and click on Users and Groups
Step 3: And then, click on your nickname located on the right side of your screen.
Step 4: Then after that, go ahead and choose on the Login item.
Step 5: Then go ahead and simply check in the startup programs that you would want to remove or change.
Step 6: Once done, go ahead and click on the “-“ sign located below.
Step 7: Then that is it! And in case that you would want to add them back, all you have to do is to click on the “+” sign
Step 8: After doing so, go ahead and restart your Mac and you will be able to notice the changes made.
Part 3: How to Fix Broken Startups on Mac
The broken Mac startups are the files that were left from the applications that you have deleted or uninstalled on your Mac. Now, for you to be able to remove them, all you have to do is to check if they are in your startup items. If so, go ahead and have them disabled. You can do this by doing the same steps that we have provided earlier.
After that, you will be needing to remove all the leftovers of the application that you have just uninstalled. You can do this by using the powerful tool that we have. The FoneDog Mac Cleaner.
The FoneDog Mac Cleaner is known to be as a great and powerful tool that you can use for you to be able to speed up your Mac with just a few simple clicks. This tool will scan your Mac and clean all the junk files that you have in the quickest and easiest way possible.
Using the FoneDog Mac Cleaner can also let you check the status of your Mac which includes the disk usage, your CPU status, and your memory usage. You will also be able to remove all the leftovers that were left by the application that you have just uninstalled from your Mac. Not only that but it can also help you in looking for the same pictures and detect all the identical files that you have on your Mac.
Now, for you to get started, this is how you can remove those broken startups from your Mac.
Step 1: Download and Install
The fist is you have to download the FoneDog Mac Cleaner from our awesome website. And then, have the program installed on your Mac.
Step 2: Launch the Program
Once that the installation process is complete, go ahead and launch the FoneDog Mac Cleaner on your Mac. On the main interface of the program, you will be able to see the system status of your Mac.
Step 3: Choose Your Module and Folder
After that, go ahead and choose an option a module from the top of your screen. Go ahead and click on the “Cleaner” option.
And then, the FoneDog Mac Cleaner will then show you a list of folders on your screen. From that list, go ahead and click on System Junks. This is where you will be able to locate all the leftovers of the recently deleted application from your Mac.
Step 4: Scan Your System Junk
Once that you have selected the folder, the FoneDog Mac Cleaner will then ask you to scan your system junk. All you have to do from here is to click on the “Scan” button and the process will then begin. The scanning process may take some time depending on how large are the items that you have under your system junks.
Step 5: Preview and Choose the Items to Clean
As you can see on your screen, you junk files are actually divided into categories. From here, all you need to do is to move your mouse on the system junk category and then the detail of that category will be able to show to you. They will be located on the right side of your screen.
From there, all you have to do is to click on the “Clean” button for you to start cleaning up all the junk files that you have on your Mac.
Step 6: Cleaning is Complete
Once that the cleaning process is complete, all those unnecessary files will be gone from your Mac. However, there will be at times that you will be able to see a marked folder saying “Zero KB”. This means that these folders are just auto recreated folders that is why you do not need to worry about anything.
So that is it! With the help of the FoneDog Mac Cleaner, you will be able to remove all the leftovers from the applications that you have deleted on your Mac. Doing this will be able to let you free up some more space on your Mac and that you will also make it faster when it comes to its performance.
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Part 4: How to Remove Daemons and Agents From Startup Process
If you are going to talk about your files, the very first thing that you should do is to go to your system folder /Library/StartUpItems. From there, you will be able to look for all the startup files that you have on your Mac which are all being launched with your system. From here, you will be able to delete the login items that you no longer need.
Another thing is the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder. This one actually contains a lot of your preference files the will let you know how does the application that is being launched together with your system are working along. In here, you may consider removing some of the files that you have in this folder. All you have to do is to make sure that you are going to remove those that you no longer need. Also, you have to make sure that you actually remove them safely from your folder.
Also, the /Library/LaunchAgents is the folder that actually contains preference files. These are the files that are responsible as to why that certain application is running or launching during the login process and not the startup.
The folders that we have mentioned earlier are the ones that actually contain app-related files. But on the other hand, you can also check your system folders for you to be able to know if you need the system applications to run on your startup.
1. /System/Library/LaunchDaemons – you have to keep in mind that besides preference file, this is the folder that actually contains some other important system items. These are the ones that are recommended to be kept in that folder.
2. /System/Library/LaunchAgents – this is also one folder that you will not be able to find anything that can be removed. But on the other hand, keeping this in mind will surely help you in looking for your files which is related to the app that is having a problem with your Mac startup. So, in case that you are going to have some application that is not functioning well and messes on your login, then you can go ahead and easily trace it by going through this folder.
However, if you are looking for something that that will make it easier for you to remove those login items, then you can go ahead and use the FoneDog Mac Cleaner. This tool will be able to help you in getting rid of your broken login items. Also, it can make your Mac run faster when it terms to its performance and it can help you in freeing up some more space on your Mac.
Part 5: Conclusion
So that is how you can manage your startup programs on your Mac. This process may sound a bit difficult, but in reality, it is an easy thing to do. All you need to have is the right knowledge on how you can do so. That is why we have already given you ways and solution for your problem.
Doing all of this the manual way is one of the great things. This way, you will be able to see that you are actually working on with the items that you are supposed to work on and that nothing will be affected. However, there is actually an easier way for you to be able to do this. This is by using the FoneDog Mac Cleaner.
Having the FoneDog Mac Cleaner will be able to assure you that every process that it will do will all be safe and that nothing on your Mac will be affected – aside from the one that you are working on. This tool is great for getting rid of all the unwanted things that you have on your Mac. This includes your junk files, duplicate files, and so much more.
The FoneDog Mac Cleaner is also a great tool for you to free up space on your Mac. This is because of its awesome features such as Cleaning the junks, managing duplicate files, removing old and large files, uninstalling leftovers of deleted applications from your Mac and protecting redundant searching history. As you can see, it one powerful Mac Cleaner that you can use for you ensure that your Mac will always be at its very best.
(Updated on 11/6/2017)So, here’s a quick question: how long does it take for your Mac to start up? A minute? Two minutes? Five? Or just too long? One possible reason your Mac may be slow out of the blocks is that it’s trying to launch a slew of programs all at the same time.
Now, some of these programs might be actually be ones that you do want to launch automatically, such as the Safari web browser, or Apple Mail. But other, not-so-necessary programs may be piling up in your Mac’s “login items” list, too—ones that set themselves to launch automatically without asking first.
Another factor that may be slowing down your system is the Mac’s “Resume” feature, which re-opens any and all apps you had running when you shut down your Mac. That could lead to a crush of apps all trying to launch themselves at startup.
Last but not least, you may have specific programs on your Mac with “Launch at Startup” settings that you’ll need to find and disable.
Now, if you’re the patient type, waiting a little longer for your Mac to boot up so that your programs appear just as you left them might be a fair trade-off.
But if you’d rather shave a few seconds—or even minutes—off the time it takes for your Mac to settle down after hitting the power button, read on.
1. Cross items off your Mac’s “Login Items” list
Your Mac launches a series of programs each and every time it starts up. Some of these programs are critical for the smooth operation of your system; others, not so much.
To see a list of all the programs your Mac opens automatically, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, select System Preferences, click the “User & Groups” icon (it’s under the “System” heading), pick a user (you, most likely), and finally click the “Login Items” tab.
You should now see a list of everything your Mac is launching (or trying to launch, anyway) whenever it starts up.
Some of the items will be easy to identify—in my case, I’ve got Dropbox and Google Drive (the handy file-sharing apps) listed, as well as something called an “Eye-Fi Helper” (an app that lets my Mac receive wireless images from my digital camera) and “AirPort Base Station Agent” (which keeps tabs on my AirPort Wi-Fi base station).
To delete these or other startup items from the list (but not from your Mac, mind you), just select them and click the “-” button at the bottom of the list.
2. Keep “Resume” from re-launching previously open apps
Don’t get me wrong—”Resume” is one of the handiest Mac features, especially for those of us who like to pick up in Safari or the Calendar app right where we left off.
But if you don’t want Resume relentlessly re-launching all the apps you had open when you last shut down your Mac, you can stop it from doing so.
The next time you select Shut Down or Restart from the Apple menu, take a closer look at the window that pops up; in addition to the “Cancel” and “Shut Down” or “Restart” buttons, you’ll also see a checkbox labeled “Reopen windows when logging back in.”
Click the box to clear out the checkmark, and the only apps that’ll re-launch the next time your power on your Mac are those listed in the Login Items menu.
3. Check for program-specific “Launch at Startup” settings
So, you emptied the “Login Items” list and turned off the Resume feature, but there’s still a program that’s launching itself at startup. What gives? Well, it could be that the stubborn program has its own “Launch at Startup” setting.
Open the program, make sure it’s the active app on your desktop (just click its window if it isn’t), then find its Preferences menu; generally speaking, you’ll find it under its main menu in the Mac menu bar (like “Spotify” in the case of Spotify).
Mac Startup Programs
Once you’ve opened the program’s Preferences menu, look around for a “Launch at Startup” setting. If there are lots of different Preferences categories, start with “General,” then try “Advanced.” (In Spotify’s case, I found a “Open Spotify automatically after you log into the computer” setting under its “Advanced” settings.)
Open Source Mac
Found the “Launch at Startup” (or the equivalent) setting? Go ahead and disable it, then rinse and repeat for any other programs that are still launching themselves when you turn on your Mac.