How to Change Startup Programs on Windows and Mac
Every time you boot your computer, a queue of programs launches automatically in the background. Some of these are essential — antivirus software, cloud sync tools, hardware drivers. Others are bloatware or forgotten apps that quietly consume CPU, RAM, and disk resources before you've even opened a browser tab. Knowing how to manage startup programs is one of the most practical things you can do to improve boot times and day-to-day performance.
What Are Startup Programs?
Startup programs are applications configured to launch automatically when your operating system loads. They register themselves in specific system locations — registry keys on Windows, login items on macOS — and the OS reads those entries at boot.
Some programs add themselves during installation without asking. Others are added deliberately by the user. Over time, the list grows, and so does the time it takes your machine to become fully usable after powering on.
The impact varies. A single lightweight app might add a fraction of a second. A heavy suite like a creative software manager, gaming launcher, or cloud backup client can add 10–30 seconds or more to your effective boot time, even on modern hardware.
How to Change Startup Programs on Windows
Windows gives you several ways to manage startup programs depending on your version and preference.
Task Manager (Windows 10 and 11)
This is the most straightforward method for most users:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
- Click the Startup tab (or Startup Apps in Windows 11)
- Right-click any entry and select Enable or Disable
Task Manager also displays a Startup impact rating — Low, Medium, or High — which gives you a quick sense of what's worth disabling.
Settings App (Windows 11)
- Open Settings → Apps → Startup
- Toggle individual apps on or off
This method shows the same information as Task Manager in a cleaner interface.
System Configuration (msconfig)
For more advanced users, msconfig (run via the Start menu search) offers a Services tab alongside startup options, useful for troubleshooting or managing background services tied to specific software.
Startup Folders
Windows also supports a literal startup folder. Programs placed here launch at login. You can access it by pressing Win + R and typing shell:startup. Removing a shortcut from this folder stops that program from launching — without uninstalling it.
How to Change Startup Programs on macOS
Login Items (macOS Ventura and later)
- Open System Settings → General → Login Items
- Under Open at Login, select an app and click the minus (–) button to remove it
- Under Allow in Background, toggle off services you don't need running silently
Login Items (macOS Monterey and earlier)
- Go to System Preferences → Users & Groups
- Click your username, then the Login Items tab
- Select an app and click the – button to remove it
LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons
Some background processes don't appear in Login Items at all. These run via LaunchAgents (user-level) and LaunchDaemons (system-level), stored in folders like ~/Library/LaunchAgents. Managing these manually requires more technical comfort — editing or removing .plist files — and carries some risk if you're unfamiliar with what a service does.
What to Disable vs. What to Keep 🖥️
Not everything in your startup list is safe to turn off. Here's a general framework:
| Program Type | Usually Safe to Disable? |
|---|---|
| Cloud storage sync (Dropbox, OneDrive) | Yes — unless you need real-time sync |
| Gaming launchers (Steam, Epic, etc.) | Yes — they launch when you open a game |
| Creative software updaters | Yes — update manually when needed |
| Antivirus / security software | No — keep these running |
| Hardware drivers (audio, GPU, input) | Caution — some are required |
| VPN clients | Depends on your workflow |
| Communication tools (Slack, Teams, Zoom) | Yes — unless you need instant availability |
When in doubt, disable rather than delete. You can always re-enable something that turns out to be necessary.
Why Boot Time Improvements Vary
Two users can follow the exact same steps and see very different results. The factors at play include:
- Storage type: Machines with SSDs boot fundamentally faster than those with HDDs, so the relative gains from disabling startup programs differ
- RAM: With more RAM, background processes have less impact on overall responsiveness
- Number and weight of startup entries: Disabling one heavyweight app may shave 15 seconds; disabling five lightweight ones might save two
- OS version and configuration: Windows 11 and recent macOS versions handle startup processes differently than older versions
- Hardware age: Older processors show more visible improvement from reducing startup load
Third-Party Tools
Several utilities offer more granular control than built-in OS tools. On Windows, Autoruns (from Microsoft's Sysinternals suite) is the most comprehensive — it surfaces startup entries that Task Manager doesn't show, including browser extensions, scheduled tasks, and shell extensions. These tools are genuinely powerful but are better suited to users comfortable reading system-level information.
On macOS, apps like CleanMyMac or Little Snitch surface startup items and background agents with more context than the native interface provides. ⚠️ Third-party tools vary in quality and permissions they require — worth researching before installing.
The Variables That Determine Your Outcome
How much improvement you'll see, and which items are actually worth disabling, depends entirely on what's currently running on your machine, how your system is configured, and how you actually use your computer day to day. A developer running Docker and local servers has a very different startup profile than someone using a laptop mostly for browsing and documents — and the right configuration for each looks nothing alike.