Even after you uninstall it, some Mac OS X software just won't quit nagging you or notifying you of updates or at the very least polluting the Console Messages like this:

19/08/11 00:16:46    com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[689]    (com.carbonite.carbonitestatus[14428]) posix_spawn("/Library/Application Support/Carbonite/CarboniteStatus.app/Contents/MacOS/CarboniteStatus", ...): No such file or directory
19/08/11 00:16:46    com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[689]    (com.carbonite.carbonitestatus[14428]) Exited with exit code: 1
19/08/11 00:16:46    com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[689]    (com.carbonite.carbonitestatus) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds
19/08/11 00:16:56    com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[689]    (com.carbonite.carbonitestatus[14437]) posix_spawn("/Library/Application Support/Carbonite/CarboniteStatus.app/Contents/MacOS/CarboniteStatus", ...): No such file or directory
19/08/11 00:16:56    com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[689]    (com.carbonite.carbonitestatus[14437]) Exited with exit code: 1
19/08/11 00:16:56    com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[689]    (com.carbonite.carbonitestatus) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds

Well here’s how you kill those constantly launching things!

Open a Terminal window and enter launchctl list to see a list of all launching services. Once you know what you want to kill, use launchctl remove.

Here is an example on that pesky Carbonite:

macpro$ launchctl list | grep carbonite
-    1    com.carbonite.carbonitestatus
-    0    com.carbonite.carbonitealerts
macpro$ launchctl remove com.carbonite.carbonitestatus
macpro$ launchctl remove com.carbonite.carbonitealerts

Here is another on Intego backup:


macpro$ launchctl list | grep intego
-    0    com.intego.backupmanagerpro.agent
macpro$ launchctl remove com.intego.backupmanagerpro.agent

Comments from long ago:

Comment from: sulaiman

This is the best solution I found in the web. I was having this problem and it was annoying. my MBP won’t go to sleep mode even if i close the lid.

you are a life saver,

Sorry for bad english.

best regards, sulaiman

2011-11-29 07-37

Comment from: mc

and what if I were just to navigate to the folder in User/homeƒolder/library/LaunchAgents

and delete the offending files from there?

would that still leave orphaned files on my hard drive?

thanks for the Terminal script btw,these 10 sec respawns have been driving me nuts

2011-12-21 07-39

Comment from: Tanya

Thank you! It did work and you saved my life!

2011-12-30 02-13

Comment from: William

Just adding my thanks to those above. Great instructions. Clear. Easy to follow. And effective.

2012-01-07 14-47

Comment from: Sigurdur Armannsson

Great instruction. Just what I needed. Thanks!

2012-02-02 00-12

Comment from: how to disable postfix in 10.4?

how the heck do i turn off any and all postfix services to stop all the postfix errors that have been compiling for years – since I don’t use postifx, have no idea how to use it and it’s constantly creating errors in my log?

thank you sincerely!

2012-02-06 17-12

Comment from: steja

Thanks for the solution..

2012-03-12 02-51

Comment from: Elena

I LOVE YOU !!! I finally got rid of INTEGO!

2012-08-09 17-30

Comment from: Rob

I’ve been trying to find a solution to removing a ‘MacKeeper’ file for three weeks, thank you…

This solution worked great!!!

2012-10-01 17-17

Comment from: Christine

Thank you!!

2012-10-03 19-33

Comment from: Carl

Thanks! It took me a really long time to understand what was going on!

2012-10-11 19-47

Comment from: tfa

TY Very Useful

2012-10-12 11-17

Comment from: Sean

specifically type “launchctl remove” and then what? Just typing that gets the message command not found. I put in the line number where the carbonite code is and copied and pasted the code after typing “launchctl remove”. PLEASE BE MORE EXPLICIT WITH DIRECTIONS. Thanks

2012-10-30 13-04

Comment from: Visitor

Excellent Explanation!

2012-11-02 02-46

Comment from: Jackson

I’m pretty sure you need to use “sudo” for launchctl to even see system launch agents. Otherwise it just looks for stuff from your user.

Unless of course you’re just looking for launch agents that are in your user account.

2013-03-01 17-07

Comment from: John

Thanks a lot!

2013-03-11 04-52

Comment from: M

excellent solution… hopefully it sticks. i tried something else to stop notification center from launching (after I disabled it the wrong way) and the messages came back. worst case, i’ll have to enter the commands every time the computer starts up, which i really don’t mind. THANK YOU!!!!!

2013-04-09 16-11

Comment from: FredH

Great! Very helpful to get rid of annoying scripts that fail

2013-06-23 21-08

Comment from: t jones

yes, launchctl remove worked for zeobit, but on the restart it came back. Suggestions?

2013-10-16 18-38

Comment from: martin

hi i need an information this solution is to remove constantly launching services on Mac OS X but to remove the file definitive??? Thanks

2013-11-28 08-50

Comment from: Dianne

I tried the Terminal launchctl remove for a constant problem with throttling respawn of a mobile broadband manager, but it didn’t work - just keeps on running and running every 10 seconds, slowing down my computer. Any other suggestions please?

2014-05-27 20-26

Comment from: Bryce Adams

I love you

2014-07-25 07-53

Comment from: Evan

THANK YOU! Worked like a charm on this stupid Mobilegodaemon that’s been plaguing me for months.

2014-10-08 07-49

Comment from: Michael

Thanks worked with Mackeeeper

2014-11-10 23-46

Comment from: fjll

awesome. I love you, too. After digging through gloogle for hours, finally an answer, short and simple. You rock!

2015-02-16 14-33

Comment from: Randall

I discovered I had two of the damn things on my box, maybe this will help someone;

4/19/15 4:41:06 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.daz3d.content_management_service[4695]) Exited with exit code: 1 4/19/15 4:41:06 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.daz3d.content_management_service) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds

4/19/15 4:41:06 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.zeobit.MacKeeper.plugin.AntiTheft.daemon[4696]) posix_spawn("/Library/Application Support/MacKeeper/MacKeeperATd", …): No such file or directory

I used the list command shown here, and easily removed the 2nd one, the zeobit.mackeeper garbage, but the DAZ did not show up at all in the list, not even when I used sudo;

sudo launchctl list

So on a hunch I figured it was somehow hidden, so I tried this syntax and the console logging immediately STOPPED;

sudo launchctl remove com.daz3d.content_management_service

2015-04-20 00-27

Comment from: Dinson

The best solution ever!!

2015-06-10 20-10

Comment from: Chendra

Thanks!! it works like charm!

2015-08-31 01-43

Comment from: Sh

Tried your string to get rid of the wondershare problem no such luck!

Any solutions for the following messages constantly showing in Console (Mac OS 10.8)

18/01/2016 14:38:30.771 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon[3834]) Job failed to exec(3) for weird reason: 13 18/01/2016 14:38:30.771 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds 18/01/2016 14:38:40.773 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon[3835]) Job failed to exec(3) for weird reason: 13 18/01/2016 14:38:40.773 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds 18/01/2016 14:38:50.775 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon[3842]) Job failed to exec(3) for weird reason: 13 18/01/2016 14:38:50.775 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds 18/01/2016 14:39:00.777 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon[3845]) Job failed to exec(3) for weird reason: 13 18/01/2016 14:39:00.777 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds 18/01/2016 14:39:10.779 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon[3850]) Job failed to exec(3) for weird reason: 13 18/01/2016 14:39:10.779 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds 18/01/2016 14:39:20.781 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon[3853]) Job failed to exec(3) for weird reason: 13 18/01/2016 14:39:20.781 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[257]: (com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds

2016-01-18 15-42

Comment from: Robert

Thanks!

2016-04-07 11-01

Comment from: mike ginn

three and a half years later, your fix still is findable on google, and still works! thanks so much. –mike

2016-06-16 09-12

Comment from: pit

Thanks.

Another guy who kill the process with this instructions.

com.wondershare.mobilegodaemon try open every 10 seconds a .app who located in any folder… With this instructions all clear now.

2016-10-14 14-40

Comment from: BB

better to use

launchctl list | grep intego

and

sudo launchctl list | grep intego

2016-11-07 10-34

Comment from: bojan

tnx!!!

2016-11-15 16-24

Comment from: bojan

15/11/2016 16:24:56 login[481] DEAD_PROCESS: 481 ttys000

:)))

2016-11-15 16-26

Comment from: John

Thank you!

It’s the end of 2017 and it’s still working :)

Used to delete console spam from KeepVidMusicHelper :

com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.Aimersoft.KeepVidMusicHelper): Service only ran for 0 seconds. Pushing respawn out by 10 seconds.

Code used in the Terminal : launchctl remove com.Aimersoft.KeepVidMusicHelper

2017-11-05 12-54

Comment from: Corey Baldwin

It removed MacKeeper…until the next restart. Then it was back. How to remove it permanently?

2021-02-07 20-39