Apps you install on Windows 10 can sometimes configure themselves to run automatically on startup, and they can also configure background services that start every time you boot your computer. While they can come in handy, over time, the list of apps and services running on startup can grow, which can slow your boot time, affect battery life, and impact overall system performance.
Usually, applications include the necessary settings to block them from starting alongside Windows 10, but it's a lot easier to use Task Manager to do so.
In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to identify applications that are causing your device to boot slow, consuming system resources unnecessarily, and the steps to improve system performance.
How to manage apps that launch at startup using Task Manager
Jul 14, 2020 Many apps and programs that you download like to launch themselves when you turn on your mac, and after a while this can lead to slower performance on your computer. May 02, 2019 How to Stop Your MacOS From Reopening Apps After a Reboot or a Crash. If the issue is with your Computer or a Laptop you should try using Reimage Plus which can scan the repositories and replace corrupt and missing files. This works in most cases, where the issue is. Mar 29, 2019 To start a Safe Boot, restart your Mac and hold the ⇧ Shift key as soon as you hear the startup sound. This will load the Safe Boot mode. This will load the Safe Boot mode. If your Mac reboots automatically while in Safe Boot, it is likely working a fixing a problem with the boot drive.
First, you should open Task Manager. If Task Manager launches in compact mode, click the More details button in the bottom-right corner to get to the advanced options, and then click the Startup tab.
Quick Tip: There are a number of ways to launch the Task Manager, but you can simply right-click the Taskbar and select Task Manager. Alternatively, you can right-click the Start button and select Task Manager, or it's also possible to use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut. Or just start typing it in your taskbar search field.
On the Startup tab, you'll find a list of the applications and services configured to start alongside Windows 10 with their names, publisher, status, and performance impact.
The two most important pieces of information in this tab are the Status column, which tells you which items are currently enabled, and the Startup impact column that displays the performance impact of an app or service during startup.
Identifying problematic applications
If you have a long list, it's a good idea to click the Status column to sort the items into Enabled and Disabled to make the list more manageable.
To help you determine which apps you should disable, Task Manager displays an impact measurement for each app. Here's exactly how Windows 10 determines each value:
- High -- The app utilizes more than 1,000ms of processor time, or it uses more than 3MB of disk I/O.
- Medium -- The app uses 300ms to 1,000ms of processor time, or 300KB to 3MB of disk I/O.
- Low -- The app uses less than 300ms of processor time and less than 300KB of disk I/O.
- Not measured -- This usually means that the app was recently installed and Windows 10 hasn't calculated its impact. It could also happen that when an app has been uninstalled, but the entry still shows up in Task Manager.
While you can control anything listed in the Startup tab, it's also important to understand what you're trying to disable, because sometimes you could block an app or service that is required to run the OS or application correctly.
You can find out more information about an app by right-clicking the item and clicking Search online. This will perform an online search in your web browser with the name of the app and exact file name. For example, if I was trying to learn more about 'Microsoft OneDrive,' the online search query would include 'OneDrive.exe Microsoft OneDrive.'
Disabling startup applications
Once you understand the application and decide you want to stop it from launching at startup, simply right-click it, and select Disable to prevent from starting automatically.
Alternatively, you can select the item, and click the Disable button in the bottom-right corner.
Wrapping up
After completing the steps, depending on the items you disabled, you should notice an improvement in the overall performance of Windows 10. However, you must restart your computer for the changes to take effect, because these steps won't close an application that is currently running.
It should be noted that you can only control traditional desktop (win32) apps on startup. On Windows 10, apps you download from the Windows Store (excluding converted apps) are not allowed to run automatically on startup.
While this guide focuses on Windows 10, you can use the same instructions to manage applications on Windows 8.x.
More Windows 10 resources
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For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
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Use Launchpad to delete an app
Launchpad offers a convenient way to delete apps that were downloaded from the App Store.
- To open Launchpad, click it in the Dock or open it from your Applications folder. You can also pinch closed with your thumb and three fingers on your trackpad.
- If you don't see the app in Launchpad, type its name in the search field at the top of the screen. Or swipe right or left with two fingers on your trackpad to show the next or previous page.
- Press and hold the Option (⌥) key, or click and hold any app until the apps jiggle.
- Click next to the app that you want to delete, then click Delete to confirm. The app is deleted immediately. Apps that don't show either didn't come from the App Store or are required by your Mac. To delete an app that didn't come from the App Store, use the Finder instead.
Deleting an app doesn't cancel any subscription you may have purchased with that app. Learn how to cancel subscriptions for apps that were downloaded from the App Store.
Use the Finder to delete an app
- Locate the app in the Finder. Most apps are in your Applications folder, which you can open by clicking Applications in the sidebar of any Finder window. Or use Spotlight to find the app, then press and hold the Command (⌘) key while double-clicking the app in Spotlight.
- Drag the app to the Trash, or select the app and choose File > Move to Trash.
- If you're asked for a user name and password, enter the name and password of an administrator account on your Mac. This is probably the name and password you use to log in to your Mac.
- To delete the app, choose Finder > Empty Trash.
Learn more
To use an app again after deleting it, either reinstall it or restore it from a backup.
- To reinstall apps that were installed as part of macOS, reinstall macOS. This applies to apps such as Safari, iTunes, Books, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos, and FaceTime.
- You can also redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books that were installed from the App Store, iTunes Store, or Apple Books.
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