Startup programs are launch themselves automatically when you boot your PC—hence the name. However, not all of these programs need to start with your computer. You can stop these apps from running automatically when Windows 11 boots to streamline the PC startup time.

How to turn startup programs on and off

The fastest and the easiest way to manage startup programs on Windows 11 is via the Settings app.

Here’s what to do:

• Type settings in the Search bar in the taskbar and hit Enter or click the Start menu in the taskbar and then select Settings

• In the left-hand side pane, click Apps
• Select Startup in the right-hand side pane

• The name of all the apps that are configured to run automatically when Windows boots will be listed. You can sort the list by Name, Status, or Status Impact using the Sort by drop-down menu
• Go through each listed application and toggle if off if you don’t want it to launch automatically on startup (or toggle on to ensure it starts when Windows boots)

Typically, the more number of apps run automatically when the computer boots the greater the startup time. So if your computer takes longer than usual to boot, removing unnecessary apps, such as Spotify or Copilot, can speed up the boot process. Some of the apps you wouldn’t want to toggle off in the Startup Apps list include your antivirus tool, Microsoft firewall, OneDrive etc.

Disable or Enable Startup Apps via Task Manager

You can enable or disable startup apps from Task Manager also. Here’s what to do:

• Press CTRL + ALT + DEL
• Select Task Manager
• Click the Startup apps icon (see the image below)

• Right-click an app to enable or disable it

Well, that’s just about disabling or enabling a startup app. Preventing non-critical apps or not-frequently-used apps from automatically running with Windows is a smart decision — as is keeping your device drivers up to date. The fastest way to update device drivers is by using a third-party security tool.

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