TMO Quick Tip - Leopard: Tracking Down Login Items

by , 7:30 AM EDT, April 25th, 2008

I've previously mentioned that Mac OS X 10.4 includes a clever feature that shows exactly where each of the items are that auto-launch every time you login to your user account. Mac OS X 10.5 includes a similar feature, but it goes a step further and can even reveal each item in the Finder.

To see the path to a login item in Tiger and Leopard, do this:

• Launch System Preferences. You can get at it quickly by choosing Apple menu > System Preferences.
• Select the Accounts Preference Pane.

Control-click items...

• Click the Login Items tab.
• Now hover your mouse over any of the items in your Login Items list to see the path to its location on your hard drive.

...to reveal them in Leopard's Finder.

To jump directly to an item's location, Leopard users can Control-click and choose Reveal in Finder. A new Finder window will open showing the path to the Login Item you selected.

This is handy when you aren't sure what an auto-loading item is for, or when you want to find an item that you need to move or delete from your hard drive.

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.

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