How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup on Mac

Open the Apple menu > System Preferences > Users & Groups. Click on the lock icon and enter your administrator’s password. Now select Login Items > Steam from the list, and hit the minus (-) icon in the lower-left corner.

Why Steam opens on startup on Mac

Steam opens at startup on your MacBook computer for several reasons. One possibility is that Steam developers intentionally configured it that way, thinking it’s what players would want. It could also be your personal preference to auto-launch Steam every time you start your device.

These scenarios are possible for anyone who runs Windows games on a Mac. But not every player wants to play Steam as soon as they open up their Mac device. If you use your MacBook for other reasons, like work, or are sharing it with someone else, Steam opening at startup could be a huge inconvenience.

A note from our experts: 

 

Whatever the reason, Steam will automatically open at startup if it’s on your list of Login Items. But maybe you weren’t aware this was the case, have changed your mind about it, or simply find it annoying. Regardless, you can easily fix it. MacKeeper’s Login Items feature allows you to remove redundant processes from startup on a Mac, including Steam for Mac, to improve your Mac experience and even speed up your Mac’s performance.

 

Here’s why we prefer to manage Login Items in MacKeeper rather than System Preferences or System Settings:

• It's simpler to use, especially for novices or new Mac owners who don’t know their way around a Mac or System Preferences.
• It streamlines Login Items management.
• It’s faster compared to navigating to Login Items directly on your Mac.

Follow these steps to remove Steam and other Login items in MacKeeper:

1. Download and install MacKeeper.
2. Choose the Login Items option from the sidebar and select the items you want to remove.
3. Hit the Remove Selected Items button at the bottom of the window.

How to prevent Steam from opening on startup on Mac

To stop Steam from launching at startup on a Mac, disable it in the app or via Login Items in System Preferences/Settings.

Follow the in-depth guide below for more information, or learn how to delete Steam from your MacBook if you no longer want to use it.

1. Disabling Steam from the Steam app settings

Steam’s auto-start feature prompts the app to open when you power on your computer, making it convenient for players who use Steam daily. If you only use it occasionally, you can disable Steam on startup on your Mac directly in the Steam app settings. This will block the app from immediately launching at startup.

Here’s how we disable Steam’s auto-launch feature on our Mac devices:

1. Open the Steam application and click on Steam in the upper-left corner.
2. Choose Settings > Interface > Run Steam when my computer starts and disable the setting.

2. Removing Steam from System Preferences

We’ve shown you how to remove Steam from your Login Items using MacKeeper, which is our preferred solution, but you can also do it manually in System Preferences. Keep in mind that this manual route is a little longer than using MacKeeper, but it also gets the job done. Remember that removing Steam from your list of Login Items prevents it from launching at startup, which can also slow down your Mac’s performance, especially if you have a lot of startup items set up.

We follow this approach to block Steam from launching at Startup in System Preferences:

1. Open System Preferences via the Apple menu or Finder and select System Preferences.
2. Click on Users & Groups at the bottom.
3. Click on the lock icon > Login Items tab > Steam, and then click the minus (-) icon in the window’s lower-left corner to remove it.

3. Managing Steam in Login Items via System Settings

If you own a newer macOS version (Ventura or later), we should warn you that managing Steam in Login Items is slightly different from what we’ve described in the previous section, as you’ll see below. Removing Steam from your list of startup items is also an easy fix for a lagging or freezing MacBook, as Login Items can dampen your Mac’s performance. If you’re experiencing any of those problems, it’s worth trying this method to resolve them.

Here’s how we stop Steam from launching at Startup in System Settings:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Select General > Login Items > Steam and hit the minus (-) icon to stop it from auto-starting.

Advice from the MacKeeper team: 

 

If Steam isn’t launching, updating properly, or constantly freezing or lagging on your Mac, you’re not alone. It’s common for third-party apps like Steam to experience performance issues on a Mac, especially when they consume a lot of system resources. But don’t worry, you don’t have to uninstall Steam when this happens. A simple and effective fix is to clear Steam download cache.

 

This way, you remove corrupted data that could be negatively impacting the Steam app’s performance, immediately resolve the problem, and help Steam run seamlessly again. And you can do all that with the help of MacKeeper.

Block Steam from automatically launching at startup on a Mac

Steam can auto-launch at startup for several reasons, including Steam’s or Login Items settings. If this is becoming a nuisance, you can turn off Steam's auto start on Mac and remove the app from your Login Items in System Preferences or System Settings—depending on your macOS version.

But there’s a better way to make Steam not open on startup on Mac. Streamline the management of all startup programs using MacKeeper’s Login Items tool. It allows you to remove Steam and other annoying startup items simultaneously, saving you time and enhancing your Mac’s performance.