How to Put Background Programs to Sleep in Windows?

This guide will walk you through how to put background programs to sleep in various Windows versions, ensuring your computer runs smoothly. Few Windows versions have a problem with keeping some programs from crashing and slowing down performance. This article will show you a few steps to put background programs to sleep on your computer with different methods so that you can speed up the way it runs and have more space for other applications and programs.

How to Put Background Programs to Sleep in Windows 10

By using the following simple steps you can put unnecessary programs to sleep which are running in the background in your Windows 10. Here’s how to do it in Windows 10:

Access Settings:

• Click the Start menu and select the gear icon to open Settings.

Go to Privacy Settings:

• In the Settings menu, find and click on “Privacy.”

Manage Background Apps:

• Scroll down and click on “Background Apps.” Here, you can see a list of apps allowed to run in the background.

Turn Off Unwanted Apps:

• Use the toggle switches to turn off any apps you don’t need running in the background. This action will prevent these apps from consuming resources when not in use.

Additional Tips: You can also disable startup programs via the Task Manager. Right-click on the Taskbar, select Task Manager and go to the “Startup” tab. Disable any unnecessary startup programs to improve boot time and overall performance.

If you still facing any problems then you can check out the following YouTube video related to it.

How to Put Background Programs to Sleep in Windows 11

Windows 11 introduces a more refined approach to managing background apps:

Open Settings:

• Click the Start Menu and select the Settings option (gear icon).

Navigate to Apps:

• On the left-hand menu, click on “Apps.”

Open Apps & Features:

• On the right side, click “Installed Apps.”

Manage Background Permissions:

• Find the app you want to put to sleep, click the three vertical dots next to it, and select “Advanced options.”

• Under “Background Apps Permissions,” choose “Never” to prevent the app from running in the background.

Note: If your laptop supports it, you can also manage power settings under “System > Power & battery,” where you can control how apps behave when on battery power

Hurray! Isn’t it as simple as that? Even if you are facing any problems then do check out the following YouTube video of the Windows Report channel, he explained it in a very easy manner with three different methods. Let’s check which one works best for you and do let us know too!

How to Put Background Programs to Sleep in Windows (For All the Versions):

No matter which version of Windows you’re using, several methods are available to manage background processes effectively:

Method 1: Using Task Manager

• Open Task Manager: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

• Go to the Processes Tab: This tab shows all running processes.

• Suspend Unnecessary Processes: Right-click on the process you want to put to sleep and select “Suspend process.” This pauses the process without closing it, freeing up resources temporarily.

• End Unresponsive Tasks: If a program is causing issues, right-click on it and select “End task.” Be cautious, as this can result in data loss.

Method 2: Using Command Prompt

Another way to put background programs to sleep is to use the command prompt.

To do this,

• Open Command Prompt: Press Windows Key + R, type CMD, and press Enter.

• List Running Tasks: Type tasklist to see all running processes.

• Terminate Processes: To put a program to sleep, type taskkill /im [name-of-program].exe (replace [name-of-program] with the actual process name, e.g., taskkill /im Discord.exe).

• Press Enter, and that’s it. This will force the process to close and it will not be able to run in the background anymore.

Method 3: Using Microsoft System Configuration (MSConfig)

If you want a more permanent solution, you can disable background programs from starting up in the first place. To do this,

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialogue box.

Step 2: In the dialogue box type “MSConfig” and press the enter button.

Step 3: System Configuration will be open, select the radio box “Selective Startup” and uncheck the checkbox “Load Startup Items”.

Step 4: Click on the “Apply” button and click on “OK”.

Final Conclusion:

With the right steps and a bit of knowledge, you can easily understand how to put background programs to sleep and improve your computer’s performance. When it comes to managing all the processes running on your system, it is important to know what programs are taking up resources so that you can prioritize them accordingly.

Thankfully, Windows 10/11 offers an easy way for users to put unwanted or unnecessary background apps into sleep mode as needed. We hope this article has helped show you how to make use of this handy feature and optimize your machine’s speed and efficiency.

FAQs