"Background Items Added": see and switch off what runs in the background

Why it happens

Many apps install a small helper that runs even when the app is closed, for updates, syncing or a menu bar icon. macOS tells you each time one is added. Older versions title that alert Background Items Added, and newer macOS may call it Login Item Added or App Background Activity. Most are harmless, but you can see and switch off every one of them in one place.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, click General, then Login Items & Extensions.

2. Look down the App Background Activity list. Each switch is named after an app or the company that made it. On macOS 27 this section is called Background App Activity.

   macOS 26 Tahoe General›Login Items & Extensions›App Background Activity

   macOS 27 Golden Gate General›Login Items & Extensions›Background App Activity

3. Turn off the switches for anything you don't recognise or don't need. Enter your password if asked. The app still opens normally, but features like automatic updates or its menu bar icon may stop.

4. Check Open at Login at the top as well. Select any app you don't want opening when you log in and click the minus button.

   General›Login Items & Extensions›Open at Login

On macOS 26 the list is App Background Activity. On macOS 27 the same list is called Background App Activity.

Still not fixed?

1. Switch keeps turning itself back on? Open the app's own settings and turn off its option to start at login or run in the background.

2. Don't use the app any more? Quit it, then drag it from Applications to the Trash. If the app came with its own uninstaller, use that instead, as it removes the helpers too.

3. Not sure what an item is? Leave it on if it's from an app you use, such as a printer or cloud storage app. Turning off the wrong one may stop that app working properly.

4. If items you can't identify keep appearing after you've removed the apps, or your Mac behaves strangely, contact Apple Support for help checking it.