How do I manage applications on startup in GNOME 3?

None of the other solutions worked for me in Gnome 3.14 on Gnome Ubuntu 14.10. What finally worked was creating .desktop files by hand.

First, make the folder ~/.config/autostart/ if it doesnt exist.

Then create a ~/.config/autostart/my-app-to-startup.desktop file for each program you want to start on login.

For example, here's what my ~/.config/autostart/pidgin.desktop file looks like:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=pidgin
Hidden=false
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Name=pidgin
Comment=instant messenging client

 WHAT WORKED FOR US



edit a file linuxcnc.desktop



#!/usr/bin/env xdg-open

[Desktop Entry]

Type=Application

Exec=/usr/bin/linuxcnc '/home/ghislainvdwalle/linuxcnc/configs/Wire_EDM/Wire_EDM.ini'

Hidden=false

X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true

Name=linuxcnc

Comment=LinuxCNC



DONOT FORGET TO MAKE IT EXECUTABLE (vertrouwd)

Here is the specification for the keys you can place in those .desktop files. This puts some context to that specification as to how it applies to startup applications as well as some exceptions to those rules. Credit for this solution goes to this Linux and Friends site.

As rossouwap's answer is not working any more on Gnome 3.14+ now you should type Alt + F2 then run gnome-tweak-tool on the dialog and then look for the tab Startup Applications.

EDIT
I assume you have Gnome Tweak Tool installed. If not, run this on the console:
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

I had a nice GUI for changing startup applications (after logging in) on GNOME 2. How can I start that application on GNOME 3?

The answer is simple. You still have nice GUI in your system, only in Gnome 3 is set up to be hidden, don't ask me why. Here's how you bring it back:

Open a terminal and copy/paste the following code:

gksu gedit /usr/share/applications/session-properties.desktop

Look for the line that says NoDisplay=true and change it to NoDisplay=false (or delete the line altogether if you prefer).

There's no handy tool to do it in GNOME 3, so you can create a .desktop file manually or use this app.

1. To access System Settings, click the "Power" icon at the top right corner of the desktop and select "Sytem Settings". Under the "Personal" heading, click on "Startup Applications." This is the same GUI from previous versions of Ubuntu and Gnome.

   

2. To remove Pidgin from your Startup Applications, click on the row that says "Pidgin" in the list. Then, click the "Remove" button on the right, which will remove the entry altogether. Alternatively, you can disable the program from starting when you log in by simply unchecking the checkbox on the far left. This would allow you to re-check the box in the future, to re-enable Pidgin as a Startup Application.

   

3. To add Empathy to your Startup Applications, click the "Add" button. Choose a Name, such as "Empathy". It can be anything you like. Next to Command, type empathy. This will launch an Empathy window after you log in. If you would prefer to have Empathy start hidden in the Messaging Menu, enter the command empathy -h instead. Next to Comment, you can leave blank or you can add a descriptive comment. Then click Add.

   

If you have GNOME 3.6+, you can install this extension which adds a shortcut to the system menu:

https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/620/startup-applications/