What Apps Need To Run In Background?

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UWP or Universal Windows Platform apps can be found in the company's Microsoft Store, and in many ways, they operate differently from the traditional Win32 apps, but by nature, they are the same. Like the regular Win32 apps, these apps can drain your battery if they are left to run in the background. The thing is, many of these apps need to run in the background in order for the user to take advantage of the full feature set. You see, for such things as live tiles and notifications to work, UWP apps must run in the background at all times.

Seeing as the information for live tiles and notifications are usually delivered from the cloud, UWP apps should drain less power from your battery when compared to Win32 apps, but this has yet to be tested by us, so it is still up in the air.

Stop Windows apps from running in the background

There are four ways to do this, but first, we are going to look at how to stop specific apps from running – you know, the ones that are not overly important.

1] Via Windows Settings

Windows 10

Stop Windows 10 apps from running in the background

To accomplish this, click on the Start Menu then open the Settings apps. Click on Privacy, then scroll down to the option that says, Background Apps.

From here, you should see a list of apps that have permission to run in the background. Under Let apps run in the background section, simply use the toggle off/on switches to perform the relevant task.

Windows 11

In Windows 11, there is no global setting that allows you to turn off all background apps. You have to do it for every app individually.

Stop Windows apps from running in the background

To prevent or Windows 11 apps from running in the background:

Open Windows 11 Settings
Go to Apps > Apps & features
Locate the app you want to prevent from running in the background
Click on Advanced options
Open the Background apps permission drop-down menu
Here you can select Always, Recommended, or Never.

Keep in mind that apps such as the Alarm and Mail apps should always run in the background if they are used on a regular basis. Turning them off means you won't get awakened by the Alarm bell, and you won't get notifications or live tile updates when a new email has arrived.

When you reduce the apps that can run in the background, you will definitely conserve power as well as make your PC run better.

2] Via Battery Saver mode

battery-saver-windows-10

Another way of stopping UWP apps from running in the background, is simply, turning On the Battery Saver mode. Do this, and all apps will cease from running in the background right away. This is great for when you're away from a power supply and want to get the most out of your battery's energy.

To do this, click on the battery icon situated in the notification area, then click on the Battery Saver option to complete the task. See that? The whole process is as easy as saying your ABCs, so there should be no more complaints about battery problems in the future.

In Windows 11 similarly, you have to configure the Battery saver settings.

windows 11 battery saver

You will get them under Settings > System > Power.

3] Using Registry Editor

Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key;

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\BackgroundAccessApplication

Here:

Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value with the name Default and set its value to 1
Also, create another DWORD (32-bit) value with the name Migrated and set its value to 4

Restart your computer.

This will prevent all your Windows apps from running in the background.

4] Using Group Policy Editor

Open Group Policy Editor and navigate to the following setting:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Privacy.

Locate the Let Windows apps run in the background setting and set it to Enabled.

From the drop-down menu for Default for all apps, select Force Deny.

Click Apply and exit.

This will prevent all your Windows apps from running in the background.

Hope this helps!

Stop Windows apps from running in the background

Vamien McKalin possesses the awesome power of walking on water like a boss. He's also a person who enjoys writing about technology, comics, video games, and anything related to the geek world.