Don’t want Word starting on Windows 10 Startup? Follow these steps to stop Word from opening automatically on Windows 10 startup.
For many Windows users, Word is the go-to application for any rich text document. A few of the common reasons being its user-friendliness, a ton of options, a wide range of support for many services and applications, etc.
If you are using Word daily, having it open automatically at Windows 10 startup is very helpful. For example, I write all my articles in Word and sync them with OneDrive. Word opening at startup is helpful to me as it is one less application to open manually.
However, this might not be for everyone. Depending on your use case, Word opening automatically with a blank document or your previous work document can be a pain in the back. One of the main reasons being it’s another application to close manually. Not to mention, having a big application like Word start with Windows 10 might increase the startup time, depending on your system.
If you don’t want Word starting automatically with Windows 10, you can stop it with just a few clicks. Follow the below steps to learn how.
Why does Word start automatically in Windows 10?
Unlike regular programs where they add themselves to the Startup list or Startup folder to start automatically on startup, Word uses a new Windows 10 feature called “Restart Apps.”
When the Restart Apps feature is turned on, if you shut down the computer without first closing Word, it will start the application automatically on the next restart. Word and any application that supports the new “Restart Apps” feature will open automatically if you shut down the system without first closing those apps. As you can guess, this feature is intended to help you resume your work where you left off.
To stop Word from automatically opening, you have to turn off the “Restart Apps” feature. Once you do that, Word will no longer start on Windows 10 Startup.
Stop Word from Opening Automatically on Startup
To stop Word from starting automatically, follow the below steps.
- Open the Settings app.
- Click the “Accounts” option.
- Select “Sign-in options” on the sidebar.
- Turn off the “Restart apps” option.
- Close the Settings app.
- Restart Windows 10.
The option we are looking for is in the Settings app. So, open the Settings app in Windows 10. You can do that by pressing the “Windows key + I” keyboard shortcut. Alternatively, click the “All Settings” button in the Notification center.
After opening the Settings app, click the “Accounts” option and then select “Sign-in options” on the sidebar. For whatever reason, the Restart Apps feature is linked to the user account. As such, you will find the option here.
Once you are on this screen, scroll down and turn off the “Restart Apps — Automatically save my restartable apps with I sign out and restart them after I sign in” option.
Next, close the Settings app and restart the system.
From now on, Word will not start automatically with Windows 10.
If you ever want to make Word start automatically, turn on the “Restart Apps” option, and always shutdown the system without closing Word.
I hope that helps.
If you are stuck or need some help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.
