How to stop windows 10 from reopening your previous applications after restarting your pc

Sick of Windows 10 opening apps on your behalf? Here’s how to stop it from happening.

One of Windows 10’s habits is to reopen your previously opened apps when you turn on your computer. If you don’t want your machine to do this, and you’d rather open your apps from scratch, you can disable the feature.

There are multiple ways to prevent Windows 10 from relaunching your open apps after a reboot. This guide takes a look at some of those methods.

What Does This Do to Your Apps?

Disabling the auto-launch of your apps doesn’t do anything to your apps; it just prevents your apps from being relaunched.

Any data you create and save within your apps is retained.

Also, you can enable the feature to reopen your apps anytime you want.

Stop Windows 10 From Relaunching Your Apps After a Reboot

A settings option in Windows 10 makes your apps reopen after a reboot. If you turn this option off, your apps won’t relaunch.

If that’s what you want to do, here’s how you disable the option in Settings.

1. Open the Settings app on your PC.
2. Click Accounts on the following screen.
3. Select Sign-in options on the left.
4. Scroll down to the Privacy section on the right.
5. Turn the toggle for Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart to the OFF position.

That’s it. Windows won’t reopen any of your apps when you reboot your computer.

Change the Way You Shut Down Your PC to Prevent Apps From Launching

The standard shutdown method that you use to turn your computer off actually doesn’t close your apps. This means, your apps remain open when you’re turning your computer off, and those open apps will relaunch on your next boot.

To prevent that from happening, you should turn your computer off in a way that all your apps are closed before the machine shuts down.

This is actually fairly easy to do, and here’s how you do it:

1. From your desktop, press the Alt + F4 keys on your keyboard.
2. The Shut Down Windows box opens.
3. Select Shut down from the dropdown menu, and click OK.

None of your apps will reopen on the next boot.

Use the Run Dialog Box to Prevent Windows 10 Apps From Opening

If you prefer to use the Run dialog box, you can use a command in this box to turn your computer off without it launching your open apps on the next boot.

This is a one-time thing and you’ll need to run this command each time you want to prevent your computer from automatically opening apps.

1. Press Windows Key + R at the same time to open Run.
2. Type the following command and press Enter.
3. Your computer will shut down.

Create and Use a Shortcut to Prevent Auto-Launch of Apps

To make the task easier, you can create a desktop shortcut that lets you prevent your apps from reopening with a double-click.

This shortcut basically uses the shutdown command, and you just need to launch this shortcut to execute the command on your PC.

Here’s how you make this shortcut:

1. Right-click anywhere blank on your desktop and click New > Shortcut.
2. On the resulting screen, type the following command and click Next at the bottom.
3. Enter a name for your shortcut on the following screen, and click Finish.
4. Double-click on the newly created shortcut to shutdown your computer.

On the next boot, you’ll find your apps no longer automatically open.

Using Group Policy Editor to Disable the Launch of Apps on Your PC

The Group Policy Editor helps enable and disable various Windows functions. One of these functions controls the auto-launch of your apps, and you can turn this function off to prevent Windows 10’s behavior that you’re not liking.

1. Open the Run box by pressing Windows + R keys at the same time.
2. Type gpedit in the box and hit Enter.
3. When the Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to the following path.
4. Double-click the item that says Sign-in last interactive user automatically after a system-initiated restart.
5. Select Disabled and then click Apply followed by OK in the bottom.

Disable Startup Programs

If your apps keep reopening no matter what you do, your apps might be on the startup programs list. Any app that is in this list is allowed to launch on the boot of your computer.

The good news is that this startup programs list is editable. You can remove the apps that you don’t want to open on the boot:

1. Launch the Settings app on your PC.
2. Click Apps on the following screen.
3. Select Startup on the left.
4. Find the apps that you want to prevent from reopening on the right.
5. Turn the toggle for those apps to the OFF position.

Your selected apps won’t automatically launch on your next boot-up.

Prevent Windows From Reopening Your Folders

In addition to apps, Windows might open some of your folders in File Explorer when you boot your computer. If you don’t want this, you can turn this feature off in the File Explorer utility.

Here’s how you do that:

1. Open a File Explorer window.
2. Click the View tab at the top.
3. Click Options.
4. Head to the tab that says View.
5. Find the Restore previous folder windows at logon option in the list, and untick it.
6. Click Apply followed by OK in the bottom.

Many Ways to Prevent Automatic Launch of Apps on Windows 10

If you prefer to open your apps at your own times and convenience, you can disable Windows 10 from automatically reopening apps on your PC. The methods outlined above should help you achieve this.

You can prevent Windows 10 from automatically adding your folders to Quick Access in File Explorer as well, and you might want to do this if you want to keep Quick Access clean.

The Quick Access feature in Windows 10’s File Explorer is awesome, but there’s one aspect of it that can get quite annoying.

Mahesh is a tech writer at MakeUseOf. He’s been writing tech how-to guides for about 8 years now and has covered many topics. He loves to teach people how they can get the most out of their devices.

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When you shut down or sign out, Windows 10 remembers which applications you had open. It automatically launches them the next time you start your PC. You can disable this if you’d like to sign into a clean desktop.

How to Stop Windows 10 From Reopening Applications

To change this setting, head to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options.

Scroll down to the Privacy section and set the “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart” option to “Off.”

This feature was added with the Fall Creators Update. At one point, you could only avoid this behavior by shutting down your PC with a shutdown.exe command. The April 2018 Update added the graphical switch to disable this behavior.

How to Stop Windows From Reopening Folders

If Windows automatically opens folders like your Documents or Downloads folder in File Explorer when you sign in, that’s controlled by a different setting.

To find it, launch File Explorer, click the “View” tab on the Ribbon and click the “Options” button.

On the View tab, scroll down and locate the “Restore previous folder windows at logon” option. Ensure it’s unchecked or Windows will reopen any folder windows when you sign into your PC.

This option is also present in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

How to Disable Startup Programs

If an application keeps launching at startup even when you disable these options, it’s likely a startup program that’s set automatically to launch every time you sign in. You can disable startup programs right from Windows 10’s Settings app.

Head to Settings > Apps > Startup to manage your startup applications. Set an application to “Off” here and it won’t start when you sign into your PC.

Disabling some applications here will have consequences. For example, if you disable Dropbox, it won’t automatically synchronize your files until you launch it. If you disable a hardware utility that normally runs in your notification area or system tray, it can’t do its normal work in the background until you launch it.

If you turn off windows 10 with some applications open, some of them will be restarted at the next time you reload your computer. But too many startup apps can be a drag on your computer’s performance. If you also want to stop Windows 10 from reopening programs after a reboot, this article will attract you much.

Step 1: Click Settings –> Accounts –> Sign-in Options.

Step 2: Roll to “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart”, and choose “Off”.

Step 3: Launch file explorer, and choose “View” then click “Options”.

Step 4 : Scroll down and choose “Restore previous folder windows at logon” option. Uncheck it.

Step 5 : Click Settings –> Apps –> Startup to manage your startup programs.

Windows 10 Stop Auto Reopen of Programs after Restart .

In old Windows versnions :

• When you shut down your PC , all apps are closed
• After reboot/restart , you have to re-open any app you’d like to use

New behavior :

• When shutting down your PC , any open apps are “bookmarked ”
• After reboot/restart , these apps will re-open automatically

If you want to start with no apps open , you’ll need to ensure all apps are closed before shutting down or restarting the PC .

How to Stop Windows 10 From Reopening Applications

To change this setting , head to Settings\Accounts\Sign-in Options .

Scroll down to the Privacy section and set the Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart option to Poza.

Use the Classic Shut Down Dialog

1. Minimize all programs by pressing WinKey + M .
2. Click on the Desktop to set the focus on it .
3. naciśnij Alt + F4 to display the classic “Shut Down Windows ” dialog
4. Wybierz Shut down lub Uruchom ponownie option from the drop-down menu .

How to Stop Windows From Reopening Folders

If Windows automatically opens folders like Documents lub Downloads folder in File Explorer when you sign in , that’s controlled by a different setting .

To find it , launch File Explorer , Kliknij Widok tab on the Ribbon and click the Opcje przycisk.

On the View tab , scroll down and locate the Restore previous folder windows at logon opcja. Ensure it’s unchecked or Windows will reopen any folder windows when you sign into your PC .

Brady Gavin
Brady Gavin
Writer

Brady Gavin has been immersed in technology for 15 years and has written over 150 detailed tutorials and explainers. He’s covered everything from Windows 10 registry hacks to Chrome browser tips. Brady has a diploma in Computer Science from Camosun College in Victoria, BC. Read more.

With the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update back in 2017 came a change in the way Windows handles open apps when shutting down. During a normal shutdown, Windows tries to “bookmark” open applications and then reopen them when you start your PC again. There are ways to shut down Windows that stops that from happening.

How to Stop Windows From Reopening Last Opened Apps on Startup

Before the Fall Creators Update, shutting down your PC worked the way it always had: Windows closed all open apps, and after starting the system back up, you’d have to re-open them. After the update, Windows tries to remember open apps and launch them again when you start Windows.

While this does sound like a seamless approach to the whole user experience, it can cause delays if you’ve left a few resource-intensive apps open, like Photoshop or 3D rendering software, which will take priority to start again before you can begin opening other apps. These are some of the ways you can get around this feature if you want, all of which involve shutting down Windows in a slightly different way.

Hold Down the Shift Key when Shutting Down

You can perform the old-style shut down by pressing and holding the Shift key on your keyboard when you click the “Shut Down” command. This works from the Start menu, the power options on the sign-in screen, or through the security screen after pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

On the Start menu, you’d click the Power Button first. Then, hold down Shift while clicking the “Shut Down” command.

All applications will force-close, and Windows will shut down immediately.

Use the Classic Shut Down Dialog

The Shut Down Windows dialog has been around since the early days of Windows. To use it, you’ll need to be at your Desktop. You can get there quickly by hitting Windows+D or by clicking the “Show Desktop” button at the right side of your taskbar.

Next, press Alt+F4 to open the dialog window. From the drop-down menu, select “Shut Down” and then click “OK.”

Windows will force close any applications and shut down your computer.

Use Shutdown.exe via Command Prompt

There’s also a Command Prompt command that performs a full shutdown. You can type the command into the Command Prompt or PowerShell, but it’s even better to use the command to create a shortcut. Then, you can double-click the shortcut anytime to shut down windows. Here’s the command you’ll use:

In this command, the /s switch issues a shutdown, the /f switch forces running applications to close without warning, and the /t switch sets a time-out period (the trailing zero sets that time-out as zero seconds).

Here’s how the command looks at the Command Prompt:

And if you want to use the command in a shortcut, plug it into the location field in the Create Shortcut wizard.

That’s it. These are the best ways to prevent Windows from reopening all the last applications that were open when you chose to shut down. One other option not mentioned would be to manually close all windows and applications in the taskbar, but ain’t nobody got time for that.

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Brady Gavin
Brady Gavin has been immersed in technology for 15 years and has written over 150 detailed tutorials and explainers. He’s covered everything from Windows 10 registry hacks to Chrome browser tips. Brady has a diploma in Computer Science from Camosun College in Victoria, BC.
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Starting with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the operating system is able to automatically reopen apps which were running before shutdown or restart. This behavior is totally unexpected for most Windows users who upgraded to the recent release of the OS. Here is what you can do to change the situation and stop Windows 10 from restoring previously open apps after a reboot.

Update: If you are running Windows 10 build 17040 and above, you CAN use the option Use my sign in info to automatically finish setting up my device after an update or restart under Privacy in Settings to disable apps auto restarting. Microsoft said the following:

Based on your feedback, the feature to restore applications that have registered for application restart after you reboot or shutdown (through power options available on the Start Menu and various other locations) has been set to only occur for users that have enabled “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting my device after an update or restart” in the Privacy section under Sign-in Options Settings.

If you are running an older build, read on. Tip: To find the build you have installed, refer to the article How to find the Windows 10 build number you are running.

As I have figured out lately, the option in the Settings app is half baked. While it prevents a number of apps from automatically starting after a reboot, it affects Store apps mostly!

Folks on Neowin have found the answer. They discovered the official Microsoft solution for the situation . It is as follows.

Previously, Windows was not supposed to restart any app which was running before the restart. This behavior changed with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Now, Windows 10 will automatically start apps you have been running before the shutdown or restart. Even disabling the Fast Boot feature does not change the situation.

Microsoft’s official suggestion comes with two solutions. Let’s review them.

To disable apps auto reopening in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open a new command prompt window.
2. When you want to shut down, use the following command shut down the OS instead:

The commands above will now restart or turn off Windows 10 in a special way, so it won’t be able to reopen previously running apps.

You can create the appropriate shortcuts to save your time. Refer to the following article:

If you want, you can add a Shut Down context menu to the Desktop.

Here is how it can be done:

There is an alternative solution. It is simple but annoying. Before you power off or restart Windows 10, close all the running apps. Look at your notification area (system tray) and close any apps which run in the background which you don’t want automatically restored.

This way, you will have no apps which Windows 10 would restart.

Regardless of the method you use, I suggest you to disable two options mentioned in the articles

From what I read on Neowin and Reddit, I see many people are frustrated by this change. Actually, it’s not clear why we need this feature if we already have the Startup folder.

What about you? Do you find this change useful or not? Share your opinion in the comments.

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About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Following this tutorial will help you to understand how to prevent your Windows 10 from restarting the apps that were active the moment you switched off or rebooted your device the next time you switch into your user account.

Without a doubt, this option may be helpful for certain categories of customers, however, in my particular case, I prefer not to reopen those last utilities & applications. Why is it so? Well, even if they were active yesterday evening I might not need them today at all. Even if I do want to use them I can easily restart them again. Some people obviously agree with me on this issue.

How to Switch Off Auto-Restarting Apps in Windows 10

1. Refer to “Settings“1 .
2. Select the “Accounts” area.
3. Choose “Sign-in Options” in the left section.
4. Scroll down a little bit.
5. Deactivate the “Restart apps” toggle:

How to Stop File Explorer From Relaunching Last Folder Windows in Windows 10

In case you don’t want to use the reopening feature, you might also consider deactivating the standard component that has been initially introduced in Windows XP (or maybe even since previous versions of Windows operating system). To make it possible, implement the below-given steps:

1. Launch the File Explorer2 .
2. Refer to the “View” menu.
3. Choose “Options”:
4. Inspect the “View” tab.

Pay attention to this guide: Disable Fast Startup Windows 10. Guide.

Thanks for reading! What is your personal opinion about the feature of auto-relaunching last apps? Please don’t hesitate to share it in the comments section.

To stop Windows 10 restarting your apps after you login:

1. Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-In Options.
2. Turn off the “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart” toggle button.

Windows 10 may try to automatically restart your apps after you reboot your PC. This behaviour will also occur when an automatic restart occurs due to a system update.

While it can be a handy tool to get you straight back into your work, some users find this behaviour annoying. It could also cause performance issues on low-end hardware. Opening a multitude of apps simultaneously can cause significant resource retention, leaving you waiting longer to get working again.

You can turn this feature off by opening the Settings app (Win+I) and heading to the “Accounts” category. Click “Sign-In Options” from the menu on the left and scroll down to the “Privacy” section. Now, turn the “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart” toggle to the off position.

The May 2020 update (at the time of writing, this is still unreleased) simplifies this setting. If you’re using the May 2020 update, look for the “Automatically save my restartable apps when I sign out and restart them after I sign in” button under the “Restart apps” heading.

The confusing “sign-in info” control has been separated from the “restartable apps” component, so you can safely keep the renamed “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device” toggle enabled.

Once disabled, you should find you can reboot your PC without all your previously open apps reappearing. Your regular startup applications will still display, but you shouldn’t see anything which you manually opened during your last session.

Apps and their windows might automatically reopen when you log in to your Mac or open an app. Here’s how to control this behavior.

Use the setting in the log out or restart dialog

When you log out of your Mac or restart it, deselect ”Reopen windows when logging back in” when prompted.

Or start up in safe mode, then restart normally. This doesn’t change the setting, but your Mac forgets any windows that were open the last time you logged out or restarted.

If you deselect this setting and an app continues to open automatically:

• The app might be a login item. You can add or remove login items in Users & Groups preferences.
• The app might have installed its own startup software. Often this is controlled by a setting within the app. Check the app’s preferences or documentation, or contact the app’s developer.

Use the setting in General preferences

To prevent apps from remembering the windows they had open, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, click General, then select ”Close windows when quitting an app.”

Or press and hold the Shift key while opening an app. This doesn’t change the setting, but the app forgets any windows that were open the last time you quit the app.

If these steps don’t work for an app, the app might have its own setting for reopening windows. Check the app’s preferences or documentation, or contact the app’s developer.