How to Disable Startup Programs in Windows 7

Follow these solutions to disable Startup programs in Windows 7

by Henderson Jayden Harper
Henderson Jayden Harper
Henderson Jayden Harper
Passionate about technology, Crypto, software, Windows, and everything computer-related, he spends most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. He also enjoys... read more
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Vlad Turiceanu
Vlad Turiceanu
Editor-in-Chief
Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming... read more
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  • Startup programs automatically launch when you boot the system.
  • Having many startup programs on your PC can affect Windows and take longer to boot.
  • Deleting the shortcut entry of the program in the Startup directory can fix the issue.
How to disable startup programs in Windows 7

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Startup programs can accumulate as you install more apps on your computer, and they launch immediately when you power up your PC.

It can cause Windows to take a longer time than usual to boot or startup. Hence, we’ll assume you can disable startup programs on Windows 7.

Also, you can use Startup Manager in Windows 10 to manage your startup programs.

Is it OK to disable all startup programs?

Knowing how safe it is is essential before asking how to disable startup programs on Windows devices. Removing Startup programs on Windows PC has lots of advantages. Some of the benefits are:

  • Improves your PC’s performance – A notable benefit of disabling Windows 11 startup programs is that it speeds up Windows on your PC. In addition, when you don’t have many apps running from startup, it limits the workload the PC takes once.
  • Improves boot speed – You can fix the slow boot speed of your PC by limiting the number of startup programs that launch automatically from the boot. In addition, it helps reduce the amount of power they consume.

However, a significant disadvantage of this process is:

  • Restricts activities of some essential apps – Disabling some startup programs can affect software like antivirus that needs to start from boot to scan your PC as soon as it runs.

Nonetheless, be careful with the programs you disable to preserve the services of essential programs that Windows need for startups and smooth performance.

How do I disable startup programs in Windows 7?

Before anything, you need to ensure the following things are in place first:

  • Ensure that all Microsoft programs are not disabled or tampered with.
  • Avoid disabling Startup programs if your PC is working excellently.

If these have been checked, you can disable the startup programs on Windows 7 with these steps:

1. Deleting the program’s shortcut from the Startup folder

  1. Left-click the Start button and click All programs from the drop-down.
  2. Navigate through and click on the Startup folder to expand it.
  3. Locate the shortcut to the program or application you want to disable under the Startup folder.
  4. Right-click on the Shortcut and click on Delete from the drop-down.
  5. Confirm the process in the new prompt and restart your PC to check if the program is disabled.

The program shortcut in the Startup folder is responsible for launching the program on startup. So, deleting the shortcut will prevent the program from launching on boot.

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If you have issues locating the Windows startup folder on your PC, check for other means of accessing it.

2. Disable programs from launching on startup using the Registry

  1. Press the Windows + R key to open the Run box, type Regedit, and press ENTER to launch the Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to the following directory: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft> Windows > CurrentVersion
  3. Click on the Run folder, then right-click on it and click on Delete, then confirm the process from the new prompt.
  4. Restart your PC.

The above process prevents the program from launching on startup and doesn’t affect its installed client on your PC.

However, deleting the program’s Run components in the Registry Editor will stop it from running on boot.

3. Disable the startup item via the System Configuration

  1. Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type MSConfig, and press ENTER to prompt the System Configuration.
  2. Under the Startup item menu, find the program to disable from launching when your Windows starts up and uncheck its box; click on Apply, then OK.
  3. Restart your PC and check if the app doesn’t start on startup.

Disabling the startup program from the System Configuration is an alternative way to stop it from launching on boot. It doesn’t entail deleting its shortcut component.

For users having difficulties accessing MsConfig in Windows 10/11, check for other methods to open it.

4. Delete the program from the Registry Startup

  1. Press the Windows + R key to open the Run window, type Regedit, and press ENTER.
  2. In the Registry Editor, go to the following location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SharedTools\MSConfig\startupreg
  3. Right-click on the entry for the startup program and select Delete from the drop-down.
  4. Restart your PC to check if the program launches on startup.

Deleting the program from the startup reg folder will clear its startup option and prevent it from launching at the start.

Alternatively, users can check our article about the best apps to manage startup items on your PC and improve its boot time.

Also, you can fix the Windows Startup folder that is empty on your computer.

If you have further questions or suggestions, kindly leave them in the comments below.

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