# How to make NotchStar open at login

> Switch on Launch at login in NotchStar Settings, General. macOS may ask you to allow it in System Settings, Login Items.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-launch-at-login/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

To make NotchStar open when you log in, open Settings, General and switch on **Launch at login**. If macOS needs your approval, NotchStar shows a warning and an **Open Settings** button that takes you to Login Items.

## Steps

1. Click the star in the menu bar and choose **Settings**.
2. On the **General** tab, find the **General** section and switch on **Launch at login**.
3. If you see "Allow NotchStar in Login Items to finish", press **Open Settings** and switch NotchStar on in the Login Items list.

Switching it off removes NotchStar from the login items.

## Why it matters

The clipboard history is kept in memory and cleared when you quit. A copy made before NotchStar is running is not captured, so starting it at login means the history begins when you start working. See [clipboard history clears on quit](https://www.notchstar.com/help/clipboard-history-clears-on-quit/).

## Check from macOS

You can also look in System Settings, General, Login Items. NotchStar appears there when the option is on. Turning it off in either place has the same effect, and the toggle in NotchStar follows the real state.

## If it does not start

- Open the Login Items list and confirm NotchStar is on.
- If you moved the app out of Applications, move it back and switch the option off and on.
- Check [why the notch does not open](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-notch-does-not-open/) if it runs but you see nothing.

The [clipboard tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) is the main reason people want an app that starts with the Mac. To close the app, see [quit NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/quit-notchstar/).

## Quick answers.

### Does NotchStar launch at login by default?

No. The option is off until you switch it on.

## Keep reading.

- [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again.
- [How to quit NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/quit-notchstar/): Click the star in the menu bar and choose Quit NotchStar, or press Command Q while its menu is open. Quitting clears clipboard history and the shelf.
- [Why the NotchStar notch does not open](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-notch-does-not-open/): If the notch does not open on hover, check the star in the menu bar, the Open notch setting, the screen it is on and whether it is pinned or stuck.
- [How to uninstall NotchStar from your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/help/uninstall-notchstar/): Quit NotchStar, deactivate the license if you want the slot back, switch off launch at login and drag the app to the Trash.

## More in Settings.

- [How to make NotchStar open on click instead of hover](https://www.notchstar.com/help/open-notchstar-on-click-instead-of-hover/): If the notch opens by accident, set Open notch to On click in Settings, General. You then click to open and click outside to close.
- [How to keep the NotchStar notch open](https://www.notchstar.com/help/pin-the-notchstar-notch-open/): Press the pin button in the notch header, labelled Keep open, and the notch stays open when the pointer leaves. Press it again to unpin.
- [How to reorder or hide tools in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-tool-order-and-hidden-tools/): Open Settings, Tools, drag tools into your order and switch off the ones you do not use. At least one tool always stays on.
- [How to quit NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/quit-notchstar/): Click the star in the menu bar and choose Quit NotchStar, or press Command Q while its menu is open. Quitting clears clipboard history and the shelf.
- [How to update NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/update-notchstar/): NotchStar has no automatic updater today. Download the new disk image from this site and drag it over the old app. Your license and settings stay.
- [How to uninstall NotchStar from your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/help/uninstall-notchstar/): Quit NotchStar, deactivate the license if you want the slot back, switch off launch at login and drag the app to the Trash.