How Do I Turn Off Apps Running In The Background

How to Prevent Apps From Running in the Background in Windows 10

Want to prevent background apps from wasting battery and resources in the background? Here's how to block apps from running in the background on Windows 10.

Letting apps run in the background, when you're not using them, is convenient but comes with some drawbacks. On one hand, background apps can send notifications, check for updates, and receive information without your oversight.

However, having many apps running in the background can eat up valuable resources and waste power. By default, Windows 10's Modern apps can run in the background on your PC. Here's how to prevent them from doing so.

How to Prevent Apps From Running in the Background in Windows 10

Open the Settings app (using the Windows Key + I shortcut if you like).
Select Privacy, then Background apps on the left sidebar near the bottom.
You'll see a list of installed Modern apps, including pre-installed apps. To prevent one from running in the background, toggle its slider to Off.
If you want to block all apps from running in the background at once, toggle the Let apps run in the background slider. This does it all in one click.

Any apps you disable here will thus only be able to work when you have them open. It's tempting to disable them all at once, but consider whether you use any of the apps. If you prevent Mail from running in the background, for example, it can't notify you of new messages.

And if you're seeing high disk usage from the WSAPPX process, it's probably related to apps running in the background. Disabling ones you never use can help with this issues.

Unless you have a rogue app, disabling all these probably won't make a huge performance difference unless you have a weaker PC. But it can still help a bit, especially if you have lots of Store apps installed.

Do you let background apps run on your PC or have you disabled them all? Are there any Modern apps you use frequently? Tell us in the comments!

Image Credit: okubax/Flickr

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