Slow boot times are almost always caused by too many programs launching at startup — each one adding CPU load, disk I/O, and memory pressure before you have typed a single word. The good news is that removing unnecessary startup items is the highest-value five-minute fix on any Windows PC or Mac. Here is how to do it properly in 2026.
What changed in 2026
- Windows 11 24H2 added a startup impact score shown directly in Task Manager — High, Medium, or Low. Sort by High first.
- macOS Sequoia reorganised Login Items into two sections: Login Items (apps you added) and Background Items (things apps added without asking). The latter is where most bloat hides.
- More apps use background services now — even apps that are "disabled" in startup may have a service that runs anyway. Both platforms now surface these separately.
- Windows Startup Boost for Edge and similar browser startup optimisations are now opt-in rather than silently enabled.
Windows 11: manage startup apps
Via Task Manager (fastest)
- Right-click the taskbar → Task Manager (or Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
- Click Startup apps in the left sidebar.
- Sort by Startup impact — address "High" entries first.
- Right-click any entry → Disable.
| Impact level |
Action |
| High |
Disable unless you use the app within minutes of boot |
| Medium |
Disable unless needed immediately at login |
| Low |
Leave — minimal effect on boot time |
| Not measured |
Investigate — unknown entries may be malware or bloat |
Via Settings
Settings → Apps → Startup. Toggle apps off. Gives the same result as Task Manager with a cleaner interface.
Registry / shell folders (advanced)
Sneaky apps register in multiple locations. If an entry keeps re-enabling, check these in Registry Editor (regedit):
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (current user)HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (all users)
Delete entries here to prevent them from re-appearing. Back up the registry before editing.
Windows 11: scheduled tasks and services
Some apps bypass startup lists entirely and use scheduled tasks or services. Check:
- Task Scheduler (search the Start menu) → Task Scheduler Library → look for tasks with "At log on" or "At startup" triggers from software you did not intentionally install.
- Services (services.msc) → sort by Startup Type → review "Automatic" entries from third-party software.
Mac: manage login items (macOS Sequoia)
- Apple menu → System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions.
- Two sections appear:
- Open at Login — apps you explicitly added, and apps that asked to launch at login.
- Allow in the Background — background agents added by apps, often silently.
- Toggle off anything you do not need.
Common background bloat: updater daemons from Adobe, Microsoft, Dropbox, Zoom, and printer manufacturers. Disabling their background items does not break the app — you just update manually.
Legacy Login Items (pre-Ventura apps)
Some older apps still use ~/Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchAgents. To inspect:
Open Terminal:
ls ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
ls /Library/LaunchAgents/
Disable a specific agent without deleting it:
launchctl unload -w ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.example.agent.plist
How to decide what to disable
Ask three questions for each startup item:
- Do I use this app within the first 10 minutes after login? → Keep it. Otherwise disable.
- Is this an updater for software I rarely use? → Disable. Open the app to trigger an update manually when needed.
- Do I recognise this entry at all? → If not, research it. Unknown entries with generic names can be adware or bundled software.
Common safe-to-disable entries on Windows: Teams (if not used at login), Discord, Spotify, OneDrive (if not using), Adobe updaters, Slack.
Common safe-to-disable on Mac: Zoom, Teams, Microsoft AutoUpdate, Adobe Creative Cloud helper, printer utility agents.
Common mistakes
Disabling antivirus or security tools. These should start at boot. Do not disable Windows Security or any active security product.
Disabling cloud sync agents when you rely on sync. Disabling Dropbox or OneDrive startup means files will not sync until you open the app.
Expecting boot time to drop to zero. Even a clean system needs 15–30 seconds to boot on a SATA SSD, and 5–10 seconds on NVMe. You are optimising the overhead, not the baseline.
Only checking Task Manager once. Some installers re-add startup entries on app update. Revisit every few months.
What to skip
- CCleaner Startup Manager or similar third-party tools — Task Manager and System Settings handle this natively and safely.
- Disabling Windows services blindly based on online "tweaker" guides — many services are genuinely needed; disabling them breaks features.
- Fast Startup on Windows as a primary optimisation — it is enabled by default; its tradeoffs (masking hardware issues, causing update problems) mean some users disable it intentionally.
FAQ
How much faster will my boot be after disabling startup apps?
On a heavily loaded system, 20–60 seconds faster is realistic. On a lightly loaded system, the gain is smaller — a few seconds.
Can I re-enable disabled startup items?
Yes, any time. Task Manager and Login Items both let you toggle back on. Disabling is not permanent.
Should I put my PC to sleep instead of shutting down?
For most users, yes — sleep/wake is 1–3 seconds on NVMe SSDs with Modern Standby. But a weekly full restart keeps Windows update and memory management healthy.
Why does my Mac have so many background items I never added?
Apps register background agents during installation without prompting. macOS Sequoia made these visible; most are just updater or crash reporter daemons that are safe to disable.
Where to go next