Skip to content

How to stop Steam from opening on startup?

  • by
  • 3 min read

For those immersed in PC gaming, Steam likely serves as your go-to hub for purchasing, downloading, and immersing yourself in the gaming universe. Steam unquestionably stands as a popular platform offering an array of features and perks tailored for games.

Yet, a pesky inconvenience that might irk you revolves around Steam’s automatic launch during computer startup. This elongates the boot process, consumes precious bandwidth, and marks your presence online.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to stop Steam from opening on a startup by navigating Steam’s settings or engaging the Startup Apps tool in Windows. Here’s a step-by-step rendition of each pathway in detail.

Also read: What is Steam Achievement Manager? Is it safe?


Via Steam Settings

The first method to stop Steam from opening on startup is by using Steam’s inside settings.

Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Launch Steam and log into your designated account. Now, head to the Steam icon at the top left of the screen and then click on Settings.

This is an image of steamsettings ss1

Step 2: Now, head to Interface and turn off the toggle in front of the option: Run Steam when my computer starts.

This is an image of disablesteamstartup ss1

Easy right? The first method should be your preferred one as it is easy and can be accomplished quickly. Now, let us move on to the second method.

Also read: Is Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 cross-platform?


Using the Startup Apps tool on Windows

In this second method to stop Steam from opening on startup, we’ll take the help of a tool known as the Startup Apps. This tool gives you more control over which application can start when your computer boots up. This also means that by using this tool, you can turn off selected applications from running automatically after the booting process.

Here’s how to do that:

Step 1: Open Startup Apps by searching for the term in the taskbar search bar. Alternatively, you can head to Settings > Apps > Startup.

This is an image of startupapps ss1

Step 2: Now, turn off the toggle in front of Steam.

This is an image of disablesteamstartup ss2

After you have used either of the two methods listed above, you can stop Steeam from opening on startup. You will have to manually start it, effectively conserving computational resources, expediting the boot journey, and eschewing the intrusion of unwarranted notifications.

Also read: How To Stop Apps From Opening Automatically on Macbook?

Kumar Hemant

Kumar Hemant

Deputy Editor at Candid.Technology. Hemant writes at the intersection of tech and culture and has a keen interest in science, social issues and international relations. You can contact him here: kumarhemant@pm.me

>