How to Disable Startup Apps in Windows 11 for Faster Boot

Use this guide when you know which app you want to stop opening at sign-in. Start with one optional app, record its current setting, and check both startup behaviour and anything you need that app to do automatically.

If you are unsure which part of startup is slow, begin with the startup-delay diagnosis guide. An app missing from the list belongs in the Startup folders and Autoruns guide.

Choose one app and a reversible test

Write down why you are changing it: for example, “I want this launcher closed until I open a game.” That is a result you can check even if the computer is not noticeably faster. Do not change several unrelated entries at once; otherwise you lose the connection between the change and any missing feature.

Method 1: Disable startup apps from Settings

1. Press Win + I, then open Apps > Startup.
2. Find your chosen app and record whether its switch is currently on.
3. Switch it Off. To undo this change, return here and switch it On.

The app remains installed. Open it manually from Start when you want to use it. The switch controls automatic startup; do not judge the change by whether a window that is already open immediately disappears.

Method 2: Use Task Manager to see startup impact

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, open Startup apps, select the known optional app and choose Disable. Use Enable to reverse that choice.

Settings and Task Manager present the same registered startup list. You do not need to disable the same entry twice. The impact column reflects startup resource use, not a promise of seconds saved. Not measured means there is no measurement; it does not establish that an app is harmless or costly.

What should you leave enabled?

A useful check is to name the feature you would lose if the app did not start. For a sync client, consider whether your next document would still upload automatically; for a hotkey utility, consider whether the controls you use would still work. An entry can be optional for one person and essential for another.

Check the next sign-in and undo unwanted effects

1. Save your work, restart normally and sign in.
2. Check whether the app stays closed until you launch it.
3. Open the app manually and verify the features you still need.
4. If the change disrupts your workflow, re-enable that one entry and check again after the next restart.

If the app returns despite the switch being off, check its own launch preference and note exactly when it opens. Do not repeatedly disable unrelated entries in the hope of finding it.

An app is not listed

Continue with finding the launch source in Startup folders or Autoruns. That guide explains how to keep a record and undo a change. Do not start deleting registry entries just because Settings does not show the app.

Will this make every PC boot faster?

No fixed improvement is promised. If the chosen app stops launching but the wait remains, the change achieved its launch-control goal without explaining the delay. Use a consistent before-and-after comparison to decide what to investigate next.

Documentation review: 6 October 2026. Checked against the linked primary sources. This is an editorial troubleshooting workflow, not a measured speed-up or a claim that these changes were tested on your PC.

Official reference

Microsoft — Startup switches and impact labelsOfficial reference ASUS — Windows 11 Startup settings walkthroughOfficial reference