How to Disable Background Apps in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Disabling background apps in Windows can help optimize system performance, save resources, and extend your device's battery life. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to turn off background apps in Windows 10 and Windows 11 using system settings.

Disabling Background Apps in Windows 10

In Windows 10, you can turn off background apps through the Privacy settings. Follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings by clicking on the Start button and selecting the gear icon.
  2. Go to the Privacy section.
  3. In the left-hand menu, select Background apps.
  4. You will see a list of apps that run in the background. You can:
    • Turn off all background apps by switching the Let apps run in the background toggle to Off.
    • Select specific apps to allow or prevent from running in the background.

These steps will help you significantly reduce system resource usage.

Disabling Background Apps in Windows 11

In Windows 11, the process for disabling background apps has been slightly updated. You can now control it via the Apps section in system settings:

  1. Open Settings by clicking on Start and selecting the gear icon, or by using the Win + I shortcut.
  2. Go to the Apps section and then select Apps & features.
  3. Find the app you want to disable in the list, then click the three dots next to it.
  4. Select Advanced options.
  5. In the Background app permissions section, set the option to Never to stop the app from running in the background.

Unlike in Windows 10, Windows 11 allows you to manage background processes for each app individually, giving you more flexibility over your system’s settings.