If you use Dropbox on your Windows or Mac computer, you may have noticed that it doesn’t open when you start up the system. This is because Dropbox is not a standard program and is not included with the Windows or Mac operating systems. To disable Dropbox from opening at startup on these platforms, follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu and type “cmd” (without the quotes).
- Type “netstat -a” and press Enter to see how many connections are active on your computer. If there are no active connections, Dropbox should be enabled by default. If there are multiple active connections, then Dropbox should be disabled by default for each one.
- Type “netstat -a | grepDropbox” and press Enter to see which of the active connections is associated with Dropbox. If there isn’t a connection listed for Dropbox, it may be enabled by default because it’s not a standard program that is included with either Windows or Mac operating systems.
Dropbox is a handy way to synchronize files across devices via the cloud. By default, Dropbox starts whenever you turn on your Windows PC or Mac, but sometimes you might not want it to. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t launch when you startup.
First, open Dropbox. Click the “Dropbox” icon in the Windows notification area (at the bottom-right corner of your screen) or on the Mac menu bar (at the top-right corner of your screen.) In the Dropbox menu, click your account’s avatar, which may also look like a circle with your initials in it.
In the menu that appears, select “Preferences.”
In the Preferences window that opens, click the “General” tab. If there is a check mark in the box beside “Start Dropbox On System Startup,” then uncheck it.
On Windows, click “OK” and the setting will be saved. On Macs, click the red “X” in the corner of the window to close Preferences. The next time your start your PC or Mac, Dropbox will not load.
An Alternative Method for Windows PCs
On Windows, it is also possible to prevent Dropbox from opening at startup using Task Manager. To open Task Manager, right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager.” In Task Manager, click the “Startup” tab. Select “Dropbox” from the list of applications, then click the “Disable” button.
Close Task Manager. After that, Dropbox will no longer startup at boot. To start it up manually, open your Start menu, type “Dropbox,” then click the Dropbox icon that appears.
An Alternative Method for Macs
On a Mac, you can also stop Dropbox from launching at login using System Preferences. To open System Preferences, click the “Apple” icon in the upper-left corner of the screen, and select “System Preferences.”
In System Preferences, select “Users & Groups.” Then select your user account and click the “Login Items” tab. You will see a list of applications that start at login. Select “Dropbox” and press the “minus” button below to remove it from the list.
Close System Preferences. The next time you log into your Mac, Dropbox will not launch. Of course, if you need to launch it later, you can find Dropbox in your Mac’s Applications folder.
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