Running your most-used apps at startup is great, but they can weigh your system down if you’re not careful.
The programs that run when you start your Windows PC have a huge effect on not only how long your system takes to get going, but also how many system resources are available for what you’re doing. Some are essential to include with startup, but others can wait until you need them.
Unfortunately, startup apps can get out of hand quickly because it’s easy to miss unchecking the “Run at startup” box when installing software. Plus, programs can add themselves to the list without alerting you. This means you might have dozens of programs running every time you log into Windows without realizing it.
You’ll have to poke around a few places to find everywhere these apps live, since they scatter across the OS. But once you’ve done this, you should find that your system works more smoothly, making this an important part of Windows maintenance to go through regularly.
Where to check your startup apps
The best place to review what tools are included with system startup is in the Task Manager. You can manage them at Settings > Apps > Startup as well, but that view isn’t as easy to browse. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, then click the Startup apps icon on the sidebar (it looks like a speedometer).
For each one, you’ll see whether it’s enabled under Status, along with other information like the creator. Click these headings to sort; right-clicking shows additional fields like Running now and Disabled time that may be helpful but aren’t essential. To disable an app, right-click it and choose Disable. You can always reverse this later if needed.
This panel catches most affected apps, but some are hidden in other places. One is your user account’s Startup folder, which is accessible by typing “shell:startup” into either File Explorer’s address bar or the Run dialog box (accessible with Win + R). In my case, this folder had an entry for Send to OneNote that didn’t appear in the Task Manager and isn’t something I want.
Similarly, typing “shell:common startup” into File Explorer or Run will open a folder containing startup apps that apply to all users. In both folders, delete any shortcuts you don’t want to run when you sign in. You can also place app shortcuts in this folder to add new ones. I use this for an autocorrect script in AutoHotkey, for example.
Which startup apps should you remove?
When scanning your list of startup items, an easy first pass is to completely remove those you don’t even use. There might be pre-installed junk, like free trials of McAfee or Dropbox (alongside Windows’ own ads). Or you might come across tools you installed years ago but haven’t touched in a while. Skip disabling them and instead uninstall them at Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Next, consider apps you only use occasionally; those should be disabled from startup. If you open a photo editing tool a few times a month or only use a video-calling platform to call family on holidays, it doesn’t need to run automatically each time you start your computer.
Resource-intensive tools like video editing suites and gaming clients are another group worth disabling in most cases. If you only use your PC for these purposes, then it makes sense to run those apps when you log in so they stay ready and updated. But if you use the same machine for work and games, having clients like Steam always open allows game updates to arrive at inopportune times. Unless you’ve capped the background download speed or scheduled updates, huge installs can slow your system down as it dedicates effort to the patching process.
Never disable anything from running if you don’t know what it is. Search online to make sure it’s not something vital to your system.
Determining which startup apps to keep
Some categories of apps should be kept in your startup list. Backup tools can’t protect your files when they’re closed, so they should open at login. It would be really upsetting to realize you’ve lost weeks of files because you didn’t realize your backup app was never active. Cloud storage tools are similar; they must be open to sync your files, so having them work without thinking is best. Otherwise, your data won’t be available on your other devices as expected.
Security tools (those you actually use) should be another staple of your list. Having to remember to protect your system manually every time you use it is not ideal. The same goes for utilities that you rely on without thinking. For example, Razer Synapse must be open for my mouse’s customized controls to work — like tilting the wheel left and right to copy/paste. If it’s not run at startup, copy/paste won’t happen as I expect, and then I have to search for the app to open it. Productivity utilities like clipboard managers and system-wide search tools like Raycast fall into this category too.
Broadly, if you always use a program right after you log into your PC, then running it at startup saves you a few clicks. But for apps you use on occasion, save the resources and only launch them as needed.
Startup apps are great, when reined in
Startup programs can also live in the Registry and Task Scheduler, but those aren’t as common and are less user-friendly to edit. If you want to get more advanced, Microsoft’s Autoruns utility provides a complete overview of all auto-starting processes, along with many more controls for them.
After tidying your startup apps, your Windows environment will be ready sooner after sign-in, since there aren’t as many trying to load at once. Plus, your system will have more power free for the tools you want to open, instead of it dedicating RAM and CPU to unnecessary ones that ran from the beginning. It’s worth checking these a few times a year as part of keeping your PC clean and organized.
For better insight in the future, a buried toggle in Windows will alert you when apps set themselves to run at startup. This can happen when you update a program, even if you previously had this behavior disabled. Go to Settings > System > Notifications and make sure the master Notifications toggle is on. Then scroll to Notifications from apps and other senders. Change the Sort by to Name for convenience if you have a lot of entries, then find Startup App Notification and make sure it’s enabled.
