Quick overview:
Find autostart in Windows 10 immediately
Probably the easiest way to autostart in Windows 10: Type "Start apps" into the Windows search field and click on the result with the same name.
Windows 10 Autostart opens and looks like this:
Truly a blessing and a curse at the same time: Windows 10 Autostart ensures that certain programs it contains start automatically when Windows starts.
This can be useful for Spotify, Steam or background programs such as Slack, for example, but in other cases programs nest themselves in the autostart, which you can also start manually at any time if required.
This is because every program generates system load in the background.
The PC starts up more slowly, the battery performance decreases and the working speed suffers.
No more - clean up now!
Windows 10 Autostart folder for the current user
The Windows 10 Startup folder for the currently logged-in user is located at:
%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Copy this entry into the file explorer. The full path to the Autostart folder then looks like this in Explorer (with your respective user name):
C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Windows 10 autostart folder for all users
The Windows 10 Startup folder for all users on the PC is located at:
%programdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp
The path to the Autostart folder looks like this in Explorer (you do not need to change anything here):
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp
Autostart overloaded: Why is my Windows 10 PC starting so slowly?
The main cause of a slow startup process is autostart programs. These are small executable files that Windows 10 loads when you log in to your PC.
Some apps from the Win 10 autostart are visible in the area next to the clock, such as here:
Others, however, work quietly and secretly in the background.
In my experience, you only need half of the autostart programs at most.
How do I make my PC faster?
Optimizing the Windows 10 PC startup process also speeds up the operating speed.
Because every autostart program that is started automatically in the background also creates a burden in everyday life. After all, the PC is constantly busy with background tasks.
It therefore makes sense to remove as many programs as possible from Autostart.
Where is the Autostart folder in Windows 10? How to disable autostart programs!
There are two ways to edit, remove or deactivate programs from the autostart in Windows 10. We will show you both ways:
Find and edit Autostart in the Task Manager
- Right-click on the Windows start bar.
- Now select Task Manager. In the next window, go to the Startup tab.
- Now go through the list of programs. If there is one you don't really need or can start manually, right-click on it and select "Disable":
- You should also take a look at the Startup effect tab. Here you can find out whether and how much impact the respective program has on the PC's startup process. Pay particular attention to programs that have been rated "High". Unfortunately, Windows 10 is not always reliable here, as entries with "None" can also slow down your PC. Restart your computer now and enjoy a faster startup process.
Find and edit Autostart in the Windows 10 Settings app (new Control Panel)
Since Windows 10, there is a new "Settings" app that allows you to disable autostart programs. We'll tell you how to do this to speed up your PC:
- Click the Windows 10 Start menu, then click Settings:
- Now click "Apps" and then "Autostart" one after the other:
- Now it's getting exciting: To speed up the PC and switch off autostart programs, go through the list step by step and set the switch to the right of the entry on.
- The same applies here: only switch off programs that you really know what you are doing. In many cases, a quick Google search will also help. As a general rule, you can't go wrong. If you deactivate an autostart program, you can quickly reactivate it in the event of a problem. See also the next chapter!
Is switching off autostart programs dangerous?
No. In most cases, you cannot switch off very important autostart programs, such as those of security solutions or antivirus products, without further ado.
If, in rare cases, switching off a program causes problems, you can quickly switch it on again as described in the instructions above.
Deactivating these autostart entries can, in the worst case, result in a missing convenience function.
Example: TeamViewer.
If you remove the remote access program from autostart, other PCs will only be able to access your PC if you have started it again manually.
The volume or screen brightness tools of some manufacturers may also no longer be accessible.
My tip:
Remove a program and see if you are missing any important functionality. You can't break your PC by doing this.
Disable autostart programs in Windows 10 with one program
There are some autostart entries that cannot be easily deactivated using the steps mentioned above.
In addition, some of these small startup programs hide in completely different places or disguise themselves as Windows services or background tasks (see above).
All in all, you can and should simply use a program for easier shutdown.
Which autostart programs can I safely deactivate in Windows 10?
There are some autostart programs that you can disable safely and securely in Windows 10. These include:
- Adobe Updater Startup Utility: A component of Adobe Reader that handles updates. If you launch Adobe Reader manually, you can also install updates yourself at any time.
- Microsoft OneDrive: A synchronization program from Microsoft. If you never use OneDrive, you can turn it off in a snap.
- Cortana: The Cortana voice assistant is rarely used in future versions of Windows, so you might as well disable it right away.
- LogiOptions.exe and Logitech Download Assistant: Helps you configure your Logitech mouse or keyboard. The program does not need to run continuously in the background unless you're using features like Flow, which lets you switch between different profiles.
- Microsoft Teams / Zoom: These popular meeting and video conferencing programs are also loaded automatically in the background and are then quickly available to you. However, you can launch the programs from the Start menu at any time. Therefore, you can safely disable them.
- Spotify: A popular program for streaming music, podcasts, and music videos. If you disable Spotify's autostart entry, it may take a little longer for Spotify to start up.
- TeamViewer: If you disable the TeamViewer startup entry, the remote maintenance program will no longer run automatically in the background. This is only a problem if other people frequently access your PC. If the startup entry is disabled, you’ll need to launch TeamViewer manually before others can access your PC.
- Intel Management Engine / Components: This tool helps verify the security of Intel processors. It is not strictly necessary for the security features of your PC to function.
- UpdateLibrary: This is an outdated Windows Media Player network streaming feature. Unless you still stream your music to network devices using Media Player, it is no longer necessary.
- Apple Mobile Device Support: Connects your iPod, iPhone, and iPad to Apple iTunes. If you still use iTunes to sync your iOS devices, you should not disable this feature.
- NVIDIA GeForce Experience and NVIDIA Crash and Telemetry Reporter: GeForce Experience can be accessed with a single button press while you're playing a game and allows you to, for example, record and stream your game or display game statistics (e.g., FPS). If you’ve never used GeForce Experience, you can disable this startup entry. What you definitely don’t need, however, is the NVIDIA Crash and Telemetry Reporter: It only sends crash reports to NVIDIA and can even impact performance. Get rid of it!
- Realtek Audio Driver and Realtek High Definition Audio Driver: These are small apps that let you control various audio functions of your sound chip. Don't worry—if you disable this autostart entry for the Realtek Audio Driver, audio output will still work.
- Intel PROSet/Wireless Software: A small program that lets you manage Wi-Fi network profiles. You’ll also find many advanced settings here related to the Wi-Fi adapter in your laptop or desktop PC. Since this software is generally recommended only for experts, you can remove it from the startup list (and launch it manually at any time).
- Thunderbolt Software: This software comes preinstalled on many laptops and ensures that docking stations work properly with the new Thunderbolt port (USB 3.x).
- Mozilla Maintenance Service: The automatic update feature in Mozilla Firefox. You can disable this startup entry, as Mozilla will update itself when the browser is launched.
- Bonjour: Apple's iTunes music sharing service. It lets you stream content from your Windows PC to an Apple TV, for example. Do you need this feature? If so, don't touch it. Otherwise, you can just turn it off right away.
- Intel Rapid Storage Technology: This background app allows you to manage RAID systems (arrays of multiple hard drives). If your PC is not configured for RAID, you do not need this software and can disable the startup entry immediately.
- Synaptics Pointing Device Driver: This software lets you customize your touchpad or trackpad settings, such as sensitivity and gestures. If you never need to use it, you can safely disable the startup entry.
- HP Support Assistant and HP Update: This is a help dashboard for HP laptops and desktops. It assists with driver updates and system optimizations. If you don't need these features running constantly in the background and can start them manually at any time, disable this entry.
Windows 10: Remove autostart programs completely
Do you even want to completely remove entries from Autostart? Then you need to know what you are doing - because you will not be able to undo the changes so quickly (unless you reinstall a program). If you want to delete the Autostart entries completely, follow the steps below:
- Press the WINDOWS key on your keyboard, then press the letter R. Type regedit in the next field.
- Now open the following entries one after the other:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
- To remove an entry, right-click on it and select "Delete." To be on the safe side, you can create a backup by clicking "File" and then "Export" in the upper-left corner.
Autostart of scheduled tasks: Finding and deactivating scheduled tasks under Win 10
Some software manufacturers not only hide their programs in Windows 10 Autostart, but also disguise them as "scheduled tasks".
These are little helpers that start at a certain time or in a certain situation - in the background like the programs in the Autostart folder.
The screenshot below illustrates this:
Here you can see entries for programs and, under Triggers, the conditions under which they execute certain actions.
The MiniToolPartition partitioning program starts invisibly in the background each time the user logs on.
Not all of these entries make sense and should be well thought out.
However, they are not located in the Windows 10 Startup folder. We'll tell you where to find the entries and how to disable them:
Click the Start button in Windows and type the word "Task Scheduler." It should appear immediately in the search results.
Click on it, and the list shown above will appear. When you click on "Task Scheduler Library," you'll initially see many entries in the middle for additional software that's been installed—such as CCleaner, OneDrive, or Microsoft Edge. If you don't use any of these programs at all, you can (and should) simply disable their tasks. To do this, right-click on the entry and select “Disable” (not “Remove,” as you would in the Windows 10 Startup folder).
On the left, you'll see additional entries such as Apple or Avast Software. These usually contain update programs that check for updates once a week. For security software like Avast, you shouldn't turn this off, but for more optional software like Apple, it can sometimes be a good idea.
In the last folder named "Microsoft"—and especially in the "Windows" subfolder—you'll find dozens of additional tasks, packed with important Windows functions that run in the background.
You should only do this if you really know what you are doing.
The following bullets explain the most important functions and show which ones you can disable and which ones you should stay away from. As with the apps in Windows 10 autostart, the same applies here: The entries are sometimes useful and should not be deactivated.
Entries marked in yellow can be deactivated immediately.
- Office: In the "Office" subfolder, for example, you'll find entries responsible for regularly checking for Office updates and verifying licenses. These include, for example, Office Automatic Update 2.0, Office ClickToRun Service Monitor, Office Feature Updates, and Office Feature Updates Logon.
- Windows .NET Framework: These entries are no longer valid and can be disabled. They were previously used to update an older version of the .NET Framework.
- Windows Active Directory Rights Management Services: These settings are only necessary if you connect your PC or laptop to a corporate network. Otherwise, you can safely disable all of them here by right-clicking.
- WindowsAppID, ApplicationData, and Application Experience: The entries contained in these folders are important for apps from the Windows Store, but preinstalled programs may also be affected and may no longer work—these include, for example, the Xbox Game Pass app or the built-in Mail app. If you don’t need these at all, you can safely disable the apps.
- WindowsAutochk: This feature checks the telemetry data that Microsoft collects about you. You should disable it immediately to improve performance when Windows starts. To do so, right-click on "Proxy" and select "Disable.".
- Windows Bluetooth: You should only disable the entries listed here—such as "UninstallDevice"—if you are not using any Bluetooth devices.
- Windows Chkdsk and Windows Data Integrity Scan: These tools perform regular disk checks and may flag potential disk failures before they occur. You should disable them only if you use a different program for disk checks or if you perform disk checks yourself on a regular basis.
- Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program: Collects data about your usage habits as well as crash reports and sends them to Microsoft. If you'd rather not, you can disable this feature to free up some system resources.
- WindowsDefrag: Automatically defragments the hard drive. For SSDs, the TRIM command is executed to extend their lifespan. You should only turn it off if you
- WindowsDevice Information: The "Device" and "Device User" tasks included here collect information about hardware that is not compatible with Windows 10 or 11. This can cause errors and high CPU usage on some PCs and can therefore be disabled. There are reports of CPU usage reductions of up to 40% as a result. This also applies to the entries under WindowsDevice Setup.
- Windows Diagnosis and Windows Disk Cleanup: Automatically checks for new Windows fixes and runs maintenance tasks in the background. If you use other maintenance programs, such as CCleaner or similar tools, you do not need these maintenance features.
- WindowsDiskFootprint: The tasks listed under this entry (Diagnostics, StorageSense) check for hard drive problems while the system is idle. In the past, this has even caused a command-line window to open while the system was idle and suddenly start activities that looked suspiciously like a virus. If you’d prefer to check your hard drive for errors yourself, you can disable these entries.
- WindowsExploitGuard: Provides important security features and settings related to Windows exploit protection. This feature is essential for protection against malware and should not be disabled.
- WindowsFeedback: Allows you to send feedback to Microsoft in Windows and Office. You can also turn this off if you don't want to constantly share your opinions with Microsoft.
- Windows File History: The File History feature in Windows allows you to restore various older versions of files. However, this feature is no longer enabled by default (you can find it by searching for "File History" in the Start menu and opening its settings; see screenshot). These days, OneDrive helps prevent accidental deletions and can also restore previous versions.
- WindowsFlighting: You should not modify these settings, as they are responsible for updates and Windows Update.
- WindowsLocation: Ensures that your location is checked regularly and shared with Windows apps. You can turn this off.
- WindowsMaintenance: Periodically tests your PC's performance. This feature is unnecessary these days and only drains system resources. Right-click on it and select "Disable.".
- WindowsSysMain: This is responsible for the SuperFetch feature, which speeds up program startup in Windows. You should only disable this if you have turned off SuperFetch in Windows Services and have a very fast SSD.
- WindowsMemoryDiagnostics: Tests the RAM at regular intervals. This wastes unnecessary processing cycles and is often unhelpful, since errors can only be detected by professional programs such as MemTest64 - Memory Stability Tester (techpowerup.com). Spare yourself and your PC this feature.
- Windows Power Efficiency Diagnostics: Tracks apps that increase the PC's power consumption. It is not necessary for using the PC and can be turned off.
- Windows Registry: Automatically creates a backup of the Windows Registry. Unfortunately, if a problem arises, it can be difficult to access this backup—the feature is intended primarily for support professionals and can be disabled.
- WindowsTimeSynchronization: Handles time synchronization in Windows and, ideally, should not be disabled.
- WindowsErrorReporting: Sends errors, such as crash reports, to Microsoft. You can safely turn this off.
Tip: If you see entries that have no information under "Next Run" and whose "Last Run" is dated 1999, you can safely ignore them, as they will never be executed despite their "Ready" status.
FAQ: Faster startup and better performance with a tidy autostart folder
Thanks to our tips and advice, the Windows 10 PC boot process should now run smoothly again - and the overall working speed will also increase!
We summarize the most important answers here:
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already We have been tweaking Windows since 1998 and just don't stop!
Great article, well explained, even for absolute laymen like me! Thank you!
Hi Mari, thank you for your great feedback on our Windows autostart tips, we're very pleased 🙂 Were you able to fix your autostart problem? Which autostart tip helped you?