Win 10 / 11 · Speed

Disable startup bloat

Every app that launches at boot slows your PC down. Most don't need to.

DifficultyEasy
Time2 min
RiskLow
ReversibleYes
PlatformWin 10 / 11
UpdatedSep 22, 2026

Written and tested by emdottech

What that means

Low risk. This fix only checks things, or changes settings you can switch back in the same place. This change is reversible — you can return to the previous state without professional help or data loss.

Steps

01
- Press CtrlShiftEsc to open Task Manager, then click the Startup apps tab (Startup on Windows 10)
02
- Check the Startup impact column — High and Medium entries add the most delay; Low and Not measured barely matter
03
- Right-click anything you don't rely on every session (chat apps, printer helpers, cloud-sync launchers you can open manually) and choose Disable
04
- Leave antivirus, GPU/audio drivers, and anything published by Microsoft or your PC's maker alone — those are meant to run
05
- On Windows 11 you can do the same from Settings → Apps → Startup, which also shows each app's measured startup time
06
- Restart and time the difference — disabling 3–4 heavy entries typically shaves several seconds off boot

How to verify the fix

Restart the PC and confirm boot is faster and the disabled apps no longer launch at startup.

If this didn't fix it

Boot speed hasn't improved, or an app you need stopped starting — re-enable it in Task Manager → Startup apps.

Next stop: the related fixes below, or start a guided diagnosis.

Still stuck? Diagnose my problem Browse all Windows fixes

Disable startup bloat

Steps

✓How to verify the fix

!If this didn't fix it

Related fixes

How to verify the fix

If this didn't fix it