How to stop apps from opening at login on a Mac

2 min read · 4 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Apps that open by themselves when you log in make the Mac slower to start and keep running in the background. You can remove them from the list without uninstalling them.

These steps are for recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings. The pictures are simplified diagrams, not screenshots.

Step by step

1. Open System Settings and click General

   Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and choose System Settings. Then click General on the left.

   Done

2. Click Login Items & Extensions

   On older versions of macOS it is called Login Items.

   Done

3. Remove apps from Open at Login

   The top list shows apps that open when you log in. Click one and then click the minus button below the list.

   Done

4. Switch off background items

   The second list, called App Background Activity or Allow in the Background on older versions, shows helpers that run without a window, such as updaters. Switch off the ones for apps you rarely use. Leave on anything from Apple, your backup software and your password manager.

   Done

Good to know

A quick alternative for an app in the Dock: right-click its icon, choose Options and untick Open at Login.

If windows from your last session keep reopening, untick "Reopen windows when logging back in" in the dialog that appears when you restart or shut down.

In short: System Settings, General, Login Items & Extensions. Remove apps with the minus button and switch off background items you do not need.