How to Manage Mac Startup Programs
Having certain applications launch automatically with every system boot is an incredibly useful feature that can save up quite a lot of time when you consider the fact that we start our computers every single day not to count the times we are forced to restart them. A ballooning number of startup programs (also called Login Items), however, may have the opposite effect as the computer might become sluggish and unresponsive while struggling to go through all of the different apps that have to executed simultaneously. Furthermore, some undesirable elements might sneak themselves into the startup applications without the user realizing it. That is why it is strongly recommended to organize the Login Items of your system.
The behaviour of most legitimate apps can be adjusted through their own settings. Look through the available options for the auto-loading feature and either allow or disable it according to your needs. If the specific app lacks such an option, then users can resort to two different methods for adjusting the startup behaviour.
The first one is to manually disable the app in the System Preferences of the macOS. Certain applications may not show up there and the only way to remove them is via command-line coding in the Terminal app. Users who are not confident enough in using Terminal should stick to the first method.
Start by going to 'System Preferences' and then opening 'Users & Groups.' Select the 'Login Items' tab. Before users are allowed to exclude items from the list, they will have to click on the Lock icon and then provide their account password. All that is left is to tick the box in front of the listed apps to either disable or enable them from the automatic login items.
If users want to add an app that is not already among the Login Items, they can do that from the same 'Login Items' tab found under 'System Preferences.' Locate and click the 'Plus' button. Select the app, click on the 'Add' button, and it should now be among the programs automatically launched with the start of the computer. Another method that only works for apps with an icon on the Dock panel is to right-click it and then select 'Options' followed by 'Open at Login.'