If you start your workday by opening the exact same set of applications—your web browser, email client, Slack, and perhaps a music player—you are wasting valuable time repeating the same clicks every morning. macOS includes a built-in feature that allows you to designate a specific list of applications, documents, or server connections to launch automatically the moment you log into your Mac, ensuring your digital workspace is instantly ready for you.
How to Configure Login Items in macOS System Settings
Apple manages these startup programs through the “Login Items” menu within the main System Settings application.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings… from the dropdown menu (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on General.
- In the main window, click on Login Items.
- You will see a list labelled Open at Login. This displays the applications currently set to launch automatically.
- To add a new application, click the small + (Plus) button below the list.
- A Finder window will appear. Navigate to your Applications folder, select the program you want to automate (e.g., Spotify), and click Open.
The application will instantly appear in the list. The next time you restart your Mac or log out and log back in, that program will launch by itself.
How to Hide Applications on Startup
Having multiple applications launch simultaneously can clutter your screen before you are ready to use them. If you want an app (like a music player or chat client) to start in the background without throwing a window in your face, you can hide it.
Note: This specific functionality behaves differently depending on your macOS version.
On macOS Monterey and older, the Login Items menu includes a Hide checkbox next to each application. Simply tick this box, and the app will launch silently to your dock or menu bar.
On macOS Ventura and newer, Apple removed the Hide checkbox from the System Settings GUI. To achieve the same result, you must configure the application’s own internal settings (e.g., looking for a “Start minimized” or “Hide on launch” toggle within the specific app’s preferences menu).
How to Remove a Login Item
If your Mac is booting slowly, you likely have too many Login Items competing for system resources at startup. To remove an app from the automation list, return to the Login Items menu, click on the application name to highlight it, and click the – (Minus) button. This does not delete the application from your Mac; it merely stops it from launching automatically.