User level: Level 1 (8 points)How do I stop apps from running in the background on my MacBook Air?
The Air tells me it's running in the background, but not how to turn it off.
Thank you!
Posted on Oct 5, 2026 10:32 AM
User level: Level 10 (242,520 points)Oct 5, 2026 10:47 AM in response to MCBlu
Hi,
Go to Settings ➜ General ➜ Login Items & Extensions ➜ Background App Activity and turn off what you don't want running.
Certain things may need to run background processes to work correctly, so unless you have a reason to turn them off, you should not really mess with them however.
More details in the following link.
click here ➜ If an app continues running in the background after you quit it - Apple Support
User level: Level 7 (24,463 points)Oct 5, 2026 3:05 PM in response to MCBlu
Another way to proceed, depending upon what you're after, is to use Activity Monitor:
https://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/quit-a-process-actmntr1002/mac
User level: Level 9 (78,350 points)Oct 5, 2026 11:43 AM in response to MCBlu
Technically any app you manually launch yourself will still be running in the background when you launch another app or switch to an already running app. For this case all you need to do is quit each app before launching the next app.
@Phil0124 has you covered if you mean background processes....many of the apps will require these background processes to function correctly.
You may want to clarify your concern about apps running in the background and what you mean by this since there is more than one way to read your post. Maybe give a specific example that is of concern to you.
User level: Level 10 (238,530 points)Oct 5, 2026 11:42 AM in response to MCBlu
Quit the app...
What are you being told is running in the background that you don't want to run?
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256370923