MacOS makes it easy to add items to a list that will launch at start-up. This can be very useful for applications that you always use, servers that you wish to connect to, or even a file or document you always want to work on. Once the OS has loaded it moves onto your user account and the items on this list and launches them ready for your use once your account is fully loaded.
Issues with Login Items
It’s worth mentioning that the more items that you have in the list the longer your machine will take to start up. This is especially true of syncing services like Dropbox, One Drive etc as they also have to poll their respective services, check for changes and sync, all of which slow down that initial start. You may like to consider starting these services manually once the system is fully loaded and ready to go, doing so may make your machine more responsive in the process.
Applications That Add Themselves to the Login Items
Applications that automatically launch at startup with their default install will have placed an entry in this list. If you want to change this behaviour you will need to manually remove them form the Login Items list.
Making Adjustments to Your Login Items
To add or remove items from the list head over to System Preferences>Users & Groups and select the Login Items tab on your user. There are a plus and minus button at the bottom of the list that allows you to add and remove entries.
Steps for Removing/Adding Entries to the Login Items List
- To remove an entry select it in the list and click the minus button.
- To add an entry click the plus button and navigate to the application, file or disk that you wish to add and after selecting it click add.
- Sometimes you will find entries that are listed with (All users). These require authentication before removal - simply click on the padlock and enter your credentials to do so. You will need to have administrator privileges, if you are not an administrator, contact someone who is for the computer you use and ask them to remove it for you.
- If you wish the item in the list to be hidden once loaded put a tick in the box under the hide column for that entry.
Reopen Windows When Logging Back In
When you log out of your account (either via log out or shut down) there is a tick box in the dialog box that appears with the label 'Reopen windows when logging back in'. This is designed to be a convenience so that you can pick up where you left off when you start up the machine. In my experience this causes big issues with start up speed due to the fact that your Mac will have to launch everything in your Login Items list followed by all the applications and files that you had open when you logged out. This can take a long time. My recommendation is to leave this option un-ticked so as to keep your login as swift as possible. It's on be dafault so make sure to untick it the next time you log off.