# Review Windows Startup Apps

Chat apps, launchers and updaters can all start when you sign in. Before turning every entry off, decide which apps you actually need at login.

## Start with apps you recognize

Settings › Apps › Startup and Task Manager's startup list show login apps. [Microsoft describes both entry points](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/startup-boot/configure-startup-applications-in-windows). Mole shows startup entries and their program paths in the Apps tab. Check the name and location, then disable the few you do not need automatically.

Disabling a startup entry does not uninstall its app. You can still open it manually and enable the same entry again later. Change a few at a time and sign in again to see the effect.

Security, device-management, VPN and proxy software need separate consideration. Mole locks the entries it recognizes in these groups so their protection or connection path stays available. For an unfamiliar name, inspect the program location first.

## Startup entries are not services or scheduled tasks

The startup list does not account for every background activity. Apps can also run through services or scheduled tasks. A process after sign-in does not prove that a particular startup entry launched it; check its location in Task Manager, then look for background or startup options in the owning app.

Do not stop Windows services or delete vendor folders in bulk to shorten a list. Input devices, audio, synchronization and updates may use them. Keep software you need; use the full uninstall flow for software you no longer want.

## Entries left after uninstalling

An uninstaller can leave a shortcut or registry startup value pointing at a program that is gone. Mole's Optimize checks these entries and removes one only after confirming the target was deleted. An unplugged drive or an unavailable network location does not count as an uninstalled program.

Registry removals are backed up first. The [Windows help page](/windows/help) explains where to find them, but importing a backup restores registration, not the deleted app. For background processes after an uninstall, read [what Windows apps leave behind](/windows/blog/what-apps-leave-after-uninstall) to separate file locks, personal data and shared components.


Canonical: https://mole.fit/windows/blog/manage-windows-startup