To see what’s running in the background in Windows 11, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and look at the Processes page. Open apps are listed under Apps, and everything else under Background processes and Windows processes.
These steps are for Windows 11 Home and Pro with the current Task Manager, which has a menu down the left side. A short Windows 10 section is near the end; Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025, but its Task Manager works much the same way.
Microsoft’s tips to improve PC performance recommend Task Manager for spotting apps you aren’t using, and its guides to managing background activity and background apps and your privacy explain how to stop apps from running when you’re not using them. Background apps can sync data and send notifications, but too many of them use memory and battery.
What Task Manager Means by Apps and Background Processes
Task Manager sorts the Processes page into three groups:
- Apps: programs with an open window, such as your browser or Word.
- Background processes: programs and helpers running without a window. Cloud sync tools, chat apps sitting in the system tray, updaters, and printer or graphics card utilities usually show up here.
- Windows processes: parts of Windows itself, such as Desktop Window Manager and Service Host entries.
A process is one running piece of a program, and one app can have several. A web browser, for example, often runs separate processes for tabs, extensions, and graphics, which is why it can show a number next to its name.
How to check background apps in Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Task Manager opens. If you only see a small list of apps, select More details.
- Select Processes in the left pane.
- Scroll to Background processes.
- Select the CPU or Memory column header to sort by what uses the most.
You see every running process, with the busiest at the top. Select the header again to reverse the order. Select the arrow next to a name to expand it and see the processes inside it.
If the busy process is Google Chrome, you can end a process in the Chrome Task Manager to stop one tab or extension instead of the whole browser.
If you can’t find the Background processes heading and everything is in one long list, the grouping is turned off. Select the three-dot See more button at the top of the Processes page, choose View, and select Group by type so it has a check mark.
Two other things you may notice in the Status column:
- Suspended means Windows has paused the app, so it uses almost no processor time.
- Efficiency mode, shown with a leaf icon, means the process is running at low priority. Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome turn this on for their own background tabs.
There are other ways to open Task Manager too, such as right-clicking the Start button. For the full list, read about opening Task Manager in Windows 11.
How to Identify a Process You Don’t Recognize
Names like “Runtime Broker” or a string of letters can be confusing. Before you close anything, find out what it is:
- Right-click the process in Task Manager.
- Select Open file location to see which folder the program runs from. A folder named after a company you know, such as a printer maker, usually tells you what it belongs to.
- Or select Search online to look up the file name in your web browser.
- Select Properties, then the Details tab, to see the product name and copyright holder.
A program running from an odd location, such as a temporary folder, or one with no company name, is worth a scan. Open Windows Security from the Start menu, select Virus & threat protection, and run a Quick scan. Some malware is built to hide from Task Manager, so a clean list doesn’t prove the PC is clean.
How to Close or Slow Down a Background App
To close a background app right away, select it on the Processes page and select End task. Only end processes you recognize; ending Windows processes can make the PC unstable until you restart. Any unsaved work in that app is lost, and the app may start again the next time you sign in.
If you want an app to keep running but use less of your processor, you can use Efficiency mode instead, which Microsoft introduced in its Task Manager Efficiency mode post:
- On the Processes page, select the arrow next to the app to expand it.
- Select one of its processes.
- Select Efficiency mode at the top of Task Manager, or right-click the process and select Efficiency mode.
- Confirm if Windows asks.
The Status column then shows Efficiency mode. Microsoft says the option is grayed out for core Windows processes, and the setting doesn’t stay after a restart.
Check the system tray
Select the up arrow next to the clock to show hidden icons. Many background apps, like cloud storage, antivirus, and chat apps, sit here because they keep running after you close their main window. Right-click an icon to see options such as quitting the app or opening its settings.
You can close tray apps you don’t need right now without opening Task Manager.
Other Ways to See What’s Running
- Task View or Alt + Tab: press Windows key + Tab, or hold Alt and press Tab, to see your open windows. These show only apps with a window, not background processes.
- Resource Monitor: press Windows key + R, type resmon, and press Enter. The CPU tab lists every process along with the services it hosts, and the Disk and Network tabs show which processes are reading files or using your internet connection.
- Command line: open Terminal or Command Prompt, type tasklist, and press Enter for a text list of every process with its process ID and memory use. Microsoft’s tasklist reference adds options such as tasklist /svc, which shows the Windows services inside each process. In PowerShell, Get-Process gives a similar list. If a command reports that access is denied, run Command Prompt as an administrator and try again.
How to stop an app from running in the background
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Select More options (…) next to the app and choose Advanced options.
- Under Background app permissions, open Let this app run in the background and choose an option.
The three choices are:
- Always: the app can always run in the background, receiving info, sending notifications and staying up to date.
- Power optimized (recommended): Windows decides what’s best to save power while still allowing notifications and periodic updates.
- Never: the app won’t run in the background, so you get no notifications or updates from it, but you save the most power.
The app follows your choice. Choose Never for apps you only use now and then, and leave messaging and email apps on Power optimized if you want their notifications. Desktop apps, the kind you install from the internet as .exe files, don’t appear here; use the app’s own settings to stop it from running in the background or at startup.
On a laptop you can reach the same setting from Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery usage: select More options next to an app, then Manage background activity. That page is a good place to start, because it ranks apps by how much battery they used. To keep your device connected and getting app updates, set at least one app to Always.
Stop apps from starting with Windows
Many background apps launch when you sign in. In Task Manager, select Startup apps from the left-hand menu, right-click an app you don’t need right away, and select Disable. The Startup impact column shows which ones slow down sign-in the most. For more options, read about changing startup programs in Windows 11. Microsoft Edge can also start at sign-in on its own, and these Bing and Edge startup settings show how to stop it.
The app no longer opens automatically, so fewer things run in the background after you restart. Keep your antivirus and any touchpad, audio, or graphics driver tools enabled.
For an app you never use, you can uninstall the program in Windows 11 so it can’t run at all.
Troubleshooting
- No Advanced options for an app: the background permission option only appears for apps that support it, mostly from the Microsoft Store. For desktop programs, look in the app’s own settings for an option such as “Run in background” or “Start with Windows.”
- The background setting is grayed out: on a work or school PC, your organization may manage it. Ask your IT department.
- An app comes back after End task: it’s probably set to start with Windows or is restarted by its own service. Turn it off in Startup apps or in the app’s settings.
- Task Manager won’t open with the shortcut: press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select Task Manager.
Check Background Apps on Windows 10
Windows 10 uses the same Task Manager. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select More details if you see the small view, and look at the Processes tab. Startup apps are on the Startup tab instead of a Startup apps page.
To stop Store apps from running in the background on Windows 10, open Settings > Privacy > Background apps and turn off the apps you don’t need. Microsoft’s background-app guidance explains the Windows 10 and Windows 11 settings. Desktop programs aren’t listed there; use their own settings.
Frequently asked questions
Which background processes are safe to end?
Apps you recognize and opened yourself, such as a chat or music app, are generally safe to close. Leave anything under Windows processes alone unless you know what it does. If you end something by mistake, restarting the PC starts it again.
Will stopping background apps speed up my PC?
It can help on PCs with limited memory or battery. Microsoft also suggests checking the Performance and Startup apps tabs in Task Manager to find what uses the most resources.
Should I set every app to Never?
No. Apps set to Never can’t send notifications or sync while closed, so you could miss messages or calendar alerts. Use Never for apps you don’t need updates from, and leave the rest on Power optimized.
Why does one app show many processes?
Modern apps split their work into pieces so one problem doesn’t crash everything. Browsers are the most common example. Expand the app in Task Manager to see each piece and how much it uses.
If your PC still feels sluggish after cleaning up background apps, try the steps for speeding up a slow computer in Windows 11.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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