Stop Background Apps in Windows 10 and Save Resources

Stop Background Apps in Windows 10 and Save Resources

 

By default, all of the Windows 10 Universal Apps are allowed to run in the background to fetch data and keep the app information updated. This is all fine and dandy, but unfortunately many people don’t use all of these apps, and keeping them running in the background consumes network resources, PC resources and worst of all, drains your laptop’s battery.

In this article we will show you how you can stop unnecessary apps from running in the background in Windows 10 and save resources.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Disabling the Apps

Before you go on a spree to disable all the background apps, you should keep a few things in mind:

1. Disabling the background apps doesn’t stop the actual apps from working. You can still launch and use them. This will only prevent these apps from downloading data, using CPU/RAM and consuming battery while you are not using them.
2. Once an app is disabled, you will not receive any notifications from it or see up-to-date data it has to offer as notifications or tiles, such as news in the start menu tiles.
3. Some of these apps depend on running in the background to offer their core services. For example, if you disable the Alarm app, the alarm will not go off when you set it. Of course, if you already have an awesome alarm clock with you, then you may disable the Alarm app as well. It still depends on your usage and preferences.
4. This process will only disable Windows 10 Universal Apps that Windows has complete control over. You will not be able to disable third-party apps using this process. For example, you can prevent Microsoft Edge from running in the background, but you can’t stop Chrome from running in the background using this method.

How to Stop Background Apps in Windows 10

To access the background apps, go to “Settings” from the Start menu and click on “Privacy.”

 
Scroll down to the bottom of the left panel and click on “Background” apps. You should be able to see all of the Windows Universal Apps in the right panel with an “On” and “Off” switch next to them. Just click on the switch next to the app you don’t use, and it will be turned off. If need be, you can go through the same process at any time to enable the apps again.

 

Tip: if you are interested in knowing exactly how much resources these Universal Apps are using, you can do so from the Task Manager. Just open the Task Manager (press “Ctrl + Shift + Esc”), and you will see all the data under the “App history” tab. The data shows usage over a specific time period.

Conclusion

The above is how you can disable unnecessary background apps in Windows 10 and save resources. This little change won’t dramatically make your PC faster or add an hour in battery time, but in this fast-paced world, every bit counts. I actually disabled over half a dozen apps that I never used (or never plan on using), and it was quite pleasing to disable the “Get Office” app that kept forcing me to get the Microsoft Office products. I am sure you will find some unnecessary (or annoying) background apps to disable as well.

Which apps did you disable? Do share with us in the comments section below.