How to Stop Spotify From Opening on Startup on a Mac

Spotify is a great way to enjoy music, but you may not want the program to open every time you restart your Mac desktop or laptop. If that's the case, this article offers instructions on two ways to stop Spotify from launching on startup on your Mac.

How Do I Stop Spotify From Opening on Startup on My Mac?

There are two ways to prevent Spotify from automatically opening whenever you startup or restart your Mac—one in Spotify, the other in the macOS's System Preferences. In both cases, you need to change a small setting. With the setting changed, Spotify will not open automatically.

Change Spotify Preferences to Stop Opening at Startup

The best and easiest way to stop Spotify from automatically opening: is to change a setting in Spotify itself. Here's what to do:

1. Open the Spotify app.

2. Click Spotify.
   

3. Click Preferences.
   

4. Click Show Advanced Settings.
   

5. Scroll down to the Startup and Window Behavior section.
   

6. Next to Open Spotify automatically after you log into your computer, click the menu and click No.
   

Change Mac Startup Items to Stop Spotify Opening

If the instructions from the first section didn't work, or if you prefer to control your Startup Items at the user-account level in the macOS, try these steps:

1. Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen.

2. Click System Preferences.
   

3. Click Users & Groups.
   

4. Click your user account (it's probably the Admin account at the top of the list).
   

5. Click Login Items.
   

6. Uncheck the box next to Spotify.
   

Why Does Spotify Always Open When I Turn on My Mac? 

Spotify opens every time you turn on your Mac because it's trying to be helpful. For instance, if you always use the same programs when you start up your computer, isn't it easier to have them automatically open for you, rather than having to go through and launch them one at a time?

At the macOS level, the Startup Items settings let you choose all kinds of programs and features to launch every time you turn on your Mac. This setting makes it easier to get your computer set up the way you want and to get right into doing whatever you need to do. If you don't like this behavior, change the behavior to suit your needs.