How to Use Norton 360 to Manage Startup Programs

To manage startup programs with Norton 360 on Windows, open Norton, click Performance in the left panel, and click Open on the Startup Manager tile. In the When to launch column, set each program to Startup, Delay, or Disabled.

Startup programs are apps that load on their own each time you turn on or sign in to your computer. Too many of them make the computer slow to become usable. Norton 360 includes a tool called Startup Manager that lets you hold back or switch off the ones you do not need right away. The steps below follow Norton’s guide to fixing slow computer problems on Windows and its Startup Manager guide for Mac.

Before You Start

• You need Norton’s device security app. Startup Manager is part of the Norton 360 app installed on your computer, in the Performance area. It is not something you change from your Norton account on the web.
• Your screen may not match exactly. Norton has changed the look of its Windows app. The current layout has a left panel and tiles. Older layouts use a main window with a Performance button and a Delay Start column. Both sets of steps are below.
• Windows and Mac work differently. On Windows you can delay or disable a program. On a Mac, Norton’s guide describes a single on or off slider for each app.
• Changes apply at the next startup. Nothing you choose here closes a program that is already running. Restart the computer to see the difference.

How to Use Norton Startup Manager on Windows

These steps match Norton’s current instructions for its Windows device security app.

1. Open your Norton device security application. You can find it in the Start menu or by clicking the Norton icon near the clock.
2. On the left panel, click Performance. The Performance dashboard opens with several tiles.
3. In the Startup Manager tile, click Open. Norton shows a list of the programs set to start with your computer.
4. Find a program in the list and look at its When to launch column.
5. Choose Startup, Delay, or Disabled for that program. Repeat for any other program you want to change.

The three choices work like this:

Option	What it does	Good for
Startup	Launches the program during device startup. This is the normal behavior.	Programs you need the moment you sign in
Delay	Lets the program load only after startup completes, so it runs a little later.	Programs you use daily but not immediately
Disabled	Prevents the program from launching when your device starts.	Programs you do not use, or only open now and then

Startup Manager also has a Launch Delayed Apps option. It runs all the programs you chose to delay, without waiting for them to start on their own.

Steps for Older Norton 360 Layouts on Windows

If your Norton window has no left panel, you probably have an older layout. Norton’s guide for a computer that takes a long time to start still documents these steps:

1. Open your Norton device security product. If you see the My Norton window, click Open next to Device Security.
2. In the main window, double-click Performance, then click Startup Manager.
3. In the Startup Manager window, under Delay Start, select each program you want to delay.
4. Click Apply, then click Close.

This layout also shows a Resource Usage result for each program. Norton’s advice is simple: if a program has high resource usage, add it to Delay Start.

Which Programs to Delay or Disable

Norton’s own guidance is short. Use Disabled for programs you do not use, and use Delay for programs that can wait until startup has finished. The rest comes down to how you use your computer.

• Leave on Startup: anything you rely on right away, such as a password manager, a cloud sync app whose files you open first thing, or software for a keyboard, mouse, or audio device.
• Reasonable to delay: chat apps, music apps, game launchers, and updaters that you want running eventually but not in the first minute.
• Reasonable to disable: programs you only open occasionally. You can still launch them yourself from the Start menu whenever you want.
• Not sure what something is: leave it alone or pick Delay instead of Disabled. A delayed program still runs, so less can go wrong.

Keep in mind that some programs need to start with the computer to do their job. A sync app that is disabled will not sync until you open it, and a chat app will not show new messages. Change a few programs at a time so it is easy to tell which change caused a problem.

How to Use Norton Startup Manager on a Mac

On a Mac, Norton’s Startup Manager turns startup apps off instead of delaying them.

1. Open your Norton device security product.
2. On the left pane, click Performance.
3. In the Performance dashboard, in the Startup Manager tile, click Open. You’ll see the applications that launch when you start your Mac.
4. Move the slider next to an application to prevent it from launching when your Mac starts.

To let an app start with your Mac again, go back to the same list and move its slider the other way.

How to Check That It Worked and Undo a Change

Restart your computer and watch what loads. A disabled program should not open by itself. A delayed program should appear a little later than it used to.

You can also confirm the setting itself. Open Startup Manager again and check that each program still shows the choice you made.

To undo a change on Windows, open Startup Manager and set the program’s When to launch option back to Startup. In an older layout, clear the program’s selection under Delay Start and click Apply. Startup Manager only changes when a program launches. It does not uninstall anything.

Other Ways to Manage Startup Programs Without Norton

Windows and macOS have their own startup controls. They are useful if Startup Manager is missing or a program is not listed.

• Windows Settings: select Start > Settings > Apps > Startup and switch an app On or Off.
• Task Manager: right-click Start, select Task Manager, open the Startup apps tab, select an app, and choose Enable or Disable. Task Manager also shows a startup impact rating of Low, Medium, or High for each app.
• Mac: open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, click General, then click Login Items & Extensions. Select an item and click the remove button to stop it from opening at login.

Microsoft covers the Windows options in its guide to configuring startup applications, and Apple covers the Mac option in its guide to login items. For a full walkthrough of the Windows side, read about changing startup programs in Windows 11.

The Windows tools can only switch a startup app on or off. Delaying a program is the part that Norton’s Startup Manager adds.

Troubleshooting Norton Startup Manager

I do not see Performance or Startup Manager

Make sure you opened the Norton app on the computer, not the Norton website. If you see a My Norton window first, click Open next to Device Security to reach the main window. Norton’s support pages describe Startup Manager for its Windows and Mac device security products, so it is not found in the mobile apps. If the feature is still missing, your plan or app version may not include it, and Norton support can confirm that.

My screen has Delay Start but no When to launch column

You have an older layout. Use the older steps above. That layout only delays programs, so to stop a program from starting at all, use the Windows startup settings described in the section above.

A program I want to change is not in the list

Check the program’s own settings for an option such as starting when you sign in, and check the Windows startup list as well. Some software starts through a background service instead of a normal startup entry, and those do not always appear in startup lists.

A program stopped working properly after I changed it

Set it back to Startup and restart. Norton gives the same advice for its separate Norton Utilities Ultimate product: if you notice an abnormal change after turning something off, turn it back on.

Startup is still slow

Startup programs are only one cause. Norton also points to having more than one security product installed, because security programs are generally not designed to work together. To check on Windows, press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl, press Enter, and look for another security product in the list of installed programs. Uninstalling one removes its protection, so only remove it if Norton is the product you intend to keep, then restart. Norton also recommends running a scan to rule out an infection, and using File Cleanup and Optimize Disk in the same Performance area.

If that extra product is a McAfee trial that came with the PC, follow our steps to uninstall McAfee from Windows 11 before you restart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Step

Open Startup Manager, pick two or three programs you rarely use, and set them to Disabled or Delay. Restart once to see the result, then adjust from there.