How to stop apps from opening automatically at startup in Windows (Windows 11 and 10)

If your desktop appears but stays sluggish for a long time, or chat, game store and updater windows open one after another as soon as you sign in, too many apps are starting automatically. They slow down startup and keep using memory and processor time in the background all day. In Windows you decide which apps start when you sign in, either from Settings or from Task Manager; an app you turn off is not uninstalled, it simply waits until you open it yourself. The steps are largely the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10, and we point out where they differ.

1. Open the Startup page in Settings Go to <strong>Start → Settings → Apps → Startup</strong>. The page is in the same place in Windows 11 and Windows 10. It lists the apps that can start automatically when you sign in, each with an on/off toggle next to it.
2. Switch unneeded apps to Off Set the toggle to <strong>Off</strong> for any app you do not need right after every startup. The change is saved immediately; the app will not start on its own the next time you sign in. It is not removed from the computer, and you can open it from the Start menu whenever you like. To undo, set the toggle back to <strong>On</strong>.
3. Open Task Manager for a more detailed list Press <strong>Ctrl + Shift + Esc</strong> together, or right-click the <strong>Start</strong> button and select <strong>Task Manager</strong>. Task Manager shows the same list as Settings; the difference is that it also tells you how much load each app puts on startup. If you are not sure where to begin, this view makes the choice easier.
4. In Windows 11, go to Startup apps In Windows 11, select <strong>Startup apps</strong> in the left-hand menu of Task Manager. The table on the right lists each app's status (Enabled or Disabled) and startup impact.
5. In Windows 10, go to the Startup tab In Windows 10 the tab has a different name: select the <strong>Startup</strong> tab at the top of Task Manager. If the window opens in the compact view that shows only the names of open apps, select <strong>More details</strong> at the bottom left; the tabs appear only then. The information in the table is the same as in Windows 11.
6. Sort by startup impact Click the impact column to sort the list and start with the apps at the top. <strong>High impact</strong> means more than 1 second of total processor time or more than 3 megabytes of disk usage at startup. <strong>Medium impact</strong> and <strong>Low impact</strong> add a lighter load; <strong>Not measured</strong> means no data has been collected yet, and <strong>None</strong> means the app is already disabled.
7. Disable the app Right-click the app you want to turn off and select <strong>Disable</strong>; you can also select the app and click the button with the same name in the window. Check that the app's status has changed to <strong>Disabled</strong>. If you turned off the wrong app, select the same row and click <strong>Enable</strong>.
8. Know what to leave on Do not turn off antivirus and security software, or the helper programs for hardware such as the sound card, touchpad, graphics card or printer; without them some keys, shortcuts or notifications may stop working. If you sync your files with a cloud folder, keep that app on as well. Before you disable an item you do not recognise, look up what it does.
9. Remove unlisted items from the Startup folder Some programs start by placing a shortcut in the Startup folder instead of registering a startup task with Windows, so they may not appear in the Settings list. Right-click <strong>Start</strong>, select <strong>Run</strong>, type <strong>shell:startup</strong> and press <strong>Enter</strong>; the folder that opens shows the shortcuts that start only for your account. Type <strong>shell:common startup</strong> instead to reach the folder that applies to all users of the PC. Delete the shortcut of any program you do not want to start automatically.
10. Restart the PC and check the result Select <strong>Start → Power → Restart</strong>. After signing in, notice how quickly the desktop becomes usable and which icons appear in the notification area. If you miss an app you turned off, switch its toggle back to On in Settings → Apps → Startup.

⚠ This guide is general information. Yudum cannot be held responsible for the outcome of following it; for official procedures always rely on the institution's own statement. Steps and fees change over time.

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