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How to stop Music opening by itself

Strata ProStrata 1.0.17Updated Under a minute

Apple's own apps live on a part of the disk macOS seals, so no app, not even Finder, can remove them. What Strata can do is keep one closed: whenever it opens, Strata quits it at once. Nothing on the disk changes.

The Uninstaller showing Music under Built into macOS, with the switch Keep Music closed turned on and Open Strata at login below it

What you need

  • Strata Pro or the trial.
  • Strata running, in its window or just in the menu bar.

Steps

  1. Open the Uninstaller

    Under Tools in the sidebar. Scroll to Built into macOS at the bottom of the list, or type Music in Filter apps.

  2. Choose Music

    The pane explains why it cannot be removed, and offers to keep it closed instead.

  3. Turn on Keep Music closed

    If Music is open, Strata asks it to quit. From now on, whenever it opens, even by itself when you press Play or connect headphones, Strata quits it. The row gets a Kept closed tag.

  4. Turn on Open Strata at login

    Strata can only keep Music closed while it is running. Opening at login keeps it closed after a restart too.

The same works for TV, Podcasts, News and the rest of Apple's apps in the Applications folder. System Settings, the App Store, Finder, Preview, TextEdit, Siri and your default browser are never offered, because keeping them closed would break the Mac or every link you click.

To use Music again

Turn the switch off. Nothing was changed on the disk, so Music is exactly as it was. Quitting Strata also stops it keeping anything closed until it next opens.

Why not just delete Music? Apple's apps sit on the read-only system volume, which macOS seals so that nothing can change it. Removing them would mean turning off System Integrity Protection, which weakens the whole Mac. Strata will never ask you to, and keeping the app closed gets the same result for everyday use.