By disabling unnecessary startup programs in Windows 10, you can dramatically speed up boot times on your PC. It also means that you ensure that only the applications that should be running are actually running, which is a great way to improve your PC’s performance.
Windows 10 makes it even easier to disable or change the startup programs that open when you first turn on your computer. With this guide, you will reduce the number of applications you start and speed up your PC in no time.
We’ll also explain later on how to set up the various applications or files to open at startup if you want everything you need to be ready as soon as you turn on your computer.
How to disable startup programs in Windows 10
To disable startup programs in Windows 10, right-click the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and select “Task Manager” in the window that opens.
Then click the Run tab at the top of the Task Manager window. Click the Status field to view all programs that start when the computer boots.
You can now right-click any application in this list and click Disable to stop it from opening when you start your computer. You can also right-click any app here to enable it.
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If you’re not sure about the negative impact, don’t worry – none of these apps need to be enabled. Your Windows 10 PC will work fine even if you disable every app on this list. However, when you start your computer, you will have to start these applications manually.
What software application is in the Task Manager menu?
When you disable startup programs in Windows 10, you may notice an app called Program in your list. Most of the time, there is nothing to worry about, but you can double check to be sure.
First, right-click the Name tab in Task Manager. Then click Command Prompt in the new window that appears.
You should now be able to see the EXE associated with this application. In my case it was for Microsoft Teams, so I had nothing to worry about. If it’s a program you don’t know, you can write the address that appears in Windows Explorer to find it, but delete whatever is in the .exe section.
For example, if the program points to “C: Program Files Teams Installer Teams.exe –checkinstall,” you would type C: Program Files Teams Installer in the Windows Explorer search box and press Enter to find it.
Then you can uninstall the software here. After that, you should run a comprehensive scan for viruses and malware. You can also follow this step for any recognizable software. If you’re curious, you can right-click any program and click “Search the Internet” to quickly get Google search results for that program.
Set custom apps to run on startup
You may notice that not all applications and programs appear in the Startup tab in Task Manager. If you would like to configure it so that another program, file or website opens on startup, you can follow the steps below.
First, press Windows Key + R to open the start command window. Then enter shell: startup and click OK.
You will be taken to a Windows Explorer window. Now all you have to do is create a shortcut for anything here and it will open when your computer starts up. Below we will look at a few examples.
Launch any application when Windows 10 boots
- Press Windows Key + R.
- Type shell: start and click OK.
- Right-click in the Windows Explorer window.
- Click New and then Shortcut.
- Click “Browse ” and find any program you need.
- Make sure you find the EXE file.
- Click Next, give the shortcut a name, then click Finish.
Alternatively, you can find the .exe file on your computer and then copy and paste the address. To test it works, double-click the shortcut. If it opens, then it also opens when your PC starts up.
How to open the website when your PC starts up
- Press Windows Key + R.
- Enter shell: startup and click OK.
- Right-click in the Windows Explorer window.
- Click New and then click Shortcut.
- Enter any URL, including https: // at the beginning.
- Click Next, then Finish.
Double click the new shortcut to make sure it works. It should open the website in its default browser.
You can use the same methods as above to open any file on your computer. For example, you can create a shortcut that leads to an .mp3 file. The file will then play with your default music player as soon as you turn on your computer.
At any time, you can uninstall or disable startup programs in Windows 10 so that they do not start when you first turn on your computer. Any shortcuts added here can also slow down your computer to boot properly.
There is no doubt that both of these methods are useful for controlling the launch of applications at startup. Hopefully, with the advice in this article, you can find the right balance to increase your download speed without sacrificing performance.
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