Very often the application itself will have a “start with Windows” or “run on sign-in” option you can turn off without resorting to Task Manager’s list. Disabling startup entriesīefore you disable anything in the Startup tab, check the options (or settings) for the associated application. At worst, some program or feature will fail to work, and you can return to the Startup list and re-enable it. On the other hand, items in the Task Manager Startup list can generally be disabled without serious problems.(It’s associated with Adobe Acrobat Reader.) Most research will clearly tell you that it can be safely disabled. Right-click on the item and you’ll find a “Search online” option that is a good place to start.ĪcroTray is an example of a tool that’s been around for ages that most people feel doesn’t need to run at startup, if ever. In cases where it isn’t clear, you might take a few moments to research the tool - particularly if Task Manager indicates that the “Startup impact” is high. Dropbox or Macrium Reflect, for example, are tools I installed and are things I want running from the moment I sign in. Is this something needing to run at startup? In many cases, the answer is a clear “yes”. Is this something I use? If not, consider uninstalling the software completely rather than just worrying about the Startup entry. (Screenshot: ) Evaluating startup entriesįor each entry in the list, ask yourself: Here’s a shorter list from one of my example Windows 11 machines.

The key is not what’s on my list, but how to evaluate what’s on yours. You may have fewer - or perhaps even more. Yes, I’m a “power user” and have many, many entries in my Startup. Here’s an image of what I see when I run it on my primary Windows 11 Pro system. (In prior versions of Windows, you can run the “msconfig” utility for a similar list.) Right-click on the Start menu, click on Task Manager, click on More details, if present, and then click on the Startup tab. The first place to turn to 1 is the Startup tab in Task Manager. Instead, I’ll give you an overview of the steps I take to manage my startup. Everyone uses their computer in different ways. There is no “minimum set” of startup programs I can list here that would work for everyone.Įvery machine is different, everyone has different software installed, and everyone has different ideas of what is and is not important. In the long run, the return is usually not worth the effort. It’s safest to leave startup items turned on otherwise, but experimenting is also safe. If the software has its own “run on startup” setting, turn that off. If you don’t need the software at all, consider uninstalling it completely. Which ones you can turn off depends on what you use and need, as well as the design of the software. Windows Task Manager will show you the list of programs that start automatically when you sign in.

Programs run on startup windows 10