Applications can automatically start when you log into Ubuntu. Packages can automatically add their own autostart entries – for example, install Dropbox and you’ll likely have it automatically starting with your desktop. If you have quite a few of these entries – or a slower system – this can make your desktop take longer to appear. You can control these startup applications from the Startup Applications dialog.
Ubuntu hides most of the system’s default autostart entries from this dialog. To view them, run the following command in a terminal:
sudo sed -i ‘s/NoDisplay=true/NoDisplay=false/g‘ /etc/xdg/autostart/*.desktop
This command modifies each autostart file and changes the “NoDisplay” parameter from “true” to “false,” making each entry appear in the list. After running this command, restart the Startup Applications dialog and you’ll see more options.
Don’t disable an autostart entry unless you understand what it does. For example, if your computer doesn’t have Bluetooth hardware, you can disable the Bluetooth Manager applet – but don’t disable Ubuntu One if you use it.
You should disable entries by unchecking their check boxes instead of clicking the Remove button. If you need to re-enable an entry later, you can re-enable its check box.