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TMO Quick Tip - Managing Your Startup Items

by , 1:30 PM EDT, July 30th, 2007

Every time you start up your Mac and log into your user account, there may be several applications that start up, too. Auto-launching applications when you log in can save you from having to manually launch programs, but some apps add their own items to that list -- and they don't always let you know that they have.

If your Login Items list has grown beyond what you want, you may find that it takes longer for your Mac to complete the startup and login process, and your computer may run slower than it should. Of course, Apple has given us a way to manage what launches when we log in, even if an installer added items without telling us. Here's how:

  • Launch System Preferences. You can find it by choosing Apple menu > System Preferences.
  • Select the Accounts Preference Pane.
  • Click the Login Items tab.

Hover your mouse over an item to see where it is stored.

Now you should see a list of the items that launch every time you login. If something looks cryptic and you aren't sure what it does, just hover your mouse over the item's name. Mac OS X will show you where on your hard drive the item lives, which usually offers a pretty good hint as to what those mystery items are for.

  • Once you find an item you want to remove from your Login Items list, click it once to select it.
  • Now click the minus button at the bottom left of the item list to remove it.

Click the minus button to remove login items.

Removing something from your login items doesn't delete it from your Mac. Instead, it leaves the original item intact, which is good because sometimes those login items are components inside an application, and removing them could leave you with programs that fail to launch correctly.

Keep in mind that some of the items in your Login Items list may be necessary for certain devices or applications to function correctly. If you want to double-check before removing something from the list, just do a quick Google search on the item's name. That usually finds a page that details exactly what the item does.


Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

if you have tips or tricks to share, or Mac-related questions you want answered.

  

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:MOSiX Man Posts: 551 Joined: 20 Jun 2001
Subject: Nit-picky correction

Sorry, but 'Startup Items' are a Windows item. Mac OS X has 'Login Items'. (Actually, Max OS X does have a /Library/StartupItems folder, but that is not tied to the Login Items that the author of this article is detailing.)

Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2043 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Subject: Name changed

Quote
MOSiX Man wrote:
Sorry, but 'Startup Items' are a Windows item. Mac OS X has 'Login Items'. (Actually, Max OS X does have a /Library/StartupItems folder, but that is not tied to the Login Items that the author of this article is detailing.)


Sorry, but, in Panther, they were (and are, for those still using Panther) called "Startup Items." The name changed in Tiger and some long-time Mac users may still hold on to the old name.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Startup/Login Item Delay
Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2043 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Subject: Re: Startup/Login Item Delay

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
Been wondering this for quite awhile -- Is there a way to stagger and or place delays in Login Items so they do just launch en masse? Or does it not matter?
Thanks --


They launch in the order shown in the preference pane. Some take longer to launch than others, of course, so they may overlap.

View Name:Guest
Subject:
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