Stop Chrome From Opening on Startup in Windows 10

If Chrome launches every time you turn on your PC, it is usually because of a startup entry, a background setting inside Chrome itself, or a leftover shortcut in the Windows startup folder. This guide walks through every place Windows 10 and Chrome check at boot, so you can stop the automatic launch and keep your other startup programs intact.

What You’ll Need

Access to a Windows 10 administrator account (needed for some settings)
Chrome closed before changing some settings

Step-by-Step

Check Chrome’s own startup setting. Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, then select Settings. Scroll down to the On startup section. If Continue where you left off is selected, Chrome will restore your previous session at boot, which can look like a startup launch. Switch it to Open the New Tab page or Open a specific page or set of pages if you do not want that behavior.
Disable Chrome in Task Manager’s Startup tab. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Click the Startup tab (if you do not see it, click More details at the bottom). Look for any entry named Google Chrome or containing chrome.exe. Select it and click the Disable button in the bottom-right corner. This is the most common fix for Chrome auto-starting.
Remove Chrome from the Windows Startup folder. Press Win + R, type shell:startup, and press Enter. This opens the Startup folder for your user account. Look for a Chrome shortcut (it may be named Google Chrome or something similar). If you find one, right-click it and select Delete. Also check the all-users startup folder by pressing Win + R and typing shell:common startup. If a Chrome shortcut is there, you will need administrator permission to delete it.
Turn off background apps in Chrome. Chrome can keep running in the background even after you close all windows, which makes it appear to be “starting up” when you log in. In Chrome, go to Settings > Advanced (click Advanced at the bottom of the left sidebar). Under the System section, turn off Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed. Restart Chrome for the change to take effect.
Check Windows Settings for startup apps. Open Settings (Win + I), go to Apps > Startup. Look for Google Chrome in the list. If its toggle is On, click it to turn it Off. This is another place Windows 10 lists startup programs.
Check for a scheduled task. Some installations or extensions create a scheduled task that launches Chrome at logon. Press Win + R, type taskschd.msc, and press Enter. In Task Scheduler, click Task Scheduler Library on the left. Look through the list for entries mentioning Chrome or Google. If you find one, right-click it and select Disable (do not delete unless you are certain it is not needed).
Review registry Run keys (advanced). Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Look for a value whose data points to chrome.exe. If you find one, right-click the value name and select Delete. Also check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (requires admin). Be careful: only delete entries you recognize as Chrome-related.

Common Mistakes

Only disabling it in Task Manager but not in Chrome’s settings. If Chrome’s own “Continue where you left off” is on, it may still restore tabs at boot even after you disable the startup entry.
Deleting the wrong shortcut in the Startup folder. The Startup folder may contain shortcuts for other programs. Only delete the one clearly labeled Chrome.
Forgetting about the all-users Startup folder. If you only check your personal folder, a Chrome shortcut in the common folder will still launch it.
Assuming the registry is the first place to look. Most Chrome auto-start issues are handled by Task Manager or the Startup folder. Editing the registry is only needed if the other steps fail.

Tips

After making changes, restart your PC to test. Do not just log off and back on; a full restart clears any cached startup state.
If you want Chrome to open specific pages when you launch it manually, set those in Settings > On startup > Open a specific page or set of pages. That way, you keep your preferred pages without auto-starting at boot.
Use Task Manager’s Startup tab to see the “Startup impact” column. This tells you how much Chrome (or any program) slows your boot time.
If an extension is causing Chrome to reopen, consider disabling suspicious extensions in Settings > Extensions and see if the problem stops.

Troubleshooting

Chrome still opens after following all steps. First, re-check Task Manager’s Startup tab â€” sometimes the entry reappears after a Chrome update. If it does, disable it again. Then check the registry Run keys again, as some third-party software (not Chrome itself) can re-add the entry.

Chrome opens but only restores tabs from a previous session. That is the “Continue where you left off” setting, not a startup entry. Go to Chrome Settings > On startup and change it to Open the New Tab page.

Chrome opens a specific website at login. This is often caused by a shortcut in the Startup folder that includes a URL in its target field. Right-click the shortcut, select Properties, and look at the Target field. If it ends with a website address, delete the shortcut entirely.

Chrome opens even after you disabled it in Task Manager. Check the Startup folder and the registry as described. Also, verify that you are looking at the correct user account â€” if you have multiple Windows accounts, each one has its own startup settings.

Chrome opens but you never see a window, just a background process. That is the background app setting. Turn off Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed in Chrome’s System settings, then close Chrome completely (check the system tray for a Chrome icon and close it from there).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Chrome open on startup even though I never set it to?

Chrome may add itself to the startup list during an update, or a bundled installer (for another program) may have added a startup entry. Also, if you clicked “Continue where you left off” at some point, Chrome will restore tabs at boot.

Will disabling Chrome in Task Manager stop it from opening?

Yes, in most cases. The Task Manager Startup tab is the primary control for startup programs in Windows 10. If it does not work, check the Startup folder and registry as described.

Does Chrome have a built-in setting to prevent auto-start?

No, Chrome does not have a single “don’t start at boot” toggle. You control it through Windows settings (Task Manager, Startup folder, Settings app) and by disabling background apps in Chrome.

Can I keep Chrome in the startup list but prevent it from opening windows?

Not directly. If the startup entry runs Chrome, it will open at least one window. The only way to avoid a window is to remove the startup entry entirely and rely on Chrome’s background mode (which you can also disable).

Will these steps affect my bookmarks or saved passwords?

No. Disabling startup only changes when Chrome launches. Your bookmarks, history, passwords, and extensions remain untouched.

What if Chrome opens a specific tab at startup that I did not set?

Check Chrome Settings > On startup. If it says Open a specific page or set of pages, click Set pages and remove the unwanted URL. Also check for a malicious extension that might override your startup pages.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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