Startup items are programs, scripts, or services that automatically launch when your computer boots up. Managing these items is crucial for optimizing boot times and ensuring that only necessary applications run at startup. In the Apple environment, specifically macOS, startup items can be managed through System Preferences, Terminal commands, and by editing specific configuration files. This article will guide you through various methods to manage startup items on macOS.

Examples:

1. Using System Preferences:

   • Open "System Preferences" from the Apple menu.
   • Navigate to "Users & Groups."
   • Select your user account and click on the "Login Items" tab.
   • To add a new startup item, click the "+" button and select the application you wish to add.
   • To remove an item, select it from the list and click the "-" button.

2. Using Terminal Commands:

   • Adding a Startup Item:

     sudo defaults write com.apple.loginitems MyApp -array-add '<dict><key>Path</key><string>/Applications/MyApp.app</string></dict>'

     Replace MyApp and /Applications/MyApp.app with the name and path of your application.

   • Removing a Startup Item:

     sudo defaults delete com.apple.loginitems MyApp

     Replace MyApp with the name of the application you want to remove.

3. Editing Configuration Files:

   • LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons: Startup items can also be managed by placing property list (plist) files in the /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons, or ~/Library/LaunchAgents directories.

     • Creating a LaunchAgent:

       <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
       <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
       <plist version="1.0">
       <dict>
       <key>Label</key>
       <string>com.example.myapp</string>
       <key>ProgramArguments</key>
       <array>
          <string>/Applications/MyApp.app/Contents/MacOS/MyApp</string>
       </array>
       <key>RunAtLoad</key>
       <true/>
       </dict>
       </plist>

       Save this file as com.example.myapp.plist in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents directory.

   • Loading and Unloading LaunchAgents:

     launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.example.myapp.plist
     launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.example.myapp.plist