How to Manage Startup Apps in Windows 11 (Faster Boot)

If Windows 11 takes an age to become usable after you sign in — the desktop appears but the disk keeps grinding, icons pop in slowly, and everything feels heavy for a minute or two — the usual culprit is the pile of programs set to launch themselves at startup. Chat apps, cloud clients, game launchers, updater helpers and manufacturer utilities all queue up for the disk, CPU and memory in those first seconds, and each one delays the moment the machine settles down. The good news is that trimming them is one of the safest, most effective speed-ups there is: you are only telling apps not to start on their own, never removing them. This guide covers the three places Windows keeps startup items, how to read which ones actually cost you time, and which kinds are safe to switch off.

It pairs naturally with our broader guide to speeding up Windows 11, which covers visual effects, Storage Sense and drivers; startup apps are the boot-time half of that same story.

1. Disable startup apps in Settings (the simplest way)

The modern Settings app is the easiest place to manage startup items. It lists every app that is allowed to launch at sign-in with a simple on/off toggle, and it shows a Startup impact label next to each so you know which ones weigh most — Microsoft's Configure Startup applications in Windows page describes setting the toggle to On to start the app when you sign in, or Off to prevent it.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select Apps in the left sidebar, then open Startup. (The direct path is Settings > Apps > Startup.)
3. Review the list. Each entry shows a toggle and a Startup impact rating — High, Medium, Low or Not measured.
4. Switch Off anything you do not need running the instant Windows starts. Updater helpers, chat and messaging apps, game launchers, music and cloud-storage clients, and PC-maker utilities are the usual candidates.

The change takes effect at your next sign-in — there is nothing to save and no restart is needed right away. You can sort or scan the list by impact and start with the High-impact entries, since those are the ones slowing the boot the most. On Windows 10 the same page lives at Settings > Apps > Startup as well, so these steps carry over — Microsoft's Windows 10 startup apps article gives the same Start > Settings > Apps > Startup path.

2. Use Task Manager and its Startup impact column

Task Manager shows the same set of startup apps, but with more detail and a couple of tools that make it the better choice when you do not recognise an entry. Its Startup impact column is clearer, and you can right-click any item to investigate it before deciding. Microsoft's tips to improve PC performance in Windows give the same route — Ctrl + Shift + Esc, Startup apps, right-click, Disable — noting that apps running at startup can slow boot time.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Task Manager (or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Select the Startup apps tab in the left sidebar. (In Windows 10 it is simply called the Startup tab; you may need to click More details first.)
3. Read the Startup impact column. It rates how much each app slows sign-in, based on the CPU and disk activity it causes as it loads.
4. Click a column heading such as Startup impact to sort, then select any app you want to stop and click Disable at the top right (or right-click and choose Disable).

The real advantage here is the right-click menu. On an entry you do not recognise, choose Open file location to see which program it belongs to, or Search online to look it up — far safer than guessing. Disable here does exactly what the Settings toggle does; the two views stay in sync.

3. Check the Startup folder (shell:startup)

Some programs do not appear in the Settings or Task Manager lists at all, because they launch from a special Startup folder instead. Windows automatically runs any shortcut placed in that folder when you sign in. This is where a stubborn auto-starting program is often hiding — and it is also how you make a program you want start with Windows.

There are two of these folders:

• Your personal Startup folder, whose shortcuts launch only for your account.
• The all-users Startup folder, whose shortcuts launch for everyone who signs in to the PC.

To open and clean out your personal folder:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
2. Type the following and press Enter:

   shell:startup

3. File Explorer opens the folder. It is the real location:

   %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

4. To stop something launching, delete its shortcut from this folder — you are removing only the shortcut, not the program. To add something, drop a shortcut to its .exe in here.

To check the folder that affects every user on the PC, run shell:common startup in the same Run box instead — Microsoft documents both shell:startup and shell:common startup as Run-box shortcuts to these folders, and deleting a link from the folder is what stops the app launching. Its real path is:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp

Editing the all-users folder changes startup for everyone and may prompt for administrator permission. Both the personal and common Startup folders work the same way in Windows 10.

Which apps are safe to disable?

Trimming startup apps is low-risk because nothing is uninstalled — a disabled app simply waits until you open it. Use this as a rough guide:

• Safe to disable: chat and messaging apps, game launchers (Steam, Epic, and the like), music and streaming clients, cloud-storage helpers you do not need syncing the second you log in, software updater utilities, and the promotional or "companion" apps that ship with many new PCs.
• Leave enabled: your security software (antivirus and firewall), and anything you genuinely rely on the moment you sign in, such as a password manager or an assistive tool.
• Be careful with: hardware helper utilities from your PC or laptop maker — audio control panels, touchpad gesture tools, graphics companion apps. These are usually fine to disable, but some change how the hardware behaves, so switch them off one at a time and watch for anything odd.

A cloud-storage client is a good example of the trade-off: disabling it at startup speeds up your boot, but your files will not begin syncing until you open the app. Decide case by case whether the faster sign-in is worth the delayed sync.

Putting it together

Work through the three locations in order: the Settings page for a quick pass, then Task Manager to target the High-impact offenders and investigate anything unfamiliar, then the Startup folder to catch what the lists miss. Because every change here is a toggle or a shortcut you can put back, there is no risk in experimenting — disable generously, restart, and re-enable anything you find you actually wanted. A tidy startup list is the single most effective way to cut the time between pressing the power button and getting on with your work.

Looking for the wider picture on performance? The companion Speed Up Windows 11 guide covers visual effects, disk cleanup and drivers, and the How-To Guides hub collects every fresh walkthrough. For historical background on Windows tuning, the restored archive is worth a look.