The Persistent Network Drive
In macOS environments, particularly in enterprise or shared network setups, users frequently connect to external servers via SMB (Server Message Block) shares to access centralized files. Sometimes, after manually connecting to an SMB share and dragging it to your sidebar or dock for easy access, macOS might interpret your actions as a desire to have that drive available at all times. Consequently, macOS may automatically attempt to connect to that specific SMB share every time you log into your user account. This can cause annoying delays during startup, error messages if you are no longer on the correct network (like working from a coffee shop instead of the office), and unnecessary credential prompts.
Removing Shares from Login Items
To stop macOS from automatically connecting to an SMB share upon startup, you need to remove the network volume from your user account’s designated Login Items.
Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the menu bar and select System Settings. In the left-hand sidebar, click on General. On the right side, locate and click on Login Items. You will see a list titled “Open at Login,” which displays applications and volumes set to launch automatically. Look through this list for the name of the SMB share or the IP address of the server (it will often have a server icon next to it). Click on the network share to highlight it, and then click the small Minus (-) button located directly below the list to remove it. Once removed from this list, macOS will no longer attempt to mount the drive automatically. You will need to manually reconnect to the server (via Finder > Go > Connect to Server) the next time you need those files.