Windows 11 Startup Apps: Stop Programs Opening at Sign-in

Windows 11 startup apps are the programs that launch on their own every time you sign in: cloud sync clients, chat apps, game launchers, printer utilities and more. Each one adds a little to the time before your desktop is usable, and together they can make a new PC feel slow. Windows 11 gives you two places to manage startup apps, Settings and Task Manager, and both show which apps have the biggest effect. This guide covers both and explains which items you should leave alone.

The steps apply to Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2, Home and Pro.

Method 1: Settings > Apps > Startup

This is the easiest view.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings.
2. Select Apps in the left pane, then Startup.
3. Each app has a toggle and a label underneath, such as High impact or No impact.
4. Use Sort by at the top to sort by Startup impact, Name or Status.
5. Turn off the toggle for any app you do not need at sign-in.

Changes take effect at your next sign-in. Nothing is uninstalled, and you can switch an app back on at any time.

Method 2: Task Manager’s Startup apps page

Task Manager shows the same list with more detail, which helps when an entry has an unclear name.

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, or right-click Start and choose Task Manager.
2. If Task Manager opens in a small window, select More details.
3. Select Startup apps in the left navigation (the icon looks like a speedometer).
4. The list shows Name, Publisher, Status and Startup impact.
5. Select an app and choose Disable at the top, or right-click it and choose Disable.

Right-clicking an entry also gives you Open file location and Search online, which are useful when you are not sure what something is. You can also right-click a column header to add extra columns such as Startup type and Disk I/O at startup.

What the startup impact labels mean

Windows measures how much CPU and disk activity each app causes during startup and labels it:

Label	What it means in practice
High impact	Uses a noticeable amount of CPU or disk while you are signing in. Best candidates to turn off.
Medium impact	Some effect, often worth reviewing.
Low impact	Small effect. Usually fine to leave.
No impact	The app is disabled, or it did almost nothing during startup.
Not measured	Windows has not measured it yet, often because it was added recently. Check again after a restart.

The label is an estimate from recent sign-ins, not a fixed rating for the program. A cloud sync app may show high impact one week and medium the next.

What to turn off and what to keep

Good candidates to switch off, if you do not need them the moment you sign in:

• Game launchers (Steam, Epic Games, EA app, Battle.net). They start fine when you open them.
• Chat and meeting apps you do not use every day.
• Updaters for apps such as Adobe or Java helpers. The app usually checks for updates when you open it.
• Media apps such as Spotify, which can also be stopped in their own settings.

Leave these on unless you have a good reason:

• Microsoft Defender and its tray icon (Windows Security notification icon), or your other antivirus.
• Audio drivers and control panels from Realtek or your PC maker. Some handle headphone jack detection.
• Touchpad and pen utilities, which can control gestures.
• Graphics control panels from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, if you use their hotkeys or overlays.
• OneDrive or another sync client, if you rely on files being up to date.

If you cannot identify an entry, use Search online from Task Manager and check what the publisher says before turning it off. Unknown entries with no publisher and odd file locations deserve a full scan with Microsoft Defender.

Apps that come back after you turn them off

Some apps do not use the normal startup list, or they turn themselves back on:

• App settings. Many apps have a “Launch at startup” or “Open at login” option in their own preferences. If you switch the app off in Windows but it is still on in the app, the app may add itself again on the next update.
• Restart apps after sign-in. In Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, the option to automatically save restartable apps and restart them when you sign back in reopens apps that were running when you shut down. Turn it off if apps you closed keep reappearing.
• Services and scheduled tasks. Some software uses a background service or a Task Scheduler entry instead. These do not appear in the Startup list. Rather than disabling services by hand, uninstall software you do not use from Settings > Apps > Installed apps; our guide to uninstalling apps in Windows 11 covers programs that refuse to go.

Add an app to startup yourself

To make something start automatically, use the Startup folder:

1. Press Win+R, type shell:startup and press Enter.
2. A File Explorer window opens on your personal Startup folder.
3. Right-drag the app (or copy a shortcut to it) into that folder and choose Create shortcuts here.

The app will then appear in the Startup list in Settings and Task Manager, where you can turn it off again later.

If startup is still slow

Startup apps are only one cause of a slow boot. If sign-in still takes a long time:

• Check for a pending update or restart in Settings > Windows Update.
• Free up space; a nearly full system drive slows everything down. See storage settings.
• Review Windows 11 slow performance for the next steps, including drivers and disk health.

For other pages in Settings that shape how your PC behaves at sign-in, see the Windows 11 Settings tour and our list of safe Windows 11 tweaks.

For the rest of Task Manager, including ending frozen apps, see Task Manager in Windows 11.