How to Fix Too Many Background Processes Running on a Windows Computer

The Windows operating system is huge, with many applications, processes, and services running simultaneously.These applications may not be visible in the desktop view, but simply opening Task Manager will reveal many background processes running.

These processes are the main culprits when investigating the cause of your PC's slowness and long loading times.Most of these processes don't need to be running all the time, or even at all.To that end, we've compiled a list of ways to disable background processes so you can dramatically increase your PC's speed.

Why are there background processes?

Background processes are mini programs that perform specific tasks on your computer.They run without user input and are designed to complement other programs.These programs monitor the system, schedule updates, run backups, and provide other essential services.

As you install more software, you add more background processes beyond the ones that come pre-installed with the Windows operating system.Despite the obvious benefits of these background processes, they don't need to be running all the time.But they take up valuable memory, drain processing power, and shorten battery life.

Background processes tend to accumulate over time.They are the main cause of slowing down your computer.Therefore, it is crucial to properly manage background processes and enable them only when needed.

Background processes that must never be closed

Terminating the Windows process can prevent programs from functioning properly, or even crash your Windows computer.These programs are integral to the smooth functioning of the system, so unless you are an expert, never kill them.

Microsoft processes are just as important.While they are not directly involved in running the operating system, they are responsible for managing the preinstalled applications that come with the operating system.Disabling these processes can adversely affect utilities such as Settings, Windows Defender, and Microsoft Office.

Finally, you should avoid disabling processes related to various hardware devices on your computer.These processes complement these device drivers and help them communicate with the operating system.

How to solve the problem of too many background processes in Windows

Now that you know which background processes are important to your computer, let's discuss how to remove unwanted apps and clean up background processes.

1. Use Task Manager to manually close the process

You can free up system resources by force-closing any running, memory-hungry apps.Before using this method, make sure you are not using a running application.Also, remember not to end the Microsoft process.

First, open the Windows Task Manager by pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Esc or Win + X keys.Then, navigate to the "Processes" tab, right-click on the tab, and make sure the "Memory" section is checked.This will sort the apps in order of memory consumption.

Select the application you want to close and click the "End Task" button in the lower right corner of the menu.You can also right-click the application and select "End Task" in the context menu that appears.

The best processes to disable using this method are system tray applications and services such as Discord, Slack, and antivirus software.These programs are always running in the background and never close even if you quit their main program window.As a result, they cause you to often see a large number of background processes in the task manager.

2. Disable the startup process

As the name suggests, the startup process starts running as soon as you start your Windows computer.These programs are often the culprit of a computer taking too long to start up, running in the background even when not in use.

To reduce the number of startup processes, open Task Manager and click the "Startup" tab to open its menu.You can find a list of all startup processes and their enabled status here.Right-click on any process you want to disable and select the Disable option in the context menu.

You can also use the Disable button at the bottom right of the menu.All Microsoft processes in this menu are safe to disable because they are not critical to the computer.

3. Delete the third-party process

Third-party processes are enabled when external software is installed on your computer.They have no user interface and run entirely in the background.Similar to startup processes, these programs run when your computer starts up.

You can disable these processes by opening Task Manager and clicking the drop-down menu next to the desired application.Select the "Open Service" option to start the service program.

In the program, find the third-party service you want to disable, right-click it and select Properties.This will open the properties menu for the service.Click the Startup type drop-down menu and select the Disabled option.Click Apply, then OK to close the window.

4. Use system configuration to release system resources

Removing third-party processes one by one can get tiresome.Fortunately, there's a quicker way to disable these processes in bulk.

Press the Win + R keys to launch the Run application.Next, type msconfig into the text box and hit Enter.Next, select the "Services" tab and make sure the "Hide all Microsoft services" checkbox is checked.Click the "Disable All" button, then Apply and OK.

The System Configuration Utility will prompt you to restart the computer.Click "Restart" to implement the changes.

5. Close System Monitor

System Monitor examines your computer, gathering resource usage and performance statistics.They run within the computer and themselves consume system resources.Microsoft includes System Monitor in the Windows operating system and you should never turn it off.

However, some third-party applications also embed System Monitor in their installation packages.They run independently of the original software and usually appear in the notification tray.Most of these programs don't show up in Task Manager and are very difficult to remove.

Therefore, the best way to eliminate System Monitors is to identify and exclude them when installing their parent software.This is another reason why you should be cautious and equally aware of the dangers of third-party apps.

How to prevent excessive background processes from recurring

Many of the methods discussed above are only valid for one session of using the computer.They will revert to their original state after a reboot.So, to permanently prevent background processes from running on your computer, you can try the following methods.

1. Disable apps from running in the background

Most Windows apps that come preinstalled in the Microsoft Store run in the background.These apps don't take up much memory and don't severely impact performance.However, if you want to conserve system resources as much as possible, you can disable them from running in the background.

Click the Start menu and select the "Settings" application.Open the "Privacy" menu and select the "Background Apps" section.From the resulting menu, you can prevent your computer from running all background applications, or you can disable applications individually.

2. Uninstall unwanted apps

Since it is now cheap and easy to buy solid-state drives and external hard drives, we have enough storage space to install programs at will.Most of these apps have no ill effects other than taking up storage space.However, some programs run background processes that can slow down your computer.

Therefore, it's best to uninstall any apps you don't use.To remove programs from your computer, open Settings > Applications.Select any app you want to remove and click the "Uninstall" button.

Speed ​​up your Windows PC and remove background processes

Ultimately, disabling background processes is only one of the ways to speed up your computer.It may not be enough to give a noticeable boost.Therefore, you need to explore other ways to improve performance.

These methods include using third-party applications to improve performance, removing viruses and other unwanted programs, and regularly updating the operating system and drivers.