Autostart in Windows 7 – Programme deaktivieren und verwalten ([year])

Deactivate programs in Windows 7 autostart

• With the shortcut Windows key + R das „Ausführen“-Eingabefenster öffnen
• „msconfig“ type in and press "Enter
• Im neuen Fenster den „Systemstart“-Tab öffnen
• Uncheck all programs that should not start on boot.
• „OK“ anklicken und den Win 7-PC neu starten – fertig.

System startup problem solved? Successfully cleaned up Autostart in Windows 7 and deactivated programs and background processes?

Or is your Win 7 startup problem a little trickier?

Das war die Schnellanleitung. Weitere Tricks und Hilfestellungen zu den einzelnen Schritten lesen Sie weiter unten – wir haben noch ausführlichere Anleitungen und alternative Lösungswege für den Windows 7 Autostart parat.

Etwa wie das „Ausführen“-Fenster aufgerufen werden kann mit: „Start“ > „Programme/Dateien durchsuchen“ > „Ausführen“ eintippen und öffnen…

Where is the autostart folder in Windows 7?

The Personal autostart folder of a Win 7 user can be found under:

• C:Users<user name>AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup (only the right User names insert!)

The joint startup folder of all users is below:

• C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup

About the Start menu is the shared folder also accessible with the mouse:

• Start > All programs, right-click on "Startup" and "Open"

2 Tips for the autostart folder with the startup programs:

1. Startup folder tipIf there is no Windows 7 Autostart folder under the paths mentioned above, create the folder manually. Then copy the exe files of applications that are to be started automatically at system startup into this folder (to add programs to Win 7 Autostart) (for advantages, see sections below). 
2. Startup folder tip: Manchmal ist der Autostart-Ordner mit den Startprogrammen zwar vorhanden, wird aber im Programm-Ordner ausgeblendet. Dann wird der Startup-Ordner erst angezeigt, nachdem im Windows-Explorer unter „Extras“ > „Ordneroptionen“ > „Ansicht“ > „Ausgeblendete Dateien, Ordner und Laufwerke anzeigen“ aktiviert wird.

Windows 7 Autostart-Ordner mit Programmen verschwunden? Die Microsoft-Community kennt das Problem…

The two paths mentioned above are particularly helpful if the Autostart folder entry in the Windows 7 Start menu has suddenly disappeared. A common question in Microsoft forums (see screenshot below) - this problem often occurs after a Windows reinstallation.

Manage automatic start-ups under Windows 7, faster booting - and what to consider?

You finally want to tidy up your Windows 7 autostart. In other words, deactivate all unnecessary services and applications that run by default from system startup but are not required?

The solution is very simple and can be done with just a few mouse clicks - but before you delete programs from Windows 7 Autostart, you should think again carefully:

1. which start programs are not required?

The following generally applies to deactivating programs in Windows 7 Autostart:

Most applications do NOT need to be started automatically at system startup - this slows down booting unnecessarily and is user-unfriendly.

2. exceptions: Which programs should I add and not deactivate? 

There are exceptions among the startup programs that should only be removed from the autostart folder with caution:

• Antivirus software and other security tools
• Applications for the graphics or sound cards
• Software, die bei jeder PC-Nutzung verwendet wird – hier sorgt das Hinzufügen eines Programms mitunter für mehr Nutzerkomfort

To avoid problems, it is better to log larger changes: If you remove many startup applications under Windows 7, you should make a note of them. This way, you can track the changes later and easily undo them if you notice that certain programs are needed at system startup.

Find & manually remove autostart programs under Windows 7 (detailed instructions)

There are various ways to configure the Autostart function in Windows 7. The following instructions describe the most common approach, which works in most Windows installations (not just Windows 7).

Step 1: Display system startup applications

First of all, you have to find and call up the autostart programs - and this is how it works:

1. Open the Start menu - for example, by clicking the Windows button in your taskbar or by pressing the Windows key on the keyboard.
2. Now enter the word "Run" in the Search programs/files input field and start the Windows 7 Run application by clicking on the search hit displayed. Alternatively, press Windows key + R at the same time - this key combination calls up the command line directly in Windows 7.
3. Now type the command "msconfig" into the command line and press Enter.
4. A window will now open showing the Windows 7 system configuration - including the Autostart services.
5. Click on "System startup" in the tab menu - and you will be shown all the programs that Windows 7 automatically runs in the background at system startup.

But how can you remove the unwanted Windows 7 Autostart programs?

The following steps show this in more detail than the quick guide above...

Step 2: Manually remove programs from the system startup

In the open "System startup" view, you can now easily remove all Windows startup programs that are not required - and this is how it works:

1. In the "Disable startup items" area, there is a checkbox in front of each program displayed - simply remove the checkmark to prevent Windows 7 from running the respective service every time the system is started.
2. Once you have removed all the desired autostart programs by unchecking the boxes, click on the "Apply" button to confirm. Then close the system configuration by clicking on "Ok".
3. A message will now appear stating that the changes will only take effect once the operating system has been restarted. Restart your computer now - from now on this process should be faster again!

How do you edit autostart apps in Windows 10? Or in good old Win XP?

In anderen Versionen des Microsoft-Betriebssystems lassen sich Startprogramme ähnlich verwalten – dennoch unterscheiden sich die einzelnen Schritte teils erheblich.

Do you use Win 10 or Windows XP? Here you will find help and step-by-step instructions:

• Windows 10 Autostart: If you are using the latest version of Windows 10, you will find instructions here: Disable and change Windows 10 autostart programs and start your PC faster
• Autostart in Windows XP: If you are still using the classic version, take a look here: Windows XP Autostart – Versteckte Autostartprogramme entfernen

FAQ