Disable background apps in Windows 11

Background apps in Windows keep performing actions like updates and fetching updated data even when you’re not using them. While Windows can intelligently manage and optimize apps in the background, it can still drain your battery and increase data usage. Fortunately, Windows allows you to change the background permission for individual Microsoft Store apps. Here we show you how to disable any or all background apps in Windows 11.

How to disable background apps via settings in Windows 11

If you want to disable individual Microsoft Store apps from running in the background, you can disable it from the Settings page. Follow the steps below to disable background apps from Settings.

• Awards Win + I to open Settings.
• Open the tab Applications in the left pane.
• Click App and features in the right pane.
• Find the app you want to change the background permission for.
• Click the three-point menu next to the app name and click Advanced options.
• Scroll down to the section Background app permissions.
• Click on the menu drop-down Allow the app to run in the background and select May. This should prevent the app from running in the background.

If you want to disable apps based on battery usage statistics, you can do so from the power and battery settings page.

How to disable background apps via power and battery settings on Windows 11

The Power and Battery page in Windows 11 Settings provides data on the battery usage of installed apps. This is really useful if you want to disable background apps based on battery usage to save power. That’s how.

• Awards Win+I to open the page Settings.
• In the card System, scroll down and click Power and battery.
• Scroll down to the Battery section and click Usage battery.
• Click on the drop-down menu Battery levels and select Last 7 days. Windows will load all apps that have used the battery in the past seven days.
• To change the background app permission, click the three-point menu next to the app name, then click Manage productivity in the background. This option is only available for Microsoft Store apps.
• Click the menu a descent ( Energy optimization ) in the section Background app permissions and select May. This will prevent the app from running in the background. If you set it to All time, the app will run continuously in the background regardless of the power state.
• Repeat the steps for any apps that may drain battery or affect system performance.

How to disable background applications on Windows 11 for all users using the registry editor

If you want to disable background programs for all user accounts, you can manually create and edit registry values ​​in the registry editor. Before continuing, create a restore point. You can use the restore point to restore your PC to its current state if something goes wrong while editing registry entries.

To disable background applications for all user accounts:

• Awards Win + R to open Run.
• To type regedit, then click OK. click on Yup to grant administrative access.
• In Registry Editor, go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows

• Under the key Windows, find the key AppPrivacy. If it’s not available, you’ll need to create a new key.
• Right-click on the key Windows and select New> Key. Rename the key to AppPrivacy.
• Right-click on the key AppPrivacy and select New> DWORD Value (32-bit). Rename the value to LetAppsRunInBackground.
• Right-click on the value LetAppsRunInBackground and select Edit.
• To type 2 in the Value data field and click OK to save the changes.
• Close Registry Editor and restart your PC to apply the changes. This should prevent Microsoft Store apps from running in the background.

Conclusion

Windows allows you to configure background app permission for Microsoft Store apps. You can disable these apps to save battery power and avoid unnecessary data usage with a metered connection.

That said, if you’re experiencing slow system performance issues, disabling background apps may not be the answer. Instead, you can reconfigure your operating system, scan your storage devices, and check for hardware updates to improve system performance.