Prevent app re-adding itself to "open on login" list

Question

I have an app ("Android File Transfer"), that adds itself to the System Preferences → Users & Groups → Login Items list. If I delete it with the "minus" button, the app re-adds itself next time it's launched. There is no option for controlling this in the app.

Is there any way to prevent an app from doing this?

Answer 1

Its kind of annoying but you can try locking the plist that controls login items.

1. Navigate to `~/Library/Preferences/loginwindow.plist
2. Select the file and press Command + I
3. Check "Locked"

Note: This will prevent all applications (and you) from adding or removing login items, so remove the application from login items and then lock the file.

Answer 2

Sometimes, upon installation, applications add files to the root level Library folder's /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons or /Library/StartupItems subfolders that can result in the behavior you're observing. You will need Admin access in order to remove any files related to the "Android File Transfer" app that may be located in these folders.

Answer 3

Suppose I installed a bad app called X.

On recent macOS versions, there is a new type of notification:

In my case, this notification appears when an item is added to "Open at Login" by X.

"System Events" is a system automation API, you can block X from accessing the automation API of macOS by going into the Settings > Privacy and Security > Automation:

Then you need to go back to the Settings > General > Login Items and remove X one last time.

Answer 4

The best answer these days: find a replacement application

After a lot of looking around I eventually trashed Android File Transfer altogether and am trying https://openmtp.ganeshrvel.com

Not as pretty, that's it - if you don't want to deal a poorly behaved app, get rid of the app.