How to Stop Apps from Opening on Startup: Windows, Mac, & More

It can be aggravating when an app launches automatically every time you start up your computer or phone. Disabling startup apps can be surprisingly tricky, especially in Windows. In this article, we’ve pulled together all the options for finding and turning off apps that launch at startup, for Windows, Mac, and Android devices. We’ll also explain how to disable automatic startup from within individual apps’ settings. While apps don’t launch at startup on iPhone, you can disable other types of automatic activity, like Background App Refresh.

Disabling Startup Apps on a Computer

Windows apps can have multiple autorun locations. You can disable automatic startups in Settings, Task Manager, or a startup folder in File Explorer.
For more stubborn Windows apps, you may need to use the Autoruns Utility, turn off tasks in the Task Scheduler, or even edit the registry.
Use your Mac’s System Settings to disable login items.
Some apps have their own in-app settings for enabling or disabling automatic startup.

Method 1

Method 1 of 10:

Using Settings (Windows)

1
Open the Windows Settings. Press the keyboard shortcut Windows key + i to quickly open this window.
- Alternatively, click the Start menu and select Settings (cog icon).
- Note that this method will work for some apps, but not all. If you can’t find the app you’re looking for, or if it still launches at startup even after switching it off in the Startup menu, try one of the other methods below.
2
Click Apps, and then Startup. This will open a list of apps that may open on startup.^{[1]
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- Note that this list may not be complete. If you can’t find the app you want to disable at startup, or if you toggle it off here but it still launches automatically, try one of the other methods below.
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3
Click the switch next to an app. The switch will turn grey (off), and the app will no longer open when you turn on your computer or laptop.

Method 2

Method 2 of 10:

Using Task Manager (Windows)

1
Open the Task Manager. Press the keyboard shortcut: CTRL + Shift + Esc to quickly open the Task Manager.
- You can also right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
- If you have stubborn apps that keep opening whenever you turn on your computer—such as Discord or Steam—you can often disable them using the Task Manager. If this doesn’t work, you might need to move on to one of the methods below.
2
Click the Startup apps tab. You can find this in the left panel, between App history and Users. On Windows 10, this tab will be at the top instead.
- If you don't see this option, click the three-line menu to expand the options.
3
Click an app to select it. You'll see these apps listed underneath Name. If any app is currently set to open on startup, you should see "Enabled" underneath Status.
4
Click Disable. This option is at the top-right corner. Clicking this option will stop the app from opening on startup.^{[2]
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- Be sure to restart your computer to make sure it takes effect.

Method 3

Method 3 of 10:

Using File Explorer (Windows)

1
Right-click the
Start menu and select Run. Some apps run at startup from a special folder in File Explorer. If you can’t stop apps from launching at startup using the methods above, this option might work. Right-click the Start icon and click Run to launch the Run dialog box.^{[3]
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2
Enter the command shell:startup. If you want to configure startup apps for all users on the computer instead of just the current user, type shell:common startup instead. Press Enter to run the command. A File Explorer window will open with a list of apps that are set to run at startup.
3
Delete any apps you don’t want to open at startup. Don’t worry–this won’t delete the app from your computer. It will simply remove the link to that app from the Startup folder.

Method 4

Method 4 of 10:

Using Task Scheduler (Windows)

1
Launch the Task Scheduler. Some apps launch at startup via the Task Scheduler. To open the Task Scheduler, click the Start menu, type in task scheduler, and select Task Scheduler from the results.
2
Click Task Scheduler Library. You should see this option in the left-hand pane.
3
Browse the list of tasks and look for triggers related to startup. For example, you might see a trigger that says “At log on of any user,” “At log on of [user account name],” or something similar.
4
Select the task you want to disable and click Disable. You’ll see the Disable option in the Actions pane on the right side of the window.
- Be cautious about deleting tasks unless you are absolutely certain of what they are and that deleting them won’t cause serious problems for your system. If you just disable the task instead, you can easily turn it back on if necessary.

Method 5

Method 5 of 10:

Using the Autoruns Utility (Windows)

1
Download the Autoruns utility. Since there are so many different ways for an app to run at startup on Windows, it can be difficult to track them all down. This utility helps you manage multiple autorun locations. You can download it from this page.
2
Launch the Autoruns utility. Extract the ZIP file and right-click the Autoruns EXE file. Select Run as administrator. Follow any prompts to complete the installation process and open Autoruns.
3
Check the Logon tab. This should show you any apps or processes that are currently set to run when you log on. This is where you’re most likely to find apps that launch at startup. Uncheck the box next to any apps you want to disable from running at logon.
- You can also check the Scheduled Tasks tab for apps that are scheduled to launch specifically when you start up your computer or log on. Uncheck tasks to disable them.

Method 6

Method 6 of 10:

Editing the Registry (Windows)

1
Launch the Registry Editor. For extra stubborn startup apps, you may be able to stop them from launching by modifying the registry. Be extremely careful using this method, since deleting the wrong thing could cause serious problems for your system. Launch the registry editor by pressing Windows key + R and typing regedit > Enter.^{[4]
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- Always back up the registry before making any edits!
2
Delete entries from the registry startup paths. Several paths in the registry contain startup entries. Follow the paths below, then right-click the entries you want to remove in the right-hand pane. Select Delete > Yes.
- Paths for apps that run at startup for all users:
  - HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- Paths for apps that run at startup for the current user:
  - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Method 7

Method 7 of 10:

Using Mac

On older versions of macOS, this will be System Preferences.
2
Click General. You can find this in the left sidebar.
3
Click Login Items & Extensions. At the top of this menu, you’ll see a list of apps that open at login.
4
Click the app you want to stop. This will select it.
5
Click - . This will remove the app and stop it from opening on startup.
- From the same screen, you can toggle off apps that you don’t want to run in the background. Scroll down to the App Background Activity header, then toggle off the switches next to any apps you don’t want running in the background.
6
Prevent apps from reopening when you restart (optional). Some apps will automatically relaunch if you restart your computer while they’re running. To prevent this from happening, select Restart from the Apple menu. In the window that pops up, uncheck the box for Reopen windows when logging back in, then click Restart.^{[5]
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Method 8

Method 8 of 10:

Changing In-App Settings (Any OS)

1
Open the app that you want to stop from launching at startup. Some apps have a setting within the app itself that determines whether it opens at startup. If other methods aren’t working, open the app and see if you can find a way to turn this option off.
2
Check the “Settings,” “Preferences,” or “Options” menu. Depending on the individual app, the startup settings are likely to be in one of these locations. If you find an option to launch the app at startup, uncheck it or toggle it off. For example:
- In the Steam app, go to Steam > Settings (or Preferences) > Interface. Uncheck the box next to “Run Steam when my computer starts.”
- In Discord for Windows, click the gear icon at the bottom left side of the window. Scroll down to the App Settings header in the left-hand menu bar, then select Windows Settings. Toggle off the switch next to “Open Discord” under the System Startup Behavior header.
  - This method doesn’t work in Discord for Mac. Instead, you can disable launch at startup from System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions.

Method 9

Method 9 of 10:

Using Android

If you have a slow Android, you may have a lot of apps running in the background. You can easily stop apps from opening or loading while you're idle.
2
Tap About or similar. This may look like About this device or About this phone.
3
Find the "Build number" and tap it 7 times. This is how you can enable developer mode on an Android.
- You should see the message "You are now a developer!"
4
Tap Running services. This will open a list of apps.
5
Tap an app. This should be an app you don't want to start automatically.
This will stop the app from starting or restarting automatically. Repeat these steps for any other apps you want to stop.

Method 10

Method 10 of 10:

Using iPhone/iPad

1
Turn off Background App Refresh. iOS doesn’t really have a setting to launch apps automatically at startup. However, you can limit some kinds of automatic app activity, such as whether apps can automatically use data in the background even if they aren’t currently active. To turn off Background App Refresh:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and tap Background App Refresh.
- To turn off Background App Refresh for all apps, tap Background App Refresh at the top of the menu and select Off. You can also choose to only allow it when you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
  - You can also scroll through the list of apps in this menu and toggle off any that you don’t want to refresh in the background.