Where Are macOS Launch Agents and Daemons?
Where macOS keeps LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons plists, which folders are yours to edit, and the command that runs them.
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macOS runs background jobs from plist files in four Launch folders: yours in ~/Library/LaunchAgents, machine wide agents in /Library/LaunchAgents, root daemons in /Library/LaunchDaemons, and Apple own jobs in /System/Library. The folder decides when the job runs and as whom.
launchctl is the interface: bootstrap loads a job, bootout unloads it, list shows what runs now. Editing means writing plist XML by hand or with an editor, then loading it once to test. A broken plist fails silently at boot, so test with launchctl before assuming it works.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/LaunchAgents
Your personal jobs belong in ~/Library/LaunchAgents (create it if absent). /Library entries need admin rights. Never edit /System/Library: SIP reverts it and updates overwrite it. Disabled jobs are recorded in com.apple.launchd override files, not by deleting plists.
Frequently asked questions
A mystery process respawns on every boot. How do I kill it?
Read the plist first: the ProgramArguments key names the binary and Label names the job. launchctl bootout with the job label unloads it for the session; deleting the plist makes it permanent. Keep a copy before deleting anything you did not install yourself.
When should something be a Daemon instead of an Agent?
They run as root at boot, before any login. A typo there can stall startup, while user agents only affect your own session. Prefer ~/Library/LaunchAgents for personal jobs; reserve the system folders for software installers that genuinely need them.
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