Applies to: macOS with the session and application-window restoration controls documented by Apple
The useful distinctions
- macOS can restore windows at login.
- An app can restore its previous windows when reopened.
- Login items are another automatic-launch mechanism.
Observe when the window returns
The timing is the most useful clue. A player that appears as soon as you log in is not necessarily behaving like one that opens its old window only after you launch it. Apple documents several restoration mechanisms, so describe the sequence before changing settings. A photograph of a reopened window alone does not identify which mechanism caused it.
Avoid solving the wrong problem
If your aim is a cleaner desktop, changing a window-restoration choice can be more appropriate than removing the app. If the app launches by itself, a login item or the app’s own setting may need attention instead. Keep each test reversible and change one relevant choice at a time. Do not assume that closing the visible window has ended every activity associated with that application.
Use a repeatable login comparison
Finish other work, make the chosen setting change and test at the next convenient restart or login. Record whether the application started without being requested and whether an old window was restored. Those two notes help distinguish success from a different behaviour that remains. If the app has its own restore preference, use the developer’s wording rather than treating a system preference as a universal override.
A focused way to proceed
- Note whether the window returns at login or only after app launch.
- Inspect the restart/log-out window-restoration choice.
- For applicable macOS versions, inspect Desktop & Dock window-closing behaviour.
- Check the app’s own documented startup preference when necessary.
Worked example · synthetic
Hypothetical comparison: after login, no player appears until the viewer clicks its Dock icon; then last night’s window returns. That differs from an app that launches before any click. The first observation points toward window restoration, while the second warrants a startup-launch check.
When to stop or ask for help
Use the settings for the actual macOS version. Ask the publisher or administrator about persistent automatic launch when the documented controls do not explain it, rather than deleting unfamiliar background components.