What Every Macbook User Has to Know About Startup Items

Whenever someone buys a new device, they do not really appreciate how great it works until a few years later, when the overall performance continues to dwindle down every other week.

Well, this kind of thing is more or less unavoidable because no machine is built to last forever. But it also does not mean that a hiccup here or there indicates a need to look for a replacement. No, people tend to panic too soon and are unable to keep a clear head in these types of situations.

A good example would be Macbook users. A brand-new computer will obviously have no issues, but it will not be too long before it takes longer to load, playing games becomes impossible, etc.

This happens for a number of reasons. But starting from the smaller ones and working your way to the top is the right path to take. This url has information on how to remove startup items and improve the overall performance using other means. But for the sake of those who lack experience, let us focus on the aforementioned login startup item list and what it means.

The Definition

Every time you install a new application, it could potentially end up being another addition to the startup item group. These apps launch every time you boot up your computer. If you are not careful, you will end up with dozens of apps and that will significantly damage the computer’s processor and memory capacities.

In other words, every new item on the startup list works towards increasing Macbook’s startup time and decreasing its performance. 

It is also worth noting that if you delete an app that was on that list but did not remove it prior, you could end up with a broken link. Those are completely useless and will only give you unwanted warning messages on top of resource consumption. 

Keep in mind that everything you read here applies to any Macbook version. So no matter which you have at the moment, the same principles apply regardless.

Disabling Startup Programs

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Now we are getting to the good stuff. There are two available options. The first one is getting yourself software like CleanMyMac and leaving everything in its hands. You will find the login item list in the Optimizations tab and can quickly select everything you want to be removed.

Manual Work

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It is only natural that some would rather do everything manually and not download software that they have no guarantees about. As always, there is a looming threat of getting infected with a virus or malware. 

If you want to take a safer route and have some time to spare, this is what you will need to do:

• Go to System Preferences.
• Select Users and Groups and pick your account.
• Choose Login Items.
• Uncheck the boxes from items you no longer wish to see.
• Finish the work and confirm the changes.

In case you end up needing to add something, you can always go back and add it manually by clicking the plus sign that can be found just below the list of items. When you make the changes and restart your Macbook, you will notice that things are running much better than before.

Fixing Broken Startup Items

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Like already mentioned, you could end up having a few broken links on the startup menu. There is no reason to worry too much about it since the process of eliminating them is not that complicated.

The focus here is finding applications that have been deleted but still linger on the computer. Once again, CleanMyMac seems like the perfect solution. When you are on the app, select the Uninstall tab and look at the list of your applications.

If you see something that has been deleted but still remains, tick the box next to it. After you are finished going through the list and have checked all the applications, click the delete button and be done with it for good.

In the event that you want to look for a manual solution again, System Junk Module will come in handy. Start that, click Scan. Once the process is over, look at the details and clean those apps you no longer want to see.

That is not all, though. To finish everything properly, start the Maintenance tab, select Rebuild Launch Services, and click Run. After this, any broken app data you might have had on the computer will be fixed.

So there you have it. This short guide should do nicely for those who are still learning how to properly use their Macbook and ensure that it lasts for as long as possible. Even if you believe this to be a trivial matter, every little bit helps in the long run. And whenever you learn something new, you become better, which is the whole point, correct?