Windows 10’s Background apps page is one of the most useful — and most ignored — performance settings on the OS. Behind it sit dozens of Store apps with permission to run background tasks: syncing, updating tiles, fetching notifications, phoning home. Individually trivial; collectively, a constant tax on your CPU, RAM, disk, and battery.

Windows 10 actually handles this better than Windows 11 in one way: it still has the global master toggle. One switch silences every Store app’s background activity at once — then you re-enable just the few you need live. Combined with startup-app management, it’s the closest thing to a ‘make my laptop quiet’ button Windows offers.

A quick vocabulary check, because the names confuse people: ‘background apps’ (this guide) are Store apps allowed to run tasks while closed. ‘Startup apps’ are programs that launch at sign-in. ‘Background processes’ in Task Manager include both plus system services. You’ll see all three terms in Task Manager — now you know which settings page governs which.

This guide covers all three methods — per-app, global toggle, and Group Policy — plus the related startup cleanup that completes the job. Windows 11 users should see our Windows 11 background apps guide for the changed settings layout.

Why this happens

  • Default-on permissions for inbox apps — Windows 10 grants background access to its bundled apps (news, weather, sports, games) out of the box — most users never open them, but they run tasks anyway.
  • Manufacturer bloatware tasks — Lenovo, HP, and Dell Store apps register background tasks for update checks and telemetry that wake the system on schedules.
  • Mail/Calendar syncing constantly — The built-in Mail app’s background sync is genuinely useful — but also genuinely costly; it’s the biggest legitimate background consumer for many users.
  • Skype and messaging apps — Preinstalled Skype and similar apps maintain persistent background connections whether you use them or not.
  • Desktop apps outside this system — Chrome, Steam, Discord, and updaters run background processes that the Background apps page can’t touch — they need Task Manager and their own settings.
  • Re-enabling after updates — Feature updates reset background permissions to defaults — your careful cleanup evaporates twice a year unless you re-check.
  • Feedback and telemetry background tasks — Windows’ own feedback notifications and telemetry uploads run as background tasks on Home and Pro — disabling background apps for system-adjacent entries quiets these too.

How to fix it

Work through these in order — diagnose first, then act.

Fix 1: Method 1: The global toggle (fastest)

One switch for everything. Best starting point.

  1. Open Settings > Privacy > Background apps.
  2. Turn off Let apps run in the background at the top — every Store app loses background permission instantly.
  3. Use the laptop normally for a day. Miss notifications from a specific app? Return here and flip just that app back on (requires the master toggle on, then per-app control).
  4. This is the 30-second version of the whole guide — surprisingly sufficient for most people.

Fix 2: Method 2: Per-app surgical control

Keep the master on; silence apps individually.

  1. On the same Settings > Privacy > Background apps page, leave the master toggle on.
  2. Scroll the app list and turn off everything you don’t need live: games, news, weather, sports, manufacturer apps, Skype (if unused).
  3. Keep on: Mail/Calendar (if you rely on notifications), messaging apps you actually use, and any 2FA/authenticator apps.
  4. Pay attention to Your Phone / Phone Link if it’s listed — it syncs constantly; restrict it unless you actively use the phone integration.
  5. The rule: if you’d open the app manually to check it, it doesn’t need background access.

Fix 3: Method 3: Group Policy (durable, Pro/Enterprise)

Survives updates and reinstalls — the administrator’s option.

  1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Privacy.
  2. Open Let Windows apps run in the background > Enabled > select Deny in the options dropdown > OK.
  3. This enforces the block system-wide; users can’t override it in Settings (the toggles grey out).
  4. To allow exceptions later, switch the policy to Not Configured and manage per-app again.

Fix 4: Clean up startup apps too (the other half)

Background settings don’t cover desktop programs — Task Manager does.

  1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) > Startup tab.
  2. Disable everything with High startup impact you don’t need within seconds of login: updaters, launchers, chat clients.
  3. Sort the Processes tab by CPU to spot desktop background hogs (Chrome, Steam, Discord helpers) — configure each app’s own ‘run in background’ setting.
  4. Both halves done = the full quiet-laptop treatment.

Fix 5: Handle the special cases

A few apps need individual attention.

  1. Mail app too chatty? Settings inside the Mail app > manage sync frequency per account, or restrict its background access and open it manually.
  2. Skype preinstalled but unused? Uninstall it outright (Settings > Apps) rather than merely restricting it.
  3. Cortana remnants? Our Cortana/SearchHost guide covers silencing those background tasks.
  4. News and Interests eating CPU? That taskbar weather widget refreshes on its own schedule — right-click the taskbar > News and interests > Turn off removes it entirely, feed and all.
  5. Widgets-like features? Windows 10’s News and Interests (taskbar weather widget) can be turned off: right-click taskbar > News and interests > Turn off.

Fix 6: Re-check after feature updates

Twice a year, Windows resets your work. Reclaim it in two minutes.

  1. After each feature update, revisit Settings > Privacy > Background apps and confirm your toggles held.
  2. Re-disable anything the update re-enabled or newly installed.
  3. Consider the Group Policy method (Fix 3) if you’re tired of redoing it — policy survives updates.
  4. Put a recurring reminder for the week after Patch Tuesday feature updates land.

Closing

Windows 10 gives you the master switch Windows 11 took away — use it. Global toggle off, a handful of essentials back on, startup cleaned in Task Manager: that’s the whole recipe for a laptop that idles quietly and holds its charge. Two minutes after every feature update keeps it that way. The official description of these settings lives in Microsoft’s Windows support hub .

Frequently asked questions

Where is the background apps setting in Windows 10?
Settings > Privacy > Background apps. That’s the central page: a master toggle at the top (‘Let apps run in the background’) plus individual toggles for every Store app below it. Unlike Windows 11, Windows 10 keeps this global switch — turning it off disables background activity for all Store apps at once. Desktop (Win32) programs aren’t governed here; those need Task Manager startup management or their own settings.
Does disabling background apps affect notifications?
Yes, for the apps you restrict. A mail or messaging app with background access disabled can’t fetch new messages or push notifications while closed — you’ll only see new items when you open the app. That’s the core tradeoff. Keep background access on for the 2-3 communication apps you depend on, and disable it for everything else — games, media, utilities, and manufacturer apps don’t need to whisper to the internet while you work.
What's the difference between background apps and startup apps?
Startup apps launch when you sign in and keep running visibly or in the tray — managed in Task Manager’s Startup tab. Background apps are mostly Store apps that Windows suspends but allows to run background tasks (syncs, notifications, tile updates) — managed in Settings > Privacy > Background apps. A slow laptop usually suffers from both; fixing only one leaves half the problem. Handle startup in Task Manager and background in Privacy settings.
Will this break Windows Update or Defender?
No. Windows Update, Microsoft Defender, and core system services are not ‘background apps’ — they’re system services governed separately and are completely unaffected by the Background apps toggles or the Group Policy block. You cannot accidentally disable security updates or real-time protection from the Background apps page. Those switches only affect Store apps and their background tasks.