How to Fix Constant ‘Background Items Added’ Notification on Mac

Wondering why you’re seeing a constant ‘background items added’ notification on your Mac?

The macOS Ventura is packed with exciting features; however, similar to the other macOS releases, users encountered issues with its early versions. 

One of the most common problems with macOS Ventura is the constant ‘background items added’ prompt. 

This notification shows up several times after booting up your Mac. 

Today, we’ll show you how to stop this prompt from appearing on your computer during start up. 

Let’s begin!

What Causes This Issue? 

We discovered that login items and third-party processes in the background cause this constant notification on your Mac. 

Unfortunately, almost every app on Mac adds background processes to your system. This makes it hard to pinpoint which application triggers the nagging notification. 

Here are some recommended steps to follow to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Turn Off Login Items. 

One of the first things you can try is disabling login items on your Mac. 

This will prevent the ‘background items added’ notification from showing up. However, it will also stop your preferred applications from starting at boot. 

If you’re okay with that, here’s what you need to do: 

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen. 
2. Next, open System Settings. 
3. Go to General > Login Items. 

4. Select an app under Open at Login and click the – button to remove it. Repeat this step until you’ve disabled all login items. 

5. Scroll down to Allow in the Background and disable all applications. 

Restart your Mac to see if the ‘background items added’ notification will still show up.

2. Enable Login Items One By One. 

If the constant notification stops occurring after performing the steps above, it’s possible that one of your login items causes the issue. 

To verify this, enable your login items one at a time while restarting your Mac in between.

When the issue goes back, the last login item you’ve enabled is causing the problem. Delete the app or try reinstalling it. 

Related: How to Fix Calculator App Not Working on Mac

3. Update Your Mac. 

macOS Ventura still has unpolished features, and this issue could just be a bug with the software. 

To rule this out, try updating your system to the latest version. 

Follow the guide below to update your Mac: 

1. In the upper left corner of your screen, click the Apple icon to open the Apple Menu. 
2. Now, click on System Settings. 
3. Inside settings, navigate to General > Software Update. 
4. If a new version is detected, follow the prompts to install the update. 

Wait for your Mac to boot up and see if the constant ‘background items added’ notification is solved. 

4. Remove Launch Agents. 

Plist files contain configuration and preferences for various applications. If this becomes corrupted, your apps may malfunction. 

You can try removing launch agents or .plist files for applications that trigger the ‘background items added’ notification.

Here’s how you can delete .plist files: 

1. Open Finder on your Mac. 
2. Now, click on Go in the upper left corner and select Go to Folder. 
3. Enter /Library/LaunchAgents and press Return to open the folder. 

4. Find the applications or developer names causing the notifications and delete them. 

5. Restart your Mac. 

Wait for your computer to boot up and see if the ‘background items added’ notification will still show up. 

5. Reset Login Item Data using Terminal. 

Another way to reset login items data (plist) on your Mac is using the Terminal. This is more convenient since you only need to execute one command. 

See the steps below to reset your login items data: 

1. Press Command + Space on your keyboard to open Spotlight. 
2. Type Terminal and hit Return to launch the app. 

3. Inside the Terminal, copy and paste the command below: 

sfltool resetbtm

4. Restart your Mac to apply the changes. 

Observe if you’ll still encounter the constant ‘background items’ notification during start up. 

6. Disable Notification for Problematic App. 

You can also disable notifications for problematic apps until a patch is released to address the issue. 

However, this will also turn off push notifications for your apps, which can cause you to miss important reminders. 

Regardless, here’s how you can disable notifications for specific applications: 

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen. 
2. After that, click on System Settings. 
3. Go to the Notifications tab in the sidebar. 
4. Select the app you want to disable notifications. 
5. Look for ‘Allow Notifications’ and disable the option. 

Restart your Mac to check if the ‘background items added’ notification would still show up. 

Related: How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Mounting After macOS Ventura Update

7. Contact Apple. 

If none of the solutions above worked, we suggest reporting the issue to Apple. 

Head to their support page and look up the issue you’re experiencing. Their site should suggest some solutions for the problem with related articles. 

If suggested solutions did not work, contact Apple’s team through phone or chat. 

That sums up our guide on how to stop the constant ‘background items added’ notification on your Mac. 

Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below if you have clarifications, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

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