When we turn on the PC, do we notice that it is slow or takes a long time to open the browser or the desired apps? In most cases, planned activities, which they can start, are to blame processes, apps and optimizations when starting the computerworsening the overall system performance.
To make our PC fast again in all conditions of use in this guide we will show you how to disable scheduled tasks on windowsusing the tools that the system includes within it to manage the activity that starts automatically with the user or under certain conditions (for example if we leave the PC idle for more than 10 minutes).
READ ALSO -> How to speed up Windows 10 and Windows 11
1) Use Task Scheduler
When it comes to scheduled tasks, the first tool we need to use is certainly Task Scheduler, accessible by searching for its name in the Start menu.
After opening Scheduler we check all the schedules in the window, sorting them by date of last execution (just press on the column Last run).
If we notice that the activity is carried out too frequently or starts every time we turn on the PC or log in with the user, we can quickly remove it by right-clicking on the activity and pressing on Deactivate (safer) or on Elimination.
However, we must be very careful about what we disable or delete: some tasks are important to keep browsers up to date (for example tasks associated with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge), to keep antivirus up to date or to update useful system components (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Before deleting so we advise you to read the guides for check if an app or process downloads in the background on PC and for check disk and CPU activitychoosing for a safer deactivation of the activity.
Alternatively we can disable a scheduled task by right-clicking on it, clicking on Propertytaking us to the tab Activationselecting the activation conditions present, by pressing down on Edit and removing the check mark on Activated; in case of problems, just repeat the steps and put the check mark back to reactivate the activity.
On the same topic we can read our article about how to schedule tasks on windows.
2) Use the Windows PowerShell
Windows PowerShell can also be used to disable some tasks whose names you know. To proceed, right click on the Start menu, press on Terminal (Admin) about are Windows PowerShell (Amministratore) and type the following command:
Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "<nome-task>"
Of course, this command can only be used if we know the name of the business well (in most cases it is intended for professionals).
To learn more, we can read our guide on how to use Windows Terminal and differences with PowerShell and Command Prompt.
3) Use the Command Prompt
Exactly as seen for PowerShell, the Command Prompt also allows you to disable scheduled tasks on Windows. To follow this method we open the Start menu, look for the Command Promptright click on it, press Run as administrator and use the following command:
schtasks /Change /TN "<percorso-attività >\<nome-attività >" /Disable
If we do not know the path where the activity is present, we can also omit it, assuming that it is present in the folder of all Windows scheduled activities. In this case we can use the command:
schtasks /Change /TN "<nome-attività >" /Disable
To quickly deactivate the problematic activity. For more information, you can read our article on windows command prompt tricks.
4) Disable autostart apps
Is the activity associated with a particular Windows process or application? If we can’t find anything in the Windows 11 and Windows 10 Task Scheduler, we suggest you take a look at the system settings by pressing WIN+I on the keyboard and taking us to the path Apps -> Startupso that you can manually disable the programs and processes that slow down Windows at startup.
The procedure is simple and within everyone’s reach: scroll through the list of startup apps, identify those marked as High impact and press the switch to deactivate them.
On this topic we can read our in-depth analysis on how to control the startup of programs when you turn on your PC.
5) Remove apps from Startup
Some autostarting tasks or processes are not present in either Task Scheduler or Windows settings: it is highly probable that they can start together with Windows since their executable (or their desktop shortcut) is present in the Startup folder.
To immediately carry out this check, press WIN+R on the keyboard and, in the execution window, type the following command:
shell:startup
We will thus have quick access to the Startup folder, from which we can eliminate the scheduled tasks based on the applications that start up automatically.
Alternatively we can find the folder path by opening File Explorer and taking us to the following path (we can very well paste it in the path bar at the top):
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp
For the Startup folder assigned to each user we can instead use the path:
C:\Users\nome-utente\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
On this special folder we can read our guide on how to manage Startup in Windows for programs, files and apps.
Conclusions
Scheduled tasks in Windows offer many benefits to the user: They can keep your PC browsers up to date, update your antivirus and optimize your computer, but they can also slow down the startup of programs needed to work.
With the tricks seen in this guide (to always keep on hand) we will be able to disable scheduled tasks on Windows, whether they are obtained through dedicated tasks or in the event that the activity is carried out through auto-start settings.
To learn more, we can read our articles on how to delay start of programs that start automatically in windows and on best programs to manage automatic startup in windows.