How to Disable Spotify Opening on Startup in Windows 10

Lee Stanton February 21, 2023

Automatic startup for your Spotify app ensures that you always have music ready to go. But convenience does have a price. Namely, your boot process could slow down to a crawl with it running in the background.

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to disable the automatic opening of the Spotify app in Windows 10. Keep reading to find out how to disable Spotify and other apps that may slow down your startup process.

How to Disable Spotify Opening on Startup in Windows 10

There are a couple of ways to keep Spotify in its place until you’re ready for it. Try one or both methods to cover all bases.

Method 1 – Change Spotify Settings

Open the Start Menu and launch the Spotify app or click on the green Spotify icon in the system tray.
Click the three horizontal dots in the left corner of the Spotify window to open the Settings menu.
Select Edit and then Preferences.
Click Show Advanced Settings near the bottom of the Settings page.
Look for the section called Startup and Window Behavior.
Select No from the drop-down options for Open Spotify automatically after you log into the computer.

Method 2 – Disable Spotify Startup via Windows Task Manager

Microsoft knows its users like to control which programs to include during startup tasks. That’s why they have a built-in Startup tab in the Task Manager. You can disable Spotify (and other programs) using the steps below:

Launch Task Manager by pressing Control + Shift + Esc or Right-clicking on the Windows taskbar and selecting Task Manager from the drop-down menu.
Select the Startup tab or More Details if you don’t see the tab.
Find and right-click on Spotify.
Choose Disable to stop the automatic launch of Spotify.
If all else fails, go to file location C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Roaming\Spotify.
Right-click on SpotifyStartupTask.exe, then choose Properties.
Click the Security tab.
Go to Advanced and select Disable inheritance from the drop-down menu.
Confirm by selecting Remove All inherited permissions from this object.
Repeat steps 5-9 with SpotifyWebHelper.exe.

Do the above process at your own risk, though. Taking away permissions means that Spotify can’t overwrite or read the files when you update. It may stop auto-launching on startup but could destabilize the app in other ways.

As a final alternative, you can also try uninstalling and installing the Spotify app again. Many users run into problems setting auto-launch settings with Spotify apps that come with their PC. Try downloading it from a different source, like the Spotify website, and setting auto-launch options.

Spotify Boot Launch FAQs

Why Does Spotify Always Open When I Turn On My PC?

Spotify automatically opens when you turn on your computer because it’s set that way by default. It is convenient for users, so they always have music at their fingertips. Furthermore, being open means that the app can always remain updated. Regardless of the benefits, including Spotify in the startup boot sequence can slow down the startup process.

You can change your preference in the Spotify Settings menu to disable this feature or minimize it to a tray.

Running an Efficient Startup Boot

Every program you install wants to be part of that elite list of startup programs. It’s just the default status of most programs. But there are some that you don’t need when you first turn on your computer. And worse, they may slow down your startup boot process.

Fortunately, you can choose which programs run when you turn on your computer to tidy up the startup process and keep it running smoothly. Spotify is a big culprit, but so are cloud drives and game launchers. Try disabling a few to see which ones make a difference in your startup processing speed.

Do you disable your Spotify auto-launch feature? Tell us about it in the comments section below.