How do I stop programs starting automatically?

Programs add themselves to startup because it benefits them, not you. Over a few years the list becomes long, and every entry costs boot time and memory for the rest of the session.

Step by step

1. Open the startup list.Windows: Task Manager, Startup apps tab. Mac: System Settings, General, Login Items. Both show what launches and, on Windows, an estimate of its impact.
2. Sort by impact if you can.Windows rates each entry. Start with the high-impact ones — a few of those account for most of the delay.
3. Disable what you do not need immediately.Chat apps, media players, cloud storage you rarely use, manufacturer utilities, updater helpers. All still open normally when you want them.
4. Keep the essentials.Antivirus, system and driver utilities, and anything that must run to receive messages you actually rely on. If you are unsure, search the name before disabling.
5. Check the background items too.Mac has "Allow in the Background" alongside login items, and Windows has background app permissions. These are the ones people miss, and they run all session.
6. Look inside the applications as well.Many have their own "start with the computer" setting. Turning it off there stops them re-adding themselves after every update.
7. Restart and see the difference.The measure is boot time and how responsive the machine is afterwards. Do not disable twenty things at once and lose track of which mattered.
8. Re-enable anything you miss.One click. This is a low-risk activity precisely because it is reversible.

Tips

• Cloud storage clients are worth keeping if you rely on files syncing, and worth disabling if you use them occasionally. It depends entirely on how you work.
• If you cannot identify an entry, search its exact name. Some are genuine drivers with obscure names and some are adware.
• Do this once a year. The list grows quietly every time you install something.

Questions people ask