Version History

Newest items are listed first.

Release 2.1 (Build 250523)

The user interface and processing in cases where the App Store requests a revalidation of the license have changed. The program now quits during the procedure, preventing the possible optical illusion that the app would be part of license checks or the handling of Apple Accounts. These tasks are carried out exclusively by macOS. Users have to restart the app manually when the App Store prevented a successful launch.

Release 2.0 (Build 250219)

• Added new context menu in the table of autostart items to reveal applications in the Finder.
• Added new feature to detect situations where data has been migrated to a new Mac. It is now possible to take over autostart items from a previous computer without having to export and import entries manually.
• Small internal optimizations.

Release 1.9 (Build 240723)

• Added necessary changes to ensure that the App remains compatible with future versions of the Mac App Store.
• The storage size needed for the program has been greatly reduced.
• Minor changes.

Release 1.8 (Build 240214)

• Enhanced user guidance when users mistakenly try to add volumes or network connections as login items.
• Enhanced user guidance when users try to automatically hide applications which don’t support windows by default.
• The user interface now differentiates more accurately between the behavior of macOS 13 and 14 when handling background items.
• Modernized organization of language support files.

Release 1.7 (Build 230831)

• Added new feature to detect whether the user has configured items for applications that don’t support windows during launch or are otherwise limited in their user interfaces. This is basically a misuse of Autostarter which could cause performance issues or abnormal behavior at login time. The new version still auto-starts such apps, but all attempts to control their windows will be abandoned early.
• The start report and the configuration assistant features have been enhanced accordingly.

Release 1.6 (Build 230822)

This version adds a protection against third-party applications that provide corrupt translations of their names in the user’s preferred language. Such applications could cause issues with the diagnostic features and unexpected termination of the autostart sequence.

Release 1.5 (Build 230811)

• Added new feature to launch applications with individual delays that can be set between 1 and 60 seconds.
• The diagnostic report now contains additional entries for cases where Autostarter is waiting for a slow application to start.
• Log entries in the diagnostic report no longer mix raw English application names with presentation names in the user’s preferred language. References to started programs always use consistent designations now.
• Some sections in the reference manual have been reorganized.

Release 1.4 (Build 230621)

• Added new innovative feature to hide applications after startup which are not capable of supporting launch with hidden windows correctly. The option “Aggressive Hide Mode” can be enabled for otherwise hopeless cases, such as non-native Web Apps. Users can set a specific time interval where an application should be forced continuously to hide after autostart.
• The main window has been simplified and only shows advanced features on demand.
• Fixes a problem where the macOS Open panel rejected to select Autostarter configuration files during an import in some system installations.

Release 1.3 (Build 230331)

• Added new optional feature to show Autostarter activity at login item, helping to indicate the exact period when macOS allows the App to become active.
• Added new optional feature to show the status of each automatically started application at login time. If desired, the status display can be kept open for diagnostic purposes.
• Added new feature to create an optional log report for diagnostic purposes. The report can be saved to a text file if necessary.
• Added new, innovative assistant that can help to detect why a specific application may not have performed an automatic start correctly.
• When adding new startup items, the application now warns if it detects Web App technologies that are not fully compatible with macOS.
• The required operating system is now macOS 13.3 or later.

Release 1.2 (Build 230307)

• Enhanced handling of autolaunched applications which crash or only run for a few seconds.
• The time and number of retry attempts if applications do not respond correctly to commands to change their visibility of windows have been extended.
• Small enhancements in the user interface.
• By request of Apple, the application icon had to be changed.

Release 1.1 (Build 230125)

• Added a new feature to automatically repair settings when macOS has lost user acknowledgement for background items if the app was renamed or moved.
• In cases where an auto-starting application has been deleted, Autostarter now suppresses confusing error messages of the Finder.
• An additional Dock tile which may be shown after login depending on the user’s Dock settings is now suppressed.
• Added internal diagnostic features.
• Clearer indication in user interface and reference manual which applications can be supported.
• A cryptographic security feature was removed to ensure the App can be imported to France.

Release 1.0 (Build 221119)

First published version of Autostarter.