All the items in the Login Items system preferences are set to open automatically. If you’re not using them, login items take up resources by eating CPU cycles, reserving memory for their use, or running background processes that you may not use.
Viewing Your Login Items
To see which items run automatically on your Mac at startup or login, view your user account settings. Some entries may be for applications that you no longer use or don’t want to launch. They are easy to identify. The importance of other entries may not be as obvious, so you should be cautious when removing them.
Which Items to Remove?
The easiest login items to pick for elimination are those that belong to applications you no longer need. You can remove them or any helpers associated with them. If you spot an entry for a printer or another peripheral you no longer use, you can likewise feel comfortable removing it. For example, you may have used a Microsoft Mouse in the past but have since changed to an Apple Magic Mouse. If that’s the case, you don’t need the MicrosoftMouseHelper application that was installed when you first plugged in your Microsoft Mouse.
Before You Remove a Login Item
It’s better to be safe than sorry. You’ll recognize the name of an app, folder, or document with no trouble, but some of the helper files are tougher to identify. It’s possible for you to remove something you later realize you need. Before you remove a login item, make a note of its name and its location on your Mac. For example:
How to Remove an Item From the Login Items Tab
To remove an item from the Login Items tab in System Preferences:
Restoring a Login Item
In most cases, you can use a simple approach to restore a startup item to the Login Items tab. (You remembered to write down its name and location earlier, right?) In the Login Items tab, click the plus sign (+), enter your administrator credentials, and navigate to the item. Click Add to put it back in the Login Items list. That’s it. Now that you know how to restore any login item, you can confidently prune your list of Login Items to create a better-performing Mac.
