How To Turn Off Background Apps On Windows 11 | Screen Rant
There might be times when a user feels the need to turn background apps on Windows 11 off. Apps can be classified in two groups. The first are apps that are actively used by the user, and these include Microsoft Word, Mail, Excel, Paint, Windows Media Player, and third-party applications like Adobe Premiere Pro, Illustrate, among others. As soon as the user is done with these apps, they are closed, and that's the end of things.
However, the second group are applications that run in the background. These background apps can continue to perform actions even when users are not actively using the app. This also means that these apps might occupy a significant amount of system resources, including memory and battery, and could even pose a privacy risk. Fortunately, users can easily turn off backgrounds apps on Windows 11.
The first method to turn off background apps on Windows 11 involves disabling permission for individual apps through the 'Settings' section, which can also be used to setup up a metered connection in the latest OS. Click on the Start button, then the Settings icon, and then on Apps. In the menu that opens, click on Apps & features. The system will then display all of the installed programs and the user will need to navigate to the app they want to make changes to. Once located, click on the three dots beside the app's name. From the drop-down menu that opens, click on 'Advanced options.' In the Background app permissions section, select Never under Let this app run in the background. This will then prevent the application from running in the background.
The second method involves disabling background apps via the battery management options in Windows 11. Open the Settings menu again, but this time click on System. The user will then need to click on Power & battery and then select Battery usage. In this section, click on Battery usage by app and locate the required app. Open Manage background activity by clicking on the three-dot button next to the app's name and select Never from the Background app permissions options. This method also prevents the application from running in the background and consuming battery.
Users can also close applications from the Task Manager as well, by selecting an app and clicking on End Task in the bottom-right corner of the window. For those still running Windows 10, there is an option to disable all background apps at once (excluding system apps). This method involves opening the Privacy section of the settings menu and then disabling the toggle for Background Apps. For reference, some apps might not abide by this request as they are required by the system to function properly. Considering stopping Windows 11 apps from running in the background can save RAM and CPU, it is worth being aware of the various ways they can be shut down when not in use.
Source: Microsoft