Getting rid of 'Background items added' notifications for nonexistent programs

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Level 1

11 points

Getting rid of 'Background items added' notifications for nonexistent programs

I am on a desktop iMac with Ventura 13.1.

I've started getting 'Background items added' notifications for programs that are no longer on my computer - in this case Adobe Creative Cloud and Logitech Options. I went Settings/Login Items and just opening this screen causes the notifications to double on my desktop. Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Systems and Logitech Options do show on this screen. However, they are all turned off.

Adobe Creative Cloud/Systems have been removed from my computer since long before I updated to Ventura and I have just removed Logitech Options in an effort to get rid of the notifications (I use a Logitech keyboard). I then went into Library/Launch Agents and deleted all references to these two programs there. I also combed through other areas in the Library where I knew these two programs might lurk. I then emptied my bin and restarted the machine. No luck.

How do I get these to stop giving me multiple notifications every startup? How do I get them out of the Login Items list, as they are nonexistent programs?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.1

Posted on Mar 8, 2023 2:16 AM

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Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,206 points

Mar 15, 2023 9:42 AM in response to Uzun1991

As in mentioned, in multiple threads, “turning them off,“does not stop the notifications. The fact that they’re on or loading at login has nothing to do with them running a background process.

There are several ways for an app to start up at login besides the login items. And again, whether they start at login or not does not prevent them from loading a background process, which is what the notification is telling you.

You may be able to uninstall the app and reinstall it and it’ll function correctly. However, most apps are unaware of the new background process notification system, and will just reinstall their background process when they find they can’t run it. For those apps, you need to contact the developer for an update, or just uninstall the app altogether. This post was a question on how you remove it completely when the developer doesn’t provide a method to remove it completely. For some apps, removing the parts as discussed in this post, may allow the app to continue functioning normally but won’t load those background items. For many of the apps I’ve seen, the background process is an update checker.

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Answer 2

skyreburn26 Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 9, 2023 5:05 AM in response to Barney-15E

AAhhhh. Options+Go just opens the User Library. I now see that down in the bar at the bottom of the window. But I was able to click on MacintoshHD in the MacintoshHD>User>etc and it took me to a window that showed Library. And yes, there were both the LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folders and, yes, therein lurked the offending files. I removed them, emptied the bin, restarted and it's fixed. Thanks.

(Sorry - didn't mean to click my own response as best answer - now can't get it to change.) (At least it's detailed!)

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Answer 3

Uzun1991

Level 1

13 points

Mar 14, 2023 11:49 AM in response to skyreburn26

I am also having this very bad experience of seeing multiple and even triple notifications that background program items are added. While all these programs are turned off as login items I keep getting them all the time. See the screenshot of my desktop. Apple please do something about this bug. It's getting very annoying.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,206 points

Mar 8, 2023 4:26 AM in response to skyreburn26

Did you look in the LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folder in the main library along with the LaunchAgents folder in your user library?

if you can’t find them, Etrecheck may be able to identify the orphaned pieces.

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Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,206 points

Mar 8, 2023 8:18 PM in response to skyreburn26

I don’t think ive ever seen a user folder inside a library.

There is the Library inside Macintosh HD, and there is a hidden library inside your home folder. If you hold down the Option key while opening the Go menu in Finder, you can choose Library to open your library.

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Answer 6

skyreburn26 Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 8, 2023 9:44 PM in response to Barney-15E

Semantics have got a bit confused. I was responding to your "LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons folder in the main library along with the LaunchAgents folder in your user library?" when I asked about the User folder/User Library. I have already gone into the main Library via Go, which is what I meant in my original post when I said I went into Library/Launch Agents. Adobe Systems .plist files were in there and I removed them, emptied my bin and restarted and it was gone. But it still shows up in Settings/Login and the notifications still appear on my desktop any time I reboot - and will appear multiple times again if I open Settings at any point. There is no LaunchDaemons folder in my Library.

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