If your computer feels slower than usual or your laptop’s battery drains quickly, background activity may be one cause. In windows 10, you can restrict supported background apps through Settings. This is often described as putting programs “to sleep”, but it does not suspend every program on the computer.
Apps may work in the background to synchronise information, receive messages or deliver notifications. That activity can use processing power, RAM and battery. The aim is to stop work you do not need while retaining functions you rely on, such as timely messages or completed file backups.
How to restrict background apps in Windows 10
- Open the Start menu and choose Settings.
- Go to Privacy > Background apps.
- Leave the main background-app switch on if you want to control apps individually.
- Turn off background permission for the listed apps you do not need running when closed.
Microsoft also documents a main switch that stops most supported background apps together. Start with individual apps if you are unsure which notifications or synchronisation features matter. These controls affect the apps covered by that settings page; they are not a universal switch for all Windows activity.
What changes when background permission is off?
You can still open a restricted app when you want to use it. What changes is its permission to perform supported background tasks. Do not assume that every app will behave identically: check whether messages, reminders or updates still arrive when you expect them.
For example, restricting an app you rarely open may be convenient. Restricting one you use for time-sensitive communication could mean that you only notice new information when you open it. Test the result during an ordinary working day before switching off a long list of apps at once.
Why some programs are missing from the list
Microsoft explicitly notes that desktop programs are not controlled by the Windows 10 Background apps list. A program installed from the internet can have its own setting to continue running after you close its window. Some desktop programs are distributed through the Microsoft Store too, so the download source alone is not a reliable distinction.
For these programs, inspect their own preferences for options such as running in the background or starting with Windows. Closing a window may leave a tray application active. Use the program’s normal quit command when you want to stop it, and save your work first.
Startup settings are a separate control
Stopping a program from opening at sign-in is different from restricting its background permission. Review startup applications if the computer becomes busy immediately after you log in. Turn off only entries you recognise and do not need automatically; you can usually launch those applications yourself later.
A useful test is to change one familiar, nonessential application, restart normally and compare the experience. If the problem remains, record that result rather than disabling more entries at random. Avoid changing unfamiliar security, device-management or hardware components on a work computer without your IT team’s guidance.
Check what is actually using resources
Open Task Manager when the slowdown happens and examine CPU, memory and disk activity. A program that uses little power while idle may become busy during an import or download. Observe the task in context before deciding that background permission is the right fix.
If you are investigating performance, compare similar conditions: the same applications, a similar workload and the same power mode. A laptop plugged into power can behave differently from one running on battery. One unusually slow minute is not enough to establish a lasting problem.
Keep a short note of the symptom and the change you made. “Video call stutters while cloud files synchronise” gives you a more useful starting point than “Windows is slow”. You may be able to schedule the synchronisation for later without changing unrelated applications.
Do not confuse app restrictions with sleep mode
Putting the entire computer to sleep changes the machine’s power state. Restricting a background app changes what that app can do while Windows is in use. Neither action is the same as uninstalling the program, and a browser’s sleeping-tab feature is another separate mechanism.
If a browser is the largest resource user, review its tabs and extensions using its own controls. The Windows Background apps list will not automatically turn every open website into a sleeping tab. Save important work before closing pages, particularly forms with information that has not been submitted.
When these changes do not solve the problem
Check available storage, pending restarts and whether an update or security scan is running. Persistent overheating, crashes or disk errors need their own diagnosis. A background-app setting cannot repair failing hardware, and an unfamiliar “speed booster” is not necessary to use Windows’ built-in controls.
Windows 10’s ordinary support ended on 14 October 2025. These instructions remain relevant to existing installations, but reducing background activity does not restore security support. Check your device’s supported upgrade path or applicable Extended Security Updates arrangements. On a managed computer, ask the administrator which maintenance and migration plan applies before changing system settings.
