Steam client auto-startup can increase Windows startup time. Here’s how you can delay Steam client startup in Windows. Here’s how.
After installing the Steam client in Windows, it automatically adds itself to the startup list. As such, Windows automatically launches the Steam client as soon as you start Windows. If you are a gamer, this is a good thing because you don’t have to manually open the Steam client each and every time. However, on the downside, the more applications you have in the startup list, the more time it takes for Windows to start and run at full speed.
So, to get the best of both worlds, that is faster Windows startup and having Steam client start with Windows, you can delay Steam client startup. Here’s how to do it in simple steps.
Delay Steam Client Startup
To delay the Steam client startup, we are going to use the awesome Task Scheduler application built into Windows. All we have to do is create a new task and set it to start the Steam client with a delay.
1. First, we should make sure that the Steam client auto-startup is disabled. To do that, right-click on the taskbar and select the “Task Manager” option. Now, go to the “Startup” tab, select the “Steam Client Bootstrapper” option the list and click on the “Disable” button.
2. Now, open the start menu, search for “Task Scheduler” and click on the result. This action will open the Task Scheduler option.
3. In the Task Scheduler window, click on the “Create basic task” option on the right panel. This will open the wizard.
4. In the wizard, Fill the “Name” field and name the task anything you want. Just make sure it is descriptive.
5. We want the program to start at the system startup with a delay, so select the “When the computer starts” radio option. Click “Next“.
6. Select “Start a program” radio option and click “Next“.
7. Here, click on the “Browse” button, go to the “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam” folder and select the “Steam.exe” file. Alternatively, you can also enter the below path (with quotes) in the field. Click on the “Next” button.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.exe"
8. In this window, select the “Open the Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish” and click on the “Finish” button.
9. You’ve created the task to start at system startup but did not assign any delay. We should do that now via the Properties window. In the Properties window, go to the “Triggers” tab, select the trigger and click on the “Edit” button.
10. Now, select the “Delay task for” checkbox and select the time you want to delay from the drop-down menu. In my case, I’m selecting “1 minute”. Click on the “Ok” button to save changes.
Wrapping Up
That is it. From now on, the Steam client will launch at Windows startup but with the delay of your choosing. For example, if you chose to delay it for 15 minutes, the Task Scheduler will launch Steam client 15 minutes at your start the system.
I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible. If you like this article, do check out how to limit Steam download speed in Windows.
