The way to speed up Windows that many people often use is to turn off applications running in the background, running in the system, in addition to using other methods. This will help the computer improve resources and capacity, create stability and the computer will run faster.
Not only on Windows 10/11, but also on Windows 8/7, the status of applications running in the background will affect the system. In particular, when using the computer for a long time without blocking the application running in the background, it will lead to the situation of the computer starting slowly and operating sluggishly. The following article of WebTech360 will guide readers on how to turn off applications running in the background on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Turn off background applications on Windows
Disabling background apps doesn't stop the actual apps from running. You can still launch and use them when you need them. It just stops apps from downloading data, using CPU/RAM, and consuming battery when you're not using them.
OneDrive is a service that is often present in Windows systems. It can be very important if you have OneDrive cloud sync enabled. However, it is not a required application for Windows to function properly. Therefore, you can completely disable it if you do not use the OneDrive backup/sync system.
This depends on how important the process you're killing is. If it's a critical process, like Winlogon - the process that manages Windows login credentials - then your system may crash and cause a shutdown. Restarting Windows may fix the problem.
You should not disable any Windows services that affect the mouse, keyboard, touchpad, audio output, and graphics.
You may wonder why there are so many applications and processes running in the background? Windows operating systems ten years ago were much lighter than they are today, as they had fewer processes to handle.
Windows 11 (feels) particularly resource-intensive, as it's packed with pre-installed programs, an advanced search engine, a rich media player, and a bunch of other third-party software.
Each new software installation, depending on the nature of the software, will consume more memory. Software developers nowadays like to use beautiful graphics, which is also one of the reasons for consuming RAM and CPU performance. Some processes can even still run in the background, even if you have uninstalled the main application.
A simple rule of thumb is: core processes that are essential to running Windows should not be killed, as they can affect the stability of Windows. Most other background processes and applications are optional. The important thing is to identify which processes are not Windows processes and kill them (unless they are malware masquerading as legitimate processes, which will require IT professionals to find and deal with).
Task Manager should be the first thing you think of when your computer is running slow and heavy. It provides the most comprehensive overview and the fastest way to end unresponsive (frozen) programs.
1. Open Task Manager:
Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager. If the screen is frozen, press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Alternatively, you can also launch it by going to Run (press the key combination Win+R) and typing taskmr.
2. Select the Processes tab , identify the applications that are consuming the most RAM and CPU. If those are applications that you have to wait for processing results (such as unsaved files, unsaved forms...) then try to wait, otherwise, right-click on the process of each application and select End task .
3. You can terminate duplicate or partial versions of any running program.
Note : Do not stop any Windows system processes, such as Runtime Broker, from the Taskbar. These processes will use other methods to stop .
4. It is possible to stop any tasks related to Windows applications that you are not using, such as Cortana or Phone Link...
5. On the Task Manager window , select the Startup tab and disable any processes that are not needed immediately after starting the computer. For example, on my computer, I only enable processes related to the Intel graphics utility and Realtek audio driver, in addition to Unikey. The rest, all other processes are optional, because your computer still works fine without them.
Note : If you use a VPN app, it may have added itself to the Startup tab. This can consume a lot of memory, so disable it during this step.
Task Manager only provides a temporary solution, in stopping unnecessary background processes. Use the Windows Services Manager tool, if you do not want to see an unimportant application still running, after the next reboot.
1. Run Windows Services Manager from the Search menu or open the Run window ( Win+R ) and search for services.msc.
2. You'll find most Microsoft processes in the Services (Local) list, and they should remain. However, this list may also include third-party software services that remain active, even after the main application has been uninstalled.
3. Double-click the remaining application to launch its Properties . In the General tab, change the Startup type status to Disabled .
The Microsoft System Configuration utility (also known as MSConfig) is very handy, it helps you focus on non-Windows background services and easily remove them.
1. Open MSConfig from the search menu or from Run ( Win+R ) type msconfig.
2. On the System Configuration window , navigate to the Services tab and explore the applications that you will not need running in the background of the system. For example, if you do not need to use the Windows Phone Service, stop it in this section.
3. Select the Hide all Microsoft services box to identify non-Microsoft services that need to be stopped. Only then will non-Microsoft services be displayed.
4. Select unnecessary services running in the background on Windows.
5. Click Disable all to disable all non-Microsoft services you selected.
Note : Do not select any services related to Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, hardware or drivers.
6. After clicking Disable all , System Configuration will ask to restart the system. Click Restart to restart Windows and apply the new changes.
If your computer is really slow, consider uninstalling unused applications in the Control Panel. This method is really effective for older computers, as it significantly increases CPU and RAM performance.
1. Open Control Panel from Windows search or on the Run dialog box ( Win+R ) type control panel.
2. Navigate to the Programs item or click Uninstall a program just below it in the Control Panel menu.
3. Right-click the application you want to remove and select Uninstall . Uninstalling an application in Control Panel will have a much stronger impact than uninstalling an application in Apps -> Apps & Features .
4. Go back to the Control Panel page and select System and Security . Click System -> Advanced System Settings to open System Properties .
5. In the System Properties window , switch to the Advanced tab . Under Performance , click Settings . You should be logged in as an administrator to make these changes.
6. In the Visual Effects section , change the default Windows display settings from Let Windows choose what's best for my computer to Adjust for best performance .
7. Click Apply to confirm the changes.
On Windows, you have the option to control whether apps should consume more resources than they need to. You'll find this option in the Apps & features menu, and the option is slightly different on Windows 11 than on Windows 10.
1. Go to Apps > Apps & features , you will see the applications installed on your device along with some other information.
2. Click on the three dot menu to select Advanced options .
3. Under Background apps permissions , change the option to Power optimized (recommended) instead of Always .
4. On Windows 10, select Start -> Settings -> Privacy -> Background apps , then make sure Let apps run in the background is turned OFF .
Because of its constant use, Windows hard drives can become cluttered with old updates, installed programs, and fragmented files. Scheduling regular disk cleanups can help defragment your hard drive and solve many performance and capacity issues.
1. In the search box, type disk cleanupor in the Run dialog box ( Win+R ) type cleanmgr.
2. If your computer has multiple drives, select the drive you want to clean up, then click OK . Wait a few seconds or minutes (on older computers) for Disk Cleanup to calculate the drive capacity.
3. Select the files you want to delete. Windows Update Cleanup is a large file, you should consider deleting it periodically.
4. Select OK to start the disk cleanup operation. This process may take a few minutes.
5. You can also defragment and optimize your computer's hard drive using the Defragment and Optimize Drives utility . Open this option by typing dfrguion the Run dialog box ( Win+R ).
6. Click the Analyze button to see how fragmented your computer is.
7. Click Optimize to optimize your hard drive. This will take a while to complete.
Windows PowerShell (Admin) is a powerful utility used to instantly terminate stubborn processes. Because it is so powerful, it is almost exclusively for administrators, however, if you use the following commands correctly, you will solve your problem.
1. Open PowerShell in Administrator mode from the search menu. Alternatively, you can run it from Run ( Win+R ) then type powershell, and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
2. Enter the following command into the PowerShell window :
Get-Process | where
3. Identify any processes you want to kill and terminate them using the command below:
Stop-Process -Name ProcessName
To deal with stubborn Windows processes that come back after booting, Windows provides a handy AutoEndTasks feature in the Registry Editor.
1. Open Registry Editor from the search menu or in the Run dialog box ( Win+R ) type regedit.
2. Navigate to the left side as follows: Computer -> HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Control Panel -> Desktop .
3. Look for the AutoEndTasks option in the right pane. If you don't see it, create it yourself by right-clicking anywhere on the right pane, creating a new string value with the name AutoEndTasks .
4. Edit the default value of AutoEndTasks from 0 to 1. Then close the Registry Editor window, all old processes will not run again after each shutdown.
Step 1: First, we will open the Windows Settings window interface by clicking on the Start menu and then clicking on the gear icon .
Or you can use the key combination Windows+ I.
Step 2: In the Windows Settings interface , continue to click on Privacy to set up changes.
Step 3: Under Privacy, click on Background apps from the left pane of the window to check the applications running in the background on the Windows system.
In the right frame, you will see a list of applications running in the background on your computer such as Calendar, Maps, Alarm & Clock…
Step 4: To turn off background applications on Windows 10 , slide the horizontal bar to the left to switch to Off mode for all applications, so you have turned off the background running mode on Win 10 of those apps.
Note to users , we can only turn off background applications that are pre-installed on the system. You cannot apply this method to third-party applications such as Chrome, Firefox browsers, but you can turn off Microsoft Edge browser running in the background on Windows 10 computers.
In addition, we can open Task Manager to check which applications are taking up a lot of resources on the computer, by pressing the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc .
Note: You should backup your registry before making changes using this method.
Step 1: Open Registry Editor on Windows .
Step 2: Navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > AppPrivacy .
Step 3 : If you don't see the AppPrivacy key , create it. Right-click on the blank space in the right pane. Right-click and select New > DWORD (32-BIT) Value , name it LetAppsRunInBackground.
Step 4: Next, once created, double-click on it, in the new window that appears, change the value in the Value data box to 2 , click OK.
Conversely, if you change your mind and want to allow apps to run in the background again, delete the LetAppsRunInBackground key or change its value to 0 .
If you are using Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education versions, then you should use Local Group Policy to disable background applications in Windows 10.
Step 1:Windows Press the + key combination Rto open the Run command window.
Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter:
gpedit.msc Step 3: Find App Privacy by following the navigation below:
Step 4: When navigating to App Privacy, look for the Let Windows apps run in the background option located on the right pane.
Step 5: Double-click Let Windows apps run in the background to bring up a new window, click the Enabled option in the upper left of the window.
Step 6: Next, look down at the Default for all apps section , click on the drop-down menu and select Force Deny .
Step 7: Click Apply then OK and restart your PC to save the changes.
Step 1: First, we will open the Windows Settings window interface by clicking on the Start menu and then clicking on the gear icon .
Or you can use the key combination Windows+ I.
Step 2: In the Windows Settings interface , continue to click on System to set up system settings.
Step 3: Switch to the new interface, in the list on the left, click on Battery settings .
Step 4: Switch to the right interface of the Battery saver section , monitor the Battery saver status until next charge section and turn this mode on (ON). This is the battery saving mode, when you turn it on, Windows 10 will turn off all background applications from the Microsoft Store.
Note:
Selective Startup disables third-party security software such as firewalls and antivirus software. For added protection, you may want to disconnect your computer from the Internet while performing this test (turn off your modem or disconnect the network cable). Additionally, running Selective Startup may cause you to lose your Internet connection. Returning your computer to Normal Startup will allow you to reconnect to the Internet.
It is recommended that you do not leave your computer in Selective Startup mode, as this may cause parts of your security software or other applications to become unavailable. Once you have determined which program is causing the problem, you should check the program's documentation or help site to see if it can be configured to avoid conflicts.
These steps are only for troubleshooting any problems you may be experiencing. Once you have determined whether a background program is causing the problem, you should run the System Configuration utility again and select Normal Startup.
Step 1 : Click the Windows button ( Start button ).
Step 2 : In the space provided at the bottom, type Run and then click on the search icon.
Step 3 : Select Run in Programs.
Step 4 : Type MSCONFIG , then select OK. The System Configuration utility window will open.
Step 5 : Check the Selective Startup box.
Step 6 : Click OK.
Step 7 : Uncheck Load Startup Items .
Step 8 : Click Apply , then select Close.
Step 9 : Restart your computer.
Letting applications run in the background on Windows 10 can help us open applications faster, but it is also the reason why the computer works slowly and sluggishly because the applications running in the background will take up a lot of resources on the system. It is best for users to completely turn off applications running in the background on Windows 10 or any Windows system, to avoid the phenomenon of slow computer operation.
Good luck!
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