Windows is a powerful operating system, but it has its annoyances. One of those annoyances is the launching of unwanted applications on startup of Windows.
Here are three methods to help a user take control of applications on startup for Windows 11.
(1) Settings⇾Apps⇾Startup
Here is a simple approach using functionality baked into Windows 11.
1) Open the Settings for Windows 11 and select the Apps option.
2) Select the Startup option.
3) From the Startup window, the user can scroll through the many applications installed on the machine. If an application is set to startup on the launch of Windows, it will have the option set to On. A quick toggle to off will disable the application from launching on startup of Windows.
(2) Task Manager
Another great option that is baked into Windows is using the Windows Task Manager. I think there are better options for a task manager other than Windows Task Manager for many operations. But Windows Task manager is a great alternative for viewing the applications configured to launch on startup.
1) Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
2) Select the Startup apps tab to view the list of applications.
3) Select an application. Click Disable on the top right to disable the application from launching on startup. Alternatively, right-click on the application will display the context menu with the same option.
(3) SysInternals Autoruns
1) Download the Autoruns application from Microsoft.
2) Extract the files from the zip file. The utility is set to be portable, so extract the files to any directory.
3) Autoruns.exe is built for 32-bit machines, while Autoruns64.exe is for 64-bit machines. The 32-bit version will work the same on 64-bit operating system.
4) Once the application is launched, it will scan the computer for startup items and start displaying them on a list. The list might seem a bit intimidating, especially when compared to the other methods. But do not fret, it is simple to use.
To disable an application, there are two options. I recommend the first option.
A) Select the application and uncheck the box. That’s right, uncheck the box, it's that easy.
B) Select the application, right-click, and select the Delete option. This approach will remove the application from startup permanently.
Conclusion
Listed in this article are three methods to control which applications can be launched at the startup of Windows. These are not the only methods available to the user. Other methods include:
- shell:startup (which I found is not useful for Windows 11)
- The registry
- Third-party tools such as Startup Delayer.
- Settings within the application itself.
I should make mention that these same options are available for Windows 10. The steps should be very similar, if not identical.
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