How to Fix Greyed Out Background Apps in Windows 11

If background apps are grayed out on your Windows 10 PC, they’re basically blocked from running, which can cause apps to stop updating or working properly.

This usually happens due to permission restrictions, power-saving settings, or policies set by your network admin. Sometimes, system glitches or incompatible apps are to blame too.

This guide will help you understand what’s causing the problem and how to fix it for smoother app performance.

1. Check app permissions

1. Press the Windows + I key to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Privacy, then select the Background apps option.

   

3. Ensure the toggle switch for Let apps run in the background is on.

   

4. Scroll down to the list of apps and ensure the app you want to run in the background has its toggle switch enabled.

After this process, you should troubleshoot the background app grayed out issue on Windows 10. Should the permissions be grayed, apply the following solution and retry.

2. Update your graphics driver

1. Press Windows + R keys to prompt the Run window, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK.
2. Click on the Display adapters entry, right-click the driver, then click Update driver.

   

3. Then, select the Search automatically for drivers option.

   

4. Restart your PC and check if the background application is still grayed out.

Updating your graphics driver will fix bugs causing the problem and install patches to improve the driver’s performance. Also, it resolves graphics issues by blacking out the background app.

Check our article about other steps for updating graphics drivers on Windows 11 if you have any issues with the steps above.

Ensure your system performs smoothly and avoids all GPU driver errors by using a complete driver update assistant, namely Outbyte Driver Updater, that will do the job for you. Here's how to safely update your drivers:

1. Download and install the Outbyte Driver Updater app.
2. Launch the software and wait for the app to detect all incompatible drivers.
3. Now, it will show you a list of all faulty drivers to select the ones to Update or Ignore.
   

   

4. Click on Update & Apply Selected to download and install the newest versions.
5. Restart your PC to ensure the applied changes.

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3. Enable background apps via Group Policy Editor

1. Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box and type gpedit.msc, then press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.

   

2. Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\App Privacy
3. Find the Let Windows apps run in the background option on the right pane, then double-click on it.

   

4. Tick the radio button for Enabled. On the Default for all apps window, select User is in control from the drop-down. Click the OK button to save the changes.

   

5. Press Windows + R keys, type cmd, then press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys.
6. Type the following command and press Enter: gpupdate /force
7. Restart your computer and check if you can access your background apps.

These steps will enable your background apps using the Group Policy Editor and run the force update command to effect the changes.

4. Reset app preferences

1. Press Windows + I key to open the Settings app.
2. Click on Apps from the menu, then select Apps and features from the left pane.

   

3. Scroll down and find the problematic app, click on it, and choose Advanced options.
4. Click the Reset button to reset the app’s settings to default.

   

Resetting the app will troubleshoot any app settings causing the issue.

Alternatively, you can check our guide on how to fix apps not opening on Windows 11. Likewise, we have an article about what to do if too many background processes run on Windows PCs.

For more on background app issues, check out our guides on background apps in Windows 11 and Windows 11 background apps missing.

If you have further questions or suggestions regarding this guide, kindly drop them in the comments section.