You press the power button, the desktop appears, and then you wait. The cursor spins, icons trickle into the system tray, and the PC is sluggish for a minute or two before it settles down. Very often, the reason is a pile of apps that quietly added themselves to startup over the months.
The fix is easy. This guide shows three ways to disable startup apps in Windows 11, and, just as important, how to decide which ones to switch off and which to leave alone.
Why startup apps slow your PC down
Every app set to launch at startup competes for your processor, memory and disk in the first minutes after you sign in. Chat apps, game launchers, cloud sync tools, updaters and printer utilities all love to put themselves there. One or two is fine. Ten or fifteen and you will feel it, especially on a laptop with an older hard drive.
Disabling a startup app does not uninstall it. It simply stops it from opening automatically. You can still launch it yourself whenever you want.
Method 1: Use the Settings app
This is the simplest way and works on every Windows 11 PC.
- Open Settings (Windows + I).
- Go to Apps > Startup.
- You will see a list of apps with a toggle and an impact rating: High impact, Medium impact, Low impact or No impact.
- Switch off the toggle for anything you do not need the moment your PC starts.
Use the Sort by menu at the top to sort by Startup impact so the heaviest apps are first.
Method 2: Use Task Manager
Task Manager shows a bit more detail, including the publisher and whether an app is currently enabled.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click Startup apps in the left sidebar (it looks like a speedometer icon).
- Click an app, then click Disable at the top right.
Not sure what something is? Right-click it and choose Search online, or Open file location to see where it lives. That helps a lot with vaguely named entries.
Method 3: Check the Startup folder
Some apps, and shortcuts you or someone else added, launch from a hidden Startup folder rather than the list above.
- Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
- Type shell:startup and press Enter.
- Delete any shortcut you do not want running at sign-in. Deleting the shortcut does not delete the program.
For apps that start for every user on the PC, type shell:common startup instead. You will need admin rights to change that one.
Which startup apps are safe to disable?
A good rule: if you would not miss it for the first five minutes after turning on your PC, it does not need to start automatically. Usually safe to disable:
- Game launchers like Steam, Epic Games or EA app.
- Chat and meeting apps such as Discord, Skype, Zoom or Teams (unless you rely on instant work notifications).
- Music apps like Spotify.
- Updaters from Adobe, Google or other vendors. The apps still update when you open them.
- Microsoft Edge startup boost, if you do not use Edge.
Usually best to keep enabled:
- Security software, including your antivirus. Windows Security itself does not appear in this list, but third-party antivirus does.
- Audio, touchpad and graphics utilities from Realtek, Synaptics, Intel, NVIDIA or AMD. Disabling these can break volume keys, touchpad gestures or display features.
- Cloud sync like OneDrive or Google Drive, if you rely on files being backed up automatically.
- Password managers, so autofill works straight away.
If you disable something and a feature stops working, just switch it back on and restart. Nothing is permanent here.
Check the result
Restart your PC after making changes. You should notice the desktop becoming usable sooner. If it is still slow, startup apps were probably not the main problem, and our guide on how to speed up a slow Windows 11 PC has 12 more fixes. If your disk sits at 100 percent after startup, read our article on 100% disk usage in Windows 11.
Microsoft also explains startup settings on its Windows support site.
Quick recap
To disable startup apps in Windows 11, go to Settings > Apps > Startup and switch off anything with high impact that you do not need immediately. Task Manager gives more detail, and the shell:startup folder catches the stragglers. Keep security, driver utilities and sync tools running, and enjoy a faster start every morning.
