Guide
How to remove login items and broken launch agents on a Mac
Stop apps opening at login, turn off background items you don't need, and remove broken launch agents left behind by deleted apps.
Updated 6 min read
Apps love to start with your Mac. Some open a window at login, others quietly run a helper in the background, and apps you deleted months ago can leave helpers behind that still try to start. Cutting them down makes login faster and frees memory. Here is how to manage login items and launch agents on a Mac.
Remove apps that open at login
- Open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions (just Login Items on macOS Ventura and Sonoma).
- Under Open at Login, select an app you don't need straight away and click the – button.
The app still works; it just doesn't open until you open it.
Turn off background items
In the same place, the Allow in the Background list shows helpers apps run without a window, such as updaters and sync tools. Turn off the ones you don't need. If something stops working, turn it back on.
Find launch agents and daemons
Background helpers are described by .plist files in these folders:
~/Library/LaunchAgents: helpers for your account only./Library/LaunchAgents: helpers for every user./Library/LaunchDaemons: system-wide services that run even before you log in.
To see what a helper starts, run plutil -p on its file and look at Program or ProgramArguments:
plutil -p ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.example.helper.plistIf that program no longer exists, the agent is broken and can go.
Remove a launch agent safely
- Stop it first. For an agent in your own folder:
For a daemon inlaunchctl bootout gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.example.helper.plist/Library/LaunchDaemons:sudo launchctl bootout system /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.helper.plist - Move the
.plistfile to the Trash. - Log out and back in, or restart, and check that nothing complains.
Leave anything named com.apple. alone, and only remove helpers you can identify.
Review launch agents with Roomy
Roomy's Optimize screen lists the launch agents and daemons on your Mac, shows what each one runs and for whom, and flags broken ones that point to apps you have deleted. You can reveal any of them in Finder, and remove the ones in your account: Roomy stops the helper and moves its file to the Trash. Uninstalling an app with Roomy's uninstaller removes its helpers in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a login item and a launch agent?
A login item is an app that opens when you log in, listed under Open at Login. A launch agent is a small background task described by a .plist file in a LaunchAgents folder; macOS starts it at login, often without any window, and lists many of them under Allow in the Background.
Is it safe to remove launch agents?
Removing an agent that belongs to an app you have deleted is safe. Removing one for an app you still use can stop features such as sync, updates or a menu bar icon, so turn it off first and see whether you miss it. Never touch Apple's own agents in /System.
What is a broken launch agent?
One whose .plist points to a program that no longer exists, usually because the app was deleted by dragging it to the Trash. macOS keeps trying to start it at every login and it fails each time.
