Using Task Manager

The easiest way to manage startup apps is through the built-in Task Manager app. You can launch Task Manager either by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager, or you can search for ‘task manager’ in the Start search bar and open it from there.

Task Manager opens in the Processes tab by default, but we’re looking for apps and processes that launch on startup. To access those, jump over to the Startup Apps tab. Here you’ll see a list of apps, their current status (whether they’re enabled or disabled) and how much impact they have on startup times. You’ll also see your last boot time in the corner.

Let’s start by disabling apps marked high for their startup impact. For example, my Windows is configured to automatically launch Microsoft Edge on boot. It includes 24 processes, which I can view by expanding the caret icon. I don’t use Microsoft Edge on this device, so I have no need for any of these processes. I’ll just right-click on the parent process ‘msedge.exe’ and click ‘Disable’ to stop Microsoft Edge from automatically launching. Alternatively, you can use the Enable or Disable buttons on the top ribbon.

Check startup folders and settings

If you can’t access Task Manager for any reason, Windows 11 has a dedicated menu for enabling or disabling startup apps. Go to Settings > Apps > Startup to surface a list of startup apps with toggles for each app. Switch the apps off and you’re good to go. Once again, you might want to focus on startup apps with a high impact, and not disable apps that you actually want to auto-run.

You can also dig into the file system to reconfigure app startup behavior. You can either manually navigate to the startup folders, or you can open them with a shortcut. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows key+R. Type in the following command and hit OK or Enter.

shell:startup

Windows will open a folder containing all the startup apps linked to your current user account. You can delete any of the shortcuts present in this folder to stop them from autoloading on boot. To disable apps from every user account, just input this command instead.

shell:common startup

Once again, delete any shortcuts to apps you don’t want to automatically start up on boot.