Each time you boot your Ubuntu Linux, a number of application programs start loading automatically. These are the Startup Programs. Such programs include Skype, Slack, or other programs that you use on a regular basis.

In this tutorial, you’ll know how to manage startup programs on Ubuntu Linux.

What’s Startup Applications Manager in Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu comes with a Startup Applications manager that helps manage startup programs in Ubuntu Linux.

To find the application manager, search for the “Startup Applications” in the search box given above Ubuntu’s application menu. 

As the Startup Application Manager opens up, you can find startup programs already running in your system. 

Adding Programs to the List of Startups

To run certain programs during the system startup, add them to the startup programs list.

In order to do that, open Startup Applications on your Ubuntu Linux desktop.

You’ll see the following window.

Then, run the command that drives that program. It can be a path or simply the name of the program.

I’ll tell you about 2 different methods to add startup programs to your Ubuntu system in this tutorial.

Method 1: Use the ‘which’ command

The ‘which’ command finds the path to a startup program. This comes in handy when you know the name of the certain program to be executed on the Terminal. For instance, to execute programs like Notepad, VLC Media Player, or Shotwell, you need to call NotePad, VLC Media Player, and Telegram respectively.

The syntax used is given below.

which [app-name]

Now, follow the steps.

Step 1: Just place your desired program name in “app-name”. And run the command in the Terminal.

which Shotwell

This will list the path to the chosen program. Mark this path because we’ll need it to add the program to startup applications.

Step 2: In the Startup Applications Preferences, hit the “Add” button.

And you’ll see that your chosen program has been added to the list of startups.

This customized program will be launched when your Ubuntu system boots up.

Method 2: Use the ‘alacarte’ menu

The second method of adding programs to the startups is using the ‘alacarte’ menu.

The ‘alacarte’ menu is another commonly used resource that helps find the command for running in a Linux desktop environment.

Step 1: Don’t have it installed? Run the following command:

 sudo apt install alacarte

Once this command is executed your Terminal will look like this:

Step 2: Once the installation gets done, go to the system menu. Now, launch the “Main Menu”.

The Main Menu shows all the programs installed on your Linux desktop.

Step 3: Want the command of launching any program? Just choose the program from the list, then click on “Properties”.

For example, if you want the command to launch Firefox, you can see it like this: Internet > Firefox Web Browser > Properties

Step 4: Now, copy the command and launch Firefox, and hit “Add”. 

Place the copied command in the “Command” field. Also, enter Firefox beside “Name”, and we leave “Comment” for you.

And you’re done! Now add any number of application programs following the same procedure.

Removing Startup Programs in Ubuntu

To remove startup programs in Ubuntu, follow the given steps.

Step 1: Click on “Startup Application” and launch Startup Program Preference.

Step 2: From the list of programs, choose the startup program you want to get removed.

Step 3: From the top-right side of the window, hit “Remove”.

And the chosen program will be removed from the list right away! From next time the removed program will not be loaded when your system boots up.

Delay a Startup Program in Ubuntu

If you want to delay the execution of a program, follow the instructions below.

Step 1: At first, from the system menu, you need to launch the program.

Step 2: Now, select a program from the startup program list.

Step 3: Hit the “Edit” button.

Through this, the “Edit Startup Program” window will appear on your screen.

In this tutorial, we’ll delay Shotwell for 10 secs. We’ll use the ‘sleep’ command.

Here, ‘10’ beside the sleep command signifies 10 seconds.

Next, “Save” and “Exit” the window. The changes will be updated. And your delayed program will load after the given time.

Find Hidden Startup Programs in Ubuntu Linux

Generally, the entire list of startup programs is not always shown.

To find the programs hidden, 

Step 1: Execute the command in Terminal:

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

Step 2: Re-open the Startup Applications Preferences window. You’ll see a full list of all hidden startup programs.

The Conclusion

This is the end of the tutorial on how to manage startup programs on Ubuntu Linux. Hope this tutorial serves your purpose.