How to Stop Slack From Opening on Startup (Mac and Windows)
Remove Slack from Login Items on a Mac or disable it in Task Manager on Windows. We tested the Mac steps on macOS 26.5.2 and read Slack 4.52.171's startup code to explain why Slack sometimes comes back.
To stop Slack from opening when your computer starts, remove it from your system's startup list. On a Mac, open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, select Slack under Open at Login and click the minus button. On Windows 11, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, choose Startup apps, right-click Slack and select Disable. Slack still opens normally when you start it yourself.
We ran the Mac steps on macOS 26.5.2 with Slack 4.52.171 on October 5, 2026: we put Slack on the login list, removed it with the minus button and read the list back from the system. We also read Slack's own startup code in that version to see where the Windows switches live. We did not have a Windows PC for this test, so the Windows steps below come from Microsoft's and Slack's documentation.
Stop Slack opening at login on a Mac
- Open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. On macOS Ventura to Sequoia the pane is called Login Items.
- Under Open at Login, click Slack.
- Click the minus button under the list.
In our test the list read "drifty, Wispr Flow, Raycast, Amphetamine, Klack, Macs Fan Control, Stats, Slack" with Slack added, and the same list without Slack one second after the minus click. Nothing else changed.
You can also right-click Slack in the Dock while it runs, open Options and untick Open at Login. macOS keeps that switch in the same Open at Login list.
The Mac app has no "launch at login" switch of its own. Slack 4.52.171's startup code only has auto-launch handlers for Windows ("WindowsAutoLaunch" and "WindowsStoreAutoLaunch"). If Slack still opens at login after you removed it on a work Mac, a device-management profile may add it back; ask IT.
Stop Slack opening at startup on Windows
| Where | Steps |
|---|---|
| Task Manager (Windows 11) | Ctrl+Shift+Esc, Startup apps, right-click Slack, Disable |
| Settings (Windows 11) | Settings > Apps > Startup, turn Slack off |
| Task Manager (Windows 10) | Startup tab, select Slack, Disable |
| Slack's tray icon | Right-click the Slack icon in the notification area and untick Launch on login |
The tray menu item is in Slack's own code under the label "Launch on login". The same code registers a Windows "startup task" for the Microsoft Store version of Slack and a normal startup entry for the regular installer.
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If Slack comes back after you disabled it
Slack's Windows code has a branch for a company-wide setting: "Launch is enforced via machine setting. Will not enable in user setting." When IT turns that on, Slack removes your own startup entries and the machine-wide one wins, so Task Manager cannot keep it off. Ask your IT team; on a managed PC that is their setting.
Slack's settings also include hideOnStartup, which is on by default and which admins can set with the Windows policy HideOnStartup. In the code, Slack skips showing its window only when it was started by login and that setting is on. So a Slack icon in the notification area that you never opened usually means it started at login without a window.
Close Slack fully instead of to the tray
On Windows, closing the window can leave Slack running in the notification area, so notifications keep arriving. When that happens Slack shows "Why didn't Slack quit?" with the text "Slack is set to stay running in the notification area. To change this, visit Preferences > Advanced." To quit now, right-click the tray icon and choose Quit, or use File > Quit Slack.
On a Mac, press Cmd+Q. If Slack does not respond, open the Apple menu > Force Quit... (or press Option+Cmd+Esc), choose Slack and click Force Quit. On Windows, end it from Task Manager's Processes tab. Quitting also frees the memory Slack uses; see why Slack uses so much memory.
While Slack is closed on a computer, that computer reports you as away, and messages wait until you open Slack or check your phone. If you would rather use Slack in a browser tab, see Slack desktop app vs browser.
FAQ
Does removing Slack from login items sign me out?
No. In our test Slack's settings file (root-state.json, which also stores its sign-in and window state) was identical before and after the change.
Why is Slack on my Mac's login list when I never added it?
Ticking Open at Login in the Dock menu, an installer or a device-management profile can add it. Removing the row is the same in each case, unless a profile puts it back.
How do I make Slack start at login again?
On a Mac, click the plus button under Open at Login and choose Slack in Applications. On Windows, enable it again in Task Manager's Startup apps.
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