[Tip] How to Manage Startup Apps and Programs in Windows 10

When we install a software program or device driver in Windows operating system, it might add its entry to system startup which allows the software program to start automatically as soon as you start your computer and Windows is loaded. In other words, as soon as you log into Windows, some software programs and apps automatically launch if their entry is present in system startup.

Apart from 3rd party programs, there are some built-in Windows programs and services which also start automatically when Windows starts. It happens because some programs are required by Windows to work properly such as Windows Defender Security Center.

Although it’s a good feature of Windows but sometimes this feature is misused by 3rd party software. Many software programs unnecessarily add their entries to Windows startup and automatically start with Windows without user’s knowledge. These software programs are not required by Windows and consume system resources continuously by running in the background.

Fortunately, to overcome this issue, Windows allows users to manage all startup apps and programs. You can enable/disable desired programs from startup.

In older Windows versions such as Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, the good ol’ “msconfig” command was used to manage system startup apps. You could launch the “System Configuration” app using msconfig command in RUN dialog box. But in newer Windows versions such as Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10, Microsoft moved the Startup section from msconfig program to Task Manager.

In newer Windows 10 versions, Microsoft has also added an extra page to Settings app which also allows users to manage their startup apps easily and quickly.

If you are also using Windows 10 operating system and want to check and manage startup apps and programs, following methods will help you:

Manage Startup Apps and Programs Using Task Manager:

1. Right-click on Taskbar and select Task Manager option. It’ll open Task Manager. Alternatively, you can also direct launch Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys together.

If Task Manager is opened in mini mode, click on “More details” button. It’ll launch Task Manager in full version mode.

2. Now go to “Startup” tab and there you’ll see a list of all startup apps.

All startup apps are shown in following format:

• Name
• Publisher
• Status (enabled/disabled)
• Startup impact (high, medium, low, none)

3. To disable/enable an app, select the app and click on Disable/Enable button given at the bottom.

You’ll need to restart your computer to take effect.

Manage Startup Apps and Programs Using Settings:

In newer Windows 10 versions, you can also manage startup apps using Settings app.

1. Open Settings app from Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together.

2. Now go to “Apps -> Startup” section.

PS: Alternatively, You can directly launch this page using “ms-settings:startupapps” command in RUN dialog box as mentioned here.

3. It’ll show list of all startup apps in same format as shown in Task Manager. The name of the app is shown along with the publisher name. Also a toggle button is given next to the app name to turn ON/OFF the app. The startup impact is also displayed below the toggle button.

To disable/enable any startup app, just click on the toggle button given next to the app name and set it to OFF/ON respectively.

Restart your computer to take effect.

Also Check:

[Windows Tip] How to Add or Remove Entries from Startup Programs List

Master Tutorial to Make Windows 10 Super Fast