How to Change Startup Programs in Windows

Make your computer run faster so you can get to work or play

When your computer boots up, it starts a number of programs before it’s ready to use, like iTunes Helper, Adobe Reader, Skype, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Office. Many of them may be useful, but the more programs your computer runs during this process, the longer it takes to start; too many programs running could also slow down your computer’s overall performance, including other programs you’re trying to use.

Fortunately, you have control over which Windows startup programs you allow to run. Keep in mind you can always start a program manually if you need it.

These instructions apply to PCs running Windows 10, 8, and 7.

Change Startup Programs in Windows 10 and 8

To change the Windows 10 and Windows 8 startup programs, you’ll use Task Manager.

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.

At the top of the application, select the Startup tab.

Select the Status column to sort the applications into Disabled and Enabled.

Disabled means the program doesn’t run when you start your computer; Enabled means it does.

Examine the list to see if there are any enabled applications you don’t need running all the time. If you’re unsure, leave them running.

To disable any application, right-click anywhere in its row and select Disable.

When finished, select the X in the upper right corner to exit Task Manager.

Reboot your computer to allow the changes to take effect.

How to Change Windows 7 Startup Programs

To change the Windows 7 startup programs, you’ll use MSConfig.

Open the Start menu. In the search box, type msconfig.exe.

Select msconfig.exe.

In the System Configuration window, select the Startup tab.

You should see a list of every program that runs when the computer starts. Review the list and determine if there are any applications you don’t need running all the time.

For those you identify, ensure the checkbox next to the program name is unchecked. If in doubt, leave the program enabled.

When finished, select OK.

A dialog box prompting you to restart will appear. Select Restart.

How to Change Startup Programs in Windows 7, 8 And 10

Dillion Megida

Startup programs are programs which run automatically when a system is booted. This is a good practice for programs which you use frequently. It saves you the stress of looking for those programs, or, in some cases, manually setting them up.

Some programs also have this feature by default when they are newly installed.

But if you have too many startup programs it can slow down the boot process. This has a negative effect especially on systems with small capabilities or less processing power.

In this article, we’ll learn how to open the startup apps control panel, how to enable and disable startup apps, and finally how to add our desired startup programs in Windows 7, 8 and 10.

In each of these Windows versions, there is a Control Panel for Startup Apps which shows a list of applications that can be run automatically on startup. These applications are either enabled for startup or disabled.

So let’s look at the process for each Windows version.

In Windows 7

Open the Startup Apps Control Panel

Open the windows startup menu, then type «MSCONFIG«. When you press enter, the system configuration console is opened. Then click the «Startup» tab which will display some programs that can be enabled or disabled for startup.

Disable/Enable Startup App

The checkboxes beside the applications indicate the status. If checked, it is enabled for startup, otherwise, it is disabled.

To disable an enabled app, simply uncheck the checkbox and click apply.

To enable a disabled app, check the checkbox and click apply.

These two processes require the system to be restarted before the changes are applied on the applications.

Add Startup App

To add an app, you’ll need to explore the Startup Folder. To do this, try any of the following methods;

• Open the start menu and type «Startup» (to search for it). When found, right-click and select Explore to open the folder.
• Open the start menu, select «All Programs» and scroll down the list until you find the Startup Folder. When found, Explore it.

Create a shortcut of your desired program, then copy it and paste it in this folder. After this, the program will automatically be added to the panel with a status of «enabled«.

In Windows 8

Open the Startup Apps Control Panel

To open the panel, try any of the following;

• Open «Task Manager» and select the «Startup» tab
• Open windows startup menu, and type «Startup» to search for the program. Then select any of the options provided.

Disable/Enable Startup App

To disable a startup app which is enabled, right-click on the app and select «Disable«.

To enable a startup app which is disabled, right-click on the app and select «Enable«.

Add Startup App

Press the window and letter R key to open the Run dialog. Then enter %AppData%. This will open a roaming folder.

Navigate to \Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup. In this folder, paste the shortcut of your desired app. This will make it a startup application with a status of «enabled».

In Windows 10

Open the Startup Apps Control Panel

• Open the start menu, type «Startup Apps» (to search for it) and click any of the results.
• Open «Task Manager«, then select the «Startup» tab

Disable/Enable Startup Apps

To disable a startup app, right-click on any app in the list with a status of «enabled» and select «disable«.

To enable a startup app in the list which is disabled, right-click on the app and select «enable«.

Add Startup App

Hold the windows and letter R key on the keyboard. In the run dialog, enter «shell:startup«.

In the folder, you can add any application of your choice which you’d want to run at startup. They’ll be added to the list so when you access your Startup Apps, you can disable or enable them.

Wrap Up

If there’s any application which you always run when you boot up your system, it is good practice to make it a startup program.

When your system becomes slow to boot, it’s most likely because startup programs are responsible. Now you know how to disable or reduce them.

Dillion Megida

Frontend Web Engineer and Technical Writer. I love teaching what I know. Javascript / ReactJS / NodeJS

If you read this far, tweet to the author to show them you care. Tweet a thanks

Learn to code for free. freeCodeCamp’s open source curriculum has helped more than 40,000 people get jobs as developers. Get started

freeCodeCamp is a donor-supported tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (United States Federal Tax Identification Number: 82-0779546)

Our mission: to help people learn to code for free. We accomplish this by creating thousands of videos, articles, and interactive coding lessons — all freely available to the public. We also have thousands of freeCodeCamp study groups around the world.

Donations to freeCodeCamp go toward our education initiatives, and help pay for servers, services, and staff.

How to change startup programs in Windows 10, to make your computer start faster

• You can change startup programs in Windows 10 — the applications that start when you turn on your computer — by adjusting your settings.
• You can also disable startup programs in Windows 10, as having too many can slow down your computer, and even cause Windows to crash upon startup.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Having programs open on startup can save you a lot of hassle if you use them frequently. When they open by default, after all, you won’t have to spend time searching for them on your computer. Popular programs like Skype, Spotify, and f.lux will usually be set to startup by default.

However, having too many startup programs can make turning on your Windows 10 computer an incredibly slow process. This is especially true for older computers with less processing power.

It’s possible to turn this function off for individual programs, as well as enable it for other programs. This means that you can set it so only the programs that you need will start up right away.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Windows 10 (From $139.99 at Best Buy)

How to change startup programs in Windows 10

1. Click the Windows logo at the bottom left of your screen, or press the Windows key on your keyboard. Then search and select «Startup Apps.»

2. Windows will sort the applications that open on startup by their impact on memory or CPU usage. If you’re experiencing slow startups, start by disabling the programs at the top and work down.

3. If you don’t recognize a program on this list, then it might be a good idea to search its name in your internet browser to see if it’s important. Either you’ll find out what it’s there for, or realize that it’s unwanted software that you should consider uninstalling.

For information on how to uninstall programs in Windows 10, see our article here.

How to disable startup programs in Windows 10

You can also disable startup programs via the Task Manager.

1. Open the Task Manager by right-clicking the Windows icon, or by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

2. Click «More Details» at the bottom of the Manager, and then select the Start-up tab at the top.

3. You can disable options in this list by right clicking them.

You can sort programs in this list by how many resources they take up when they start.

How to set a program to launch at startup in Windows 10

1. Click the Windows logo at the bottom left of your screen, or press the Windows key on your keyboard, and then type the name of the application you want to run at startup.

2. Right-click the application and select «More.»

3. Select «Open file location.» If you don’t see that option in the More menu, then you can’t set it up to open at startup.

4. In the folder that opens, right-click the program’s icon and select «Copy.»

5. Either click the Windows logo in the bottom left again and search for the Run application, or hit the Windows key + R on your keyboard.

6. In the Run window, type «shell:startup» and then press Enter.

Paste the shortcut into the new folder that appears by right-clicking on an empty space and selecting «Paste.»

How to change startup programs in Windows 10

When you boot up your operating system or log on to your computer, some programs run automatically without any actions on your part. In Microsoft systems such Windows 10, these programs are launched from the startup folder. Some of these applications are defined by Microsoft, whereas others are user-defined. We’ll explain which programs you should always run at startup and show you how to add and remove programs from startup in Windows 10.

What exactly is the Windows 10 startup folder?

As soon as you boot up your system or log on to your user account, Windows 10 automatically runs all programs or files listed in the startup folder. Up until Windows 8, you could view and change these applications directly from the Start menu. As of version 8.1 and higher, including Windows 10, you can only access the startup folder from your personal user files.

There is also an All Users startup folder in addition to your personal startup folder. The applications in this folder run automatically when all users log on. This folder is usually managed by the system administrator. Windows 10 may also need to access this folder itself, for example when installing software.

Don’t confuse the startup folder with the autorun function. Autorun is a feature that allows the operating system to perform a specific action automatically when you insert a removable storage device such as a CD or a USB thumb drive.

The startup folder typically only contains links to the programs that you want to start automatically. However, the startup folder can also contain any other files (such as scripts) that you want to run when you log on. In addition to the programs in the Windows 10 startup folder, there are other files that are a permanent part of your operating system and run automatically at startup. These include the Run, RunOnce, RunServices and RunServicesOnce keys in the Windows registry.

Most malware takes advantage of the autostart function of these keys by placing malicious programs in the above registry keys so that the programs run automatically without your knowledge every time you boot up Windows.

Why it’s important to manage the startup folder in Windows 10

Good management of Windows 10 startup programs is important for several reasons. The main reason for adding applications, services, or scripts to the startup folder is obvious: If you use programs or processes that you need or want to run automatically when you log on, you can save a lot of time by adding them to your startup folder. If you’re an administrator, you can even add programs directly to the shared startup folder for all users in Windows 10.

Automatically running processes, services and applications at startup can be convenient, but it can be a disadvantage if it uses too much of your computer’s resources, making it slower for you to log on and use the system. In other words, it won’t save you time unless your computer has enough resources to start all the applications without having performance issues. If you struggle with performance issues, it’s worth taking a look at your startup folder in Windows 10. Windows may be running too many applications or overly CPU-intensive programs for no good reason every time you log on to the system. To address this problem, remove unnecessary applications from your startup folder.

If you’re having regular performance problems, you should also check whether certain processes are consuming unnecessary amounts of RAM. If so, try freeing up some memory. To learn how, see our step-by-step guide to freeing up memory.

Locating the startup folder in Windows 10

As mentioned earlier, the startup folder in Windows 10 is no longer listed directly in the Start menu, although both the user-specific and All Users startup folders are still in the Start menu directory. Here are the exact locations of these folders:

Both folders are buried deep in the directory structures of the Windows 10 partition, which is why the operating system allows you to open either directory using shell commands. To do this, open the Run dialog box from the Start menu or using the keyboard shortcut [Windows] + [R], and then enter one of the following, depending on whether you want to open your own startup folder or the folder for all users:

In order to protect your privacy, the video will not load until you click on it.

How to add programs to the startup folder in Windows 10

Many programs offer the option to run at startup in their settings. You should first check to see if the software you’d like to add to startup offers this option. If so, you can use this option and save yourself the following steps.

If not, you can easily add already installed programs to your startup folder in Windows 10. All you have to do is create a shortcut to the executable file (.exe file) and save it to the startup folder. If you don’t know where to find the executable file, just use the Windows search bar: Enter the name of the application, right-click the program and select Open file location:

Windows 10’s result when searching for Firefox

If you’ve hidden the search bar in Windows 10, you can unhide it at any time by right-clicking the Windows logo and choosing “Search.”

Creating a desktop shortcut on Windows 10

Next, right-click the file, which is automatically selected by Windows, and choose Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).

Find the new shortcut on your desktop and copy it to the startup folder in Windows 10 using copy-and-paste or drag-and-drop:

Shortcut in your personal startup folder in Windows 10

In order to protect your privacy, the video will not load until you click on it.

How to disable startup programs in Windows 10

Of course, you can also remove any programs you’ve added to your startup folder in Windows 10. To do this, simply delete the shortcuts from the startup folder. Note that you require administrator privileges to remove shortcuts from the All Users startup folder. Alternatively, if you set a program to run at startup in the settings of the program, you can disable it there.

You can also delete startup configurations using the Task Manager, although the Task Manager also lists programs and services that are not in your startup folders. To open task manager, simply hold down the [Ctrl] and [Shift] keys and press [Esc]. Go to the Startup tab:

Startup tab in the Task Manager in Windows 10

This tab lists the startup programs of your Windows 10 system, including publisher information, the current status (enabled/disabled), and the impact of the program on system startup (low, high, or not measured). If you’re an administrator, you’ll also see additional information about whether the startup programs are from a folder or the registry as well as the exact location of each program.

To remove a program, right-click the program in the Task Manager and select Disable:

Task Manager in Windows 10: startup programs

In order to protect your privacy, the video will not load until you click on it.

Which programs should I add to startup in Windows 10?

The core services that Windows 10 requires to function properly are automatically loaded when Windows boots up. You don’t have to manage these processes, nor are you able to. However, you have the freedom to manage installed user software on your own computer or as a system administrator.

The following programs should always run at startup or are at least recommended:

• Security software (antivirus programs, firewall etc.): Windows 10 comes with its own arsenal of software to protect your computer against external attacks. However, if you’ve disabled these applications and use other software, make sure it runs from the moment you log on. The best way to ensure this is to use the startup folder in Windows 10.
• Backup software: If you use backup software to back up your data, you should add it to the Windows 10 startup folder. That way you won’t forget to turn on your backup software.
• Software you use regularly: Other candidates for the startup folder in Windows 10 are programs that you use regularly. These include clipboard managers or VPN programs as well as cloud storage solutions and email clients.

You should remove all non-essential applications, scripts and services from the startup folder to ensure that startup is as efficient as possible in Windows 10. Gaming and chat clients, Apple and Adobe applications such as QuickTime or Adobe Reader, and utilities such as registry cleaners or toolbars are typical examples of applications that may be loading every time you boot up, but probably don’t belong in the startup folder.

Windows blue screen (BSOD): How to cure the error

The infamous blue screen of death usually shows up without any warning. It’s an important indicator of internal problems with hardware, software, or drivers. If Windows can no longer be run as a result of such a problem, then the forced shutdown takes place in the form of a blue screen containing an error message. This may cause unsaved files and documents to be lost. The most important thing with.

What version of Windows do I have?

Are you a Windows user, but aren’t sure what version of the operating system you have installed on your PC? This article introduces three ways of checking your Windows version in just a few seconds: using a keyboard shortcut, via the Control Panel, or using the Windows Command Prompt (CMD).

Windows Photo Viewer: How to reactivate the old display for images and photos in Windows 10

If you have been using Microsoft operating systems for a long time, you may have noticed that in Windows 10 what was previously the Windows Photo Viewer has been replaced by the so-called ‘Photos’ app. If you would like to continue using the classic viewer instead, you can reactivate it with a few small changes to the Windows Registry.

Resetting Windows 10 – step-by-step instructions

If your system is causing you problems, it could make sense to reset Windows 10. As of Windows 7, it has been possible to reset or refresh a system without having to start from scratch – you canand documents to . Luckily, you always have the option to reset your Microsoft operating system with or without losing your files. We reveal how it works.