How do I add/remove the “hidden” startup applications?

Question

How do I manage (add/remove) all the startup applications in Ubuntu 11.10 and up?

Startup Applications doesn't show all the applications which are started during boot.

Answer 1

As said above, you have to edit /etc/xdg/autostart/ and either:

• remove the NoDisplay=true lines;
• or make those same lines comments by adding # in front of them;
• or replace true by false in those same lines.

The third solution can be easily done in three steps:

1. Summon the terminal with Ctrl + Alt + T.

2. Type the two following commands:

   cd /etc/xdg/autostart/
   sudo sed --in-place 's/NoDisplay=true/NoDisplay=false/g' *.desktop
   

After changing anything you want, you can go back to the previous state by typing this into the terminal:

sudo sed --in-place 's/NoDisplay=false/NoDisplay=true/g' *.desktop

This has been tested in 12.04, 12.10 and 13.04.

[Source: iloveubuntu.net, thank you Nikhil Sinha for the link]

Answer 2

Remove the NoDisplay=true line from each entry in /etc/xdg/autostart/ Then just uncheck the ones you don't want in Startup Applications. Generally though the autostart apps are there for a reason so make sure you know what you're doing when you disable them.

There are also various services which store their configuration files in /etc/init. Most users shouldn't touch those files though.

Answer 3

It's normal that you don't see anything listed. The Additional startup programs list is just for programs that start up for the current user (not necessarily for other users, and not all the services that start when Ubuntu boots). Furthermore, it doesn't list the normal parts of the desktop environment that start when the user logs in graphically.

Anyone can check this by clicking "Startup applications". Its blank by default.

Answer 4

An alternative:

To view all startup applications at "startup applications" just open /etc/xdg/autostart and modifying the line NoDisplay=true to #NoDisplay=true. Just add an # . Then you will be able to see all at "startup applications" and disable what you want from there.

Answer 5

In Ubuntustudio 12.04 startup applications can be added/removed by going to the Settings Manager, choosing "Session and Startup" and going to the "Application Autostart" tab.

Is it not similar in Ubuntu 12.04?

Answer 6

The correct way to do this as a normal user is to copy the desktop file in question from /etc/xdg/autostart/ to ~/.config/autostart/ (create the directory first if needed) and edit this copy to state NoDisplay=false. Then open "Startup Applications Preferences" and uncheck the corresponding box.