7 Ways to Turn Off Background Applications in Windows 10 on PC and Laptop

How to turn off background applications on a laptop? This is a question that many of you wonder about while using your computer. If you do not turn off background applications, your computer will become slower and slower and lag will occur quite often. So how to turn off background applications on a laptop  ? Let's find out below!

1. How to turn off background applications using Task Manager

Before proceeding to turn off the background application on your laptop, you need to check if your computer has any background applications. If not, the way you apply to turn off the application is ineffective. Currently, there are 2 ways to check the background application on Win 10 specifically as follows:

1.1. Method 1: Using key combinations

To check if your computer is using background applications, press the key combination Window + R , then copy the keyword ' msconfig ' and press OK .

At this time, an options window will appear on the screen, click on ' task startup ' and select ' open task manager '.

To turn off background applications, click on the application you want to turn off in the Background processes  section and select End task (or press Delete).

A screen will appear to show you which applications are running in the background on your computer. Once you know how many applications are running in the background, you can turn them off to avoid affecting the use of your computer.

1.2. Method 2: Use the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc

The second way to check the background applications on your laptop is to use the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc . At this time, the list of applications running on the computer will immediately appear on the screen. These background applications are the reason why your laptop is slow.

2. How to turn off background applications using Windows Settings

So how to turn off background applications on a laptop? There are many ways for you to completely turn off these applications. Specifically, how to turn off background applications on a laptop is as follows:

2.1. How to turn off background applications in settings

The most common way to disable background apps in settings is to follow these steps:

Step 1 : Enter the keyword ' background apps ' in the search bar > Select  Background apps .

Step 2 :  Select the application you want to turn off by tapping on  the application's  on/off status bar .

Once you have completed the steps, you can use the application as normal. However, when you close them, the processes will be terminated until you restart. This allows users to be completely assured and not worry about the device lagging or operating system errors due to too many applications running in the background.

3. How to turn off background applications using Registry Editor

Step 1 :  Enter the keyword ' registry Editor ' in the search bar > Run the application with admin rights by selecting  Run as adminstrator .

Step 2:  Enter the link below into the address bar then press  Enter .

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsAppx

Step 3 :  Create a file named " L etAppsRunInBackground "  (if it doesn't exist yet) by  right- clicking  > Select  New  > Select  DWORD (32-BIT) Value .

Step 4 :  Open the file you just created and change  the Value data  to 2 > Click  OK  if you want to stop background applications.

4. How to turn off background applications using Command Prompt

Step 1 :  Type  'cmd'  in the search bar > Run the application with admin rights by selecting  Run as Administrator .

Step 2 : In the cmd window, type the following command and press  Enter  to execute it.

Reg Add HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionBackgroundAccessApplications /v GlobalUserDisabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

If you want to turn the background apps back on, re-enter the following command and press  Enter .

Reg Add HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionBackgroundAccessApplications /v GlobalUserDisabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

5. How to turn off background applications using PowerShell

Step 1 : Type ' windows PowerShell ' in the search bar > Run the application with admin rights by selecting  Run as Administrator .

Step 2 : In the Windows PowerShell window  , type the following command and press  Enter  to execute it.

Reg Add HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionBackgroundAccessApplications /v GlobalUserDisabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

If you want to turn the background apps back on, re-enter the following command and press  Enter .

Reg Add HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionBackgroundAccessApplications /v GlobalUserDisabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

6. How to turn off background apps using battery saving mode

Step 1 :  Enter the keyword ' battery saver settings ' in the search bar > Select  Battery saver settings .

Step 2 :  Change the status of  Battery saver from Off to On  by clicking on the status bar as shown. 

7. Notes when performing the method of turning off background applications on laptops

When turning off background applications on your laptop, you need to pay attention to the following issues:

Regularly check for background applications when using your laptop. Avoid letting this situation last for a long time, wasting resources and affecting the laptop usage process.

The above methods to disable background applications on your laptop only apply to applications you purchased from the Microsoft store. For applications that are installed by default and use background resources, you must manually close the program. Make sure to stop the program from running at startup.

Through this, you have learned the steps to turn off background applications on PCs and laptops quite simply and quickly, compiled by  Hoang Ha Computer . Most laptop users encounter this problem and need to fix it as soon as possible to avoid harming the computer's operating system. You should regularly check and turn off background applications!

Isabella Humphrey

Update 17 January 2025