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I would like to change my startup-applications, Where can I find the program startup-applications-preferences program? I'm using gnome-shell.

I tried to reinstall it and to look for it by terminal (apt and dpkg) or Synaptic but I couldn't find it.

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6 Answers 6

up vote 19 down vote accepted

The if you can't find the program anywhere, try running gnome-session-properties from the command line (or alt+f2).

If it's not installed, I'm sure you can install the package gnome-session-properties.

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Perfect! thanks a lot! This program is installed, but i don't show it in my program-list. I don't find it because i don't remember its name... So i added a new file in /usr/share/applications/ and it works properly. –  dedema87 Jul 5 '12 at 9:52

The name of the program you are looking of is "Startup Applications"

Simple type at the dash "Start" and it will show up.

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Thanks for fast reply! I know, but the problem is just that! I cannot find the program, because, i think, perhaps this is no longer installed! So i would like to know how to reinstall it by terminal for example... if i try "sudo apt-get whatever-name" or i look for something in Synaptic, i don't find nothing appropriate... –  dedema87 Jul 5 '12 at 9:47

The easiest way to "find" the app is by using the gear menu in the panel. The one to the right of your username in the upper right. (the one from which you can log out or reboot the computer). There is an entry named "Startup Applications..." there.

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For Unity users, please note, the startup doesn't always appear in the Dash search bar.

On Ubuntu 12.04, try on the other side, in the menu you use for logging out and shutting down (the one with the cog icon).

Otherwise, use the answer given above: type gnome-session-properties into a terminal or add a soft link to /usr/share/applications. (This works in 13.10)

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"Just to help Unity users, the startup doesn't always appear in the Dash search bar." -> How on earth is that supposed to "help"? It's a way to confuse people. –  Mrokii Oct 27 '12 at 10:22

Type the following in the terminal window (Ctrl+Alt+T to open a terminal window):

cd /etc/xdg/autostart then press Enter


Close the terminal and open the Dash, you will find under "Startup Applications". If you don't see it, reopen the terminal and type cd /etc/xdg/autostart then press Enter and type in sudo sed --in-place 's/NoDisplay=true/NoDisplay=false/g' *.desktop

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How to show detailed startup programs in Ubuntu 12.10.

  1. From the dash, type in: menu.
  2. Choose "Main Menu".
  3. Click Applications->System Tools
  4. On the right will appear a list of basic programs started on boot like System Monitor and IBus among many others.

For a more detailed walkthrough on how to manage startup programs in ubuntu: How do I start applications automatically on login?

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