Temporarily disabling startup items

According to https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/open-items-automatically-when-you-log-in-mh15189/10.14/mac/10.14 (and Mac practice going at least as far back as System 7), holding down Shift on login should disable your startup items. However, I can't seem to manage it. I hold down Shift after I hit Return after entering my password, I hold down shift before hitting Return, I hold down shift and then click on the login arrow, I restart and try again, I use the left or right shift key (haven't tried both at once)…nothing works. All of my startup items launch normally no matter what I do. Obviously my shift keys work, given the presence of capital letters in this post. What could possibly be going wrong here?

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.13

Posted on Apr 26, 2020 9:54 AM

Top-ranking reply

dialabrain

Level 10

136,199 points

Posted on Apr 26, 2020 7:42 PM

Zarquon42 wrote:

Are you saying that the ability to disable startup items on login, that has been present in every previous version of macOS and OS X, has been removed from Mojave, despite the support document linked above that describes this feature?

Like MacArthur I have returned. As it happens, I went to look at the link you posted and the description…

"If you don’t see the login window, restart your Mac, press and hold the Shift key when you see the progress bar in the startup window, then release the Shift key after the desktop appears."

Is incorrect on three of my Macs, two iMacs and an iMac Pro. What I described does work…

"Hold Shift right after the startup chime. Release it when the Apple logo comes up."

If you wait until you see the Apple logo/Progress Bar, it's too late to press Shift.

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Temporarily disabling startup items

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