If you want to disable a service from running at startup because you no longer need it or its corresponding program, you suspect the particular service is a malware, or that you don’t prefer it to run on startup but only when you want it to, here’s a short tutorial on how to disable services from running at startup on Windows 11 or Windows 10.
Note: This tutorial is intended for advanced users with adequate knowledge in computer and Microsoft Windows. Accidentally disabling any important service may end up causing your Windows to not function properly or even brick your PC. We will not be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by improper use of these instructions.
See also: 30+ Windows 11 Services to Disable for Gaming Performance
Page Contents
What services can you safely disable from running at startup on Windows 11/10
Windows service is a computer program that operates in the background to make things work. Similar to startup programs, there are a list of services that will also be run during startup of your Windows PC. Most of these services are utterly important and compulsory for Windows to work.
However, some programs will have their own services set to run during startup of Windows and continue to run in the background as you use your computer. These services are usually required for their corresponding programs or software to work properly. This is also the reason why even after you’ve stop a program from running at startup in task manager, that particular program would still run during startup because it has a corresponding service that automatically start it up.
Disabling a service that a program relies on will cause the program to stop working or give errors when you run it. While some of these services can be malicious or unknown, it’s best to just uninstall the corresponding program that you suspect to be the culprit of your problem than to disable its service.
If you insist to disable a service from running at startup, make sure that particular service is not one of Microsoft services which Windows relies to run and function properly. If you accidentally disable any of these crucial Windows related services, you could possibly brick your Windows. But don’t worry, we will show you how to hide the sensitive Windows related services in the tutorial below, so that you don’t accidentally disable any of them.
How to stop services from running at startup on Windows 10 or 11
To stop any service from running at startup on Windows 11/10, follow the steps below.
- Go to start menu (or press Win+R keys), type in MSCONFIG and open it.
- In the system configuration window (aka MSCONFIG) you’ve just open, click on Services tab.
- Recommended: Check the checkbox that says “Hide all Microsoft services“. Doing so will hide all sensitive and important Microsoft services so that you don’t accidentally disable any of them and ends up bricking your PC.
- To disable a service from running at startup, simply uncheck the checkbox next to its corresponding service.
- Click on Apply and restart your PC. The disabled services will not run on Windows startup again.
Services listed in the MSCONFIG window are all the services that would run at startup on your Windows PC. Usually you will know what a service does by looking at its corresponding manufacturer. For example, if you have Apple devices and iTunes installed on your PC, you should be able to see several services related to it with the manufacturer shown as Apple Inc.
Avoid clicking the Disable all or Enable all button. You may not know if a program that you need for your daily uses relies on any of the services. Disable only the services that you know what they are and that you no longer need.
