Once you install the Steam client on Windows, it starts with your computer automatically. If you play a lot of games and want access to Steam as soon as it starts, this is a good thing. However, if you want to reduce your system’s boot time or don’t want the Steam client starting automatically, you can disable it. In this tutorial, we’ll show you two easy methods to turn off Steam auto start on Windows. Let’s get started.
Disabling Steam on Startup Using Task Manager
First, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager to open the Task Manager application. In the Task Manager window, select Startup apps on the sidebar. Windows 10 & 8 users navigate to the Startup tab.
Note: If you can’t see the sidebar options, click the hamburger menu (looks like three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other) on the top-left corner.
In this window, find and select the Steam entry and then click Disable at the top to turn off Steam auto start.
Turning Off Auto-Start from Steam Client Settings
Alternatively, you can disable Steam from starting when your computer starts directly from the Steam client settings. This method is especially helpful if you cannot find the Steam option in the task manager’s startup apps tab.
First, open the Start menu by clicking on the Windows logo on the taskbar. Next, search for Steam and click on the top result to open the Steam client.
Once it opens, click on Steam and then on Settings in the top-left corner to open the Steam settings window.
In the Steam settings window, navigate to the Interface tab on the sidebar and turn off the Run Steam when my computer starts option.
And there you have it! It’s that simple, and you can follow either of these two methods to make sure Steam doesn’t auto-start on startup. Now, if you want Steam to be available after starting your computer but don’t want it to increase the system startup time, you can delay Steam auto startup by a few minutes instead of turning it off completely. That way, you get the best of both worlds.
Related tutorials:
