How To Stop Chrome from Opening on Startup

Chrome is one of the best browsers you can download today, and it’s for that reason that it’s become the predominant choice of most people around the globe. Of course, just because Chrome is popular doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Although it’s usual fast and reliable, there are some issues that can populate when you’re using Chrome every day, and one of these known issues is Chrome opening on startup, even after removing it from the startup programs on your PC.

If this annoys you, don’t worry–you won’t need to switch to a new browser. There are several ways to fix this reoccurring problem, which will not just improve your PC’s startup time, but will speed up your Chrome experience overall.

Remove Chrome from Startup Programs

There are two ways to check if Chrome is on the startup programs list.

The first one is simple. You just start Task Manager by holding CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC. Then, find the Startup Tab, click on Chrome if it is on the list, and click Disable at the bottom-right corner of the window.

The other way to check your Startup Tasks on Windows 10 is to type “startup” in the Start menu and then select the first result. Click on that to see the list, and then you can simply move the slider next to Chrome to turn it off.

If Chrome keeps starting up, move on to the next method.

Disable Chrome from Running Backgrounds Apps

Not many people realize that Chrome will run background apps even when it is closed by default. This could be the reason why it keeps opening on startup.

You can fix it by doing the following:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Open the menu (three vertical dots) in the top right corner of the screen.
   
3. Click on Settings.
   
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Advanced.
   
5. Scroll down again until you reach the System section.
   
6. You will see “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed”. Move the slider to turn it off.
   

Restart your PC and see if Chrome keeps starting up again. If the problem prevails, try the following methods.

Remove Chrome from Startup Using Registry Editor

Google Chrome AutoLaunch could be the culprit. It approves Startup items on its own, which is usually caused by a Potentially Unwanted Program, or PUP. These PUPs are anything but cute – they can get installed as a side deal with some another program or if you browse a shady website.

They appear on your browser without your knowledge and redirect you to a random page via Chrome AutoLaunch. Follow these steps carefully to get rid of Chrome Startup with the Registry Editor:

1. Hold the Windows key and R to open up a Run window.
   
2. Type in “regedit” and press OK to open it.
   
3. You will be prompted to give it permission to make changes, so select Yes.
   
4. When you are in Registry Editor, you can navigate manually to this folder or simply copy and paste the following path:
   ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
   
5. If there is anything fishy on the list, right-click on it and press Delete.
6. Then move on to this folder and do the same:
   ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerStartupApprovedRun
   
7. If you don’t recognize any of the values, right-click and delete them.
   
8. Close the Registry Editor window and restart your PC.
9. In case this didn’t work either, there are more methods you can try.

Make a Chrome Task Killer

If your problem is persistent, you can eliminate it like this:

1. Open up Run, by pressing the Windows key and R key simultaneously.
   
2. Enter Notepad using this window.
3. Type in or paste this into notepad:
   Taskkill /IM chrome.exe /F
   
4. Save this document as a Windows batch file, with a .bat extension. The name is irrelevant, it can be asd.bat, but it is important that it’s not a text file. Close this file.
   
5. Open Run again but now enter this: shell:startup and click OK.
   
6. This will get you to the Startup folder where you need to save the bat file you created. Simply drag it or paste it here and it will kill the Chrome process on Startup, not allowing it to start.
   

Reset or Reinstall Chrome

Maybe all you need is a clean slate. In case you haven’t already, try reinstalling Chrome from scratch. Type in “add or remove programs” in the Start menu. Find Chrome and click on it, and then select Uninstall. Go through the process and make sure there are no leftovers. Locate the Chrome installation folder and delete it. Now, you can reinstall Chrome and see if it still opens on Startup.

In case you don’t want to lose all your bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history on Chrome, you can reset it instead. This way, you will get rid of cookies and extensions, and your startup problem might go away.

Here is how to reset Chrome to default:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click on the menu in the top-right corner.
   
3. Select Settings.
   
4. Scroll all the way down to the bottom and find “Restore settings to their original defaults”.
   
5. Confirm the prompt by clicking on Reset settings.
   

Termination Complete

Intrusive startup programs can be a nuisance, but there are ways to prevent them from bugging you. If you go through these methods, surely some of them will work.

Have you used any of the above methods to solve this problem? Do you have any additional thoughts on it? Let us know!