How To Stop The Chrome Starts With Windows

Have you ever booted up your computer, which is pre-loaded with Windows 10, and noticed that Google Chrome launches automatically on startup showing the tabs you had visited on your previous session?

Such situations might put you in a precarious position, as your previously opened Chrome tabs can be viewed by anyone who launched your computer to perform some other tasks. Moreover, Google Chrome launching on startup significantly increases your boot time, making the device feel more sluggish.

Generally, it is easy for users to figure out how to stop apps from opening on startup, but they might fail to turn off Google Chrome through the same methods.

This article will figure out how to stop Chrome from opening on startup through multiple methods suggested by netizens. But first, let us know what factors contribute to the Google Chrome starts with Windows issue.

What is causing Windows 10 to open with Google Chrome automatically?

We have analyzed the Chrome auto-startup issues by going through multiple user reports submitted due to this incident and the repair strategies used in each of those situations.

Gathering the different solutions of our analysis, we came up with diverse reasons due to which Windows 10 might open with Google Chrome automatically:

• Google Chrome runs automatically at startup because it is allowed to do so by default. Nobody had made any changes to the original settings, and the nefarious issue can be fixed by simply changing the Chrome settings.
• Chrome Settings had been changed to display tabs “From where you had left off”, thus reopening them at every consecutive system restart command.
• Chrome opens apps in its background by default at every startup, along with multiple other related processes. This can be fixed by disabling appropriate options in Chrome settings.
• Some Startup-approved items are forcing Google Chrome to launch on Windows startup because the computer has been infected by browser hijackers or PuPs (potentially unwanted programs). In this case, we can use the Registry Editor to clear out unknown Run keys.
• Chrome experimental features, such as the Fast tab/windows close, are enabled, which is known to cause this particular error. This can be simply disabled from Chrome settings to fix this issue.
• Google Chrome startup page greets users when Windows 10 launches because Chrome apps like Hangouts are set to autolaunch at startup.
• The Chrome browsers of some users were hijacked by malware and adware, which forced Chrome to launch at startup and automatically redirect to other malicious websites. We can fix this issue by reinstalling Google Chrome and destroying their entry links permanently.

The following article will provide you with many troubleshooting techniques if you are presently having difficulty resolving this specific problem and preventing Google Chrome from starting automatically at every startup.

In the section below, you’ll discover a compilation of solutions that other people experiencing the same problem have used to remedy the situation successfully. It is vital that you follow the procedures in the sequence in which they are provided for the most significant results.

How to Prevent Google Chrome app open on startup?

1. Disabling Chrome from the Task manager’s Startup tab
2. Turning off Chrome Pick up where you left off feature
3. Preventing Chrome from running websites and Chrome apps in the background
4. Put the Chrome stop through Windows Settings Menu
5. Preventing Chrome from opening at Windows startup via Registry Editor
6. Disabling the Fast tab/window close feature in Chrome
7. Making a task killer for Chrome through a Batch File
8. Checking for viruses or Browser Hijackers through Antivirus
9. Stop Chrome and Clear Chrome Cache
10. Fix the unresponsive Google Hangouts extension
11. Hard Reset Google Chrome
12. Reinstall Google Chrome

Disabling Chrome from the Task manager’s Startup tab

If you’re just getting started with your search for methods to prevent Chrome from automatically launching at system startup, this method should be your first visit.

The Task Manager system application is native to Windows and helps maintain control of the running background processes. Through the startup tab, we can ensure that Google Chrome stop at the startup of Windows 10. Follow the steps below for disabling Chrome from the startup tab:

• To enter the Run dialogue box, press the Windows key + R shortcut keys at the same time. Then, to get the System Configuration screen, enter “msconfig” into the search box and press Enter.

• Select the Startup tab from the System Configuration window and then click on the Open Task Manager button.
• If you are not automatically sent to the Startup tab this action must be done manually.

• Scroll down to the list of applications and right-click on Google Chrome to open the context menu for the startup entry. Then, click on Disable to prevent the Google Chrome process from being launched when the system is restarted the following time.

Through this process, you will know the general steps on how to stop apps from opening on startup. If the traditional solution is useless in your case, head over to the other contemporary methods given below.

Turning off Chrome Continue where you left off feature

If you are disturbed by the fact that your previously used Chrome windows and tabs pop up every time you launch Windows 10, then this method is uniquely designed for you.

Through the steps given below, we will instruct you to turn off the infamous “Continue where you left off” Chrome feature, which is relatively easy when followed correctly:

• Open Google Chrome from its icon on the desktop.

• Click on the 3-dotted settings icon at the top-right corner beside all the extensions.
• Click on Settings to open up the Chrome settings window from the short context menu.
• Click the ” On startup ” panel entry from the left pane inside the Chrome Settings menu.

• On the right side of the window, the “Continue where you left off” option was selected previously. Change it to any of the other 2 options, such as “Open in a New Tab page” or “Open a specific set of pages”.
• You can save the changes made by simply closing the Settings tab.
• Restart Chrome to apply the changes by typing chrome://restart at the search bar and pressing Enter.

Follow the other methods given below if this solution doesn’t work out for you.

Preventing Chrome from running websites and Chrome apps in the background

When Google Chrome starts with Windows 10 after booting up, you will notice a lot of chrome.exe processes running under the Processes tab of the Task Manager.

Even if you close all the Chrome windows visible on the device screen, the processes are still present on the system memory. These background activities consume your device resources, but they can be disabled by turning off an Advanced feature under Chrome Settings.

The browser functionality will not be affected if you perform the solution, and you will end up releasing some system resources that may be utilized in other applications. Here are the steps that you must follow closely:

• Open Google Chrome from your desktop app shortcuts.

• Click the 3-dotted action button (menu button) at the top-right corner of Google Chrome beside the extensions.
• From the menu that pops up, click on Settings.

• When you are inside the Settings menu, focus on the left panel of the screen and expand the Advanced bar.
• Click on System from the expanded left panel.
• Turn off the option named “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed” on the right portion of your display screen.
• Google Chrome processes won’t be allowed to run in the background anymore.
• Restart Chrome without restarting the computer by executing the following URL in the search bar chrome://restart
• Try to boot up your PC again to see if Chrome starts with Windows.

Proceed to the next solution if this method fails to be successful.

Put the Chrome stop through Windows Settings Menu

If the above methods didn’t help in shutting down Chrome autolaunch at Windows startup, you might want to check out the Windows Settings menu for additional Startup tweaks and permissions.

The Startup section inside Windows Settings lists all the apps that are installed on your computer, and you can forcefully disable Google Chrome and other apps that are troubling you during Windows startup. Follow the steps below to put a stop to Chrome:

• Open Windows Settings by clicking the gear icon after opening the Start Menu

• Head on to the Apps category from the main Settings screen
• Click on the Startup section from the left panel

• On the right portion of the screen, you can see all the apps that have a startup entry inside the Windows OS. The toggle button shows beside each of them will show if the entry is enabled.
• Turn off the entry for Google Chrome through the toggle button
• Restart your PC to see if Google Chrome launches again on startup.

If this solution isn’t working for you, head on to the following method.

Preventing Chrome from opening at Windows startup via Registry Editor

In most of the cases reported by Google Chrome users, even if you manually turn off Google Chrome AutoLaunch from the Startup tab in task manager and Windows Settings, it is still possible that Chrome insists on autostarting at Windows launch.

• Such an issue is caused by different Startup-approved items inside the Google Chrome AutoLaunch registry folder, and it can only be fixed by accessing the Registry Editor and deleting every entry inside.
• There are higher chances that the Google Chrome AutoLaunch folder possesses some websites implemented by malicious PuPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs), which changes the default Google Chrome startup page and redirects you to dangerous sites when Windows 10 boots up.

This situation might be harmful to your Windows computer, so let us see what you can do in this particular scenario:

• Open up Window’s Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R shortcut key combination.
• Type regedit inside the Run box and press Enter on your keyboard.
• Press Yes on the UAC (User Account Control) screen if you are greeted by it to provide Administrator privileges to the following program.
• The above command opens up the Registry Editor on Windows 10.

• Once you get inside, use the left navigation pane to navigate the following registry path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run
• You can either move to this location manually (by clicking on the navigation panel folders one-by-one as indicated by the registry path) or copying the registry path on the navigation bar at the top and pressing Enter.
• Select the Run folder with a single click and head on to the right-hand panel indicating the registry keys under that entry.
• Note down every item that is unrecognizable or looks fishy.

• Right-click and press Delete on every item that feels like it doesn’t belong in the Startup list.
• After clearing the registry key, navigate to another location using the left panel: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• Repeat the same process of deleting values in the registry folder that is unrecognizable (Right-click and Delete).
• Save all changes by closing the Registry Editor.
• Restart the computer to see if you are successful in turning off Chrome from launching at Startup automatically.

Disabling the Fast tab/window close feature in Chrome

An experimental feature called Fast tab/window close might cause this persistent Chrome autolaunch issue. This additional feature can be disabled from Chrome’s Experimental Features menu, which is hidden by default and accessible through the Flags menu.

Note: The Fast tab/window close is discontinued in the latest build of Chrome.

If you are using a previous version of Chrome, you can follow this method through the steps below to stop Chrome from launching automatically:

• Open Chrome from the Windows desktop using its icon.

• Type “chrome://flags” inside the Chrome navigation bar and press enter to navigate to the hidden experimental Chrome section.
• A confirmation window asks if you really want to change settings that are crucial in the functioning of Google Chrome. Accept the message.
• Use the search function inside the experimental menu to look for “Enable fast tab/windows closing” or “#enable fast-unload”.
• After you find the fast tab feature, set it to Disabled from the drop-down menu.
• Restart your PC to see if Google Chrome is opening by itself on startup.

Making a task killer for Chrome through a Batch File

If all the previous methods failed to work out on your computer, it indicates that non of the internal Chrome or Windows settings can help you. In this scenario, we will make a task killer in the form of a “.bat file” that kills the chrome.exe process from the system memory on Windows startup automatically, therefore saving you from this issue. Here’s how to do this:

• Open the Run dialog window by pressing the Windows Key + R shortcut keys.

• Type notepad inside the Run box and press Enter to fire up the Notepad app.
• We will design the bat file through this notepad editor.

• Paste the following line inside the Notepad app: Taskkill /IM chrome.exe /F
• After writing the code for this task killer, go to File -> Save As

• Give the task killer file any name, such as ChromeTaskKiller.bat
• Set the Save As Type section to All Files, and make sure that the filename extension is .bat instead of .txt
• Navigate to the Desktop folder, and click on Save to finalize your Chrome task killer.

• Use another Run dialog box (Windows key + R), type shell:startup inside the box, and press Enter.
• You will be navigated to the Startup folder of Windows.
• Inside this folder, paste the ChromeTaskKiller.bat file that you had created on the desktop. This action will make sure that the task killer runs and kills any chrome.exe process every time your computer boots up. 

Checking for viruses or Browser Hijackers through Antivirus

Chrome might open suddenly when Windows boots up because your browser has been hijacked by malware, adware, or spyware. These malicious entities might have broken into your computer through external media such as an infected Pendrive, a suspicious file downloaded from a shady website, etc.

They take control of your browser and redirect you to unknown websites to generate traffic. They can be removed from Google Chrome through a virus scan by Windows Defender (or any other Antivirus):

• In the past, Google Chrome included a built-in scanner for detecting and removing potentially harmful files. It has been deleted from the most current builds by Google. When it comes to protecting their computers, users will have to utilize the Windows Security program called Windows Defender.

• Begin by typing “Windows Security” into the Start menu search bar. The “Windows Security” program icon will appear. Click on it.

• Virus & Threat Protection may be accessed from the sidebar by clicking on it.
• The “Quick Scan” button can be used to perform a quick scan. Scan deeper if it has been a while since your last scan. “Scan Options” can be found below the heading “Current Threats.“

• Results will be shown to you once the scan is complete. There should be a notice that states “No Current Threats” if there is no virus.
• If there is any malware, you will see a message that reads “Threats Found” and a list of the infected files just below.

• By clicking on the “Start Actions” button, you will begin the process of eliminating the dangers.
• Once the malware is eliminated, you may restart your computer to see if Chrome launches automatically at startup.

Stop Chrome and Clear Chrome Cache

You can try emptying Chrome’s cache if it continues to open even after you’ve used the other remedies mentioned above. The cache memory of Chrome stores residual files and cookies that are helpful in the fast retrieval of websites. The cache files are cleared automatically when Chrome is removed from the memory.

But in some cases, when Chrome is closed unexpectedly in the previous session, or the laptop battery dies out, then the cache files remain in the hard disk and might force Chrome to launch automatically on Windows startup. Therefore we need to regularly clean up the Chrome cache by following the steps given below:

• Open Chrome through its desktop icon

• Click on the three vertical dots on the top right corner to launch the Action Menu.
• Hover your mouse on the More Tools section to open up a small menu on the left side.
• Click on Clear browsing data.

• You will be redirected to the Clear browsing data tab on the Google Chrome browser.
• Check all boxes in the list except Passwords and other sign-in data.
• Click on Clear data.
• Chrome will take some time to delete the cache and browsing history from the past 1 hour.
• Restart your PC to see if the Google Chrome startup page shows with Windows boot.

Fix the unresponsive Google Hangouts extension

It’s possible that the problem described in this tutorial is caused by the Google Hangouts extension installed on your Chrome browser. You may try disabling, uninstalling, and reinstalling Google Hangouts to see if that helps. You can also disable a Hangouts feature using the steps given below:

• Open the Hangouts Google app from its desktop icon
• Click on the Hamburger icon at the top left portion of the Hangouts app.
• You will be presented with the Hangouts app settings window.

• Scroll down the different options present there and uncheck the “Start Hangouts app when Chrome starts” feature.
• Exit Hangouts by scrolling further below and clicking Exit.
• Restart your desktop to see if your issue is fixed.

Hard Reset Google Chrome

It might seem frustrating when after following all the methods above, you come to realize that none of the internal settings will work out for you. In this scenario, we will help you out by providing 2 methods – Chrome Hard Reset and Chrome Reinstallation.

They will delete all the local internet data and setting on your computer, so make sure to perform appropriate backup and sync procedures. To perform a Hard Reset on Chrome, follow the steps below:

• Press the Windows key + R key combination to open up the Run dialog window.
• Copy the following line and paste it into the Run window:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data

• Press Enter to navigate to the path.

• Inside the Windows Explorer, select the folder called Default, hold down the Shift + Delete key combination, and click on Yes to confirm deleting the folder permanently.
• After you finish deleting the Default folder, open Google Chrome

• Click on the Menu button indicated by the three-dotted icon on the top right corner of the Chrome window beside the extensions.

• Click on Settings, expand the Advanced tab from the left panel, and click on Reset and clean up.
• On the right-hand side, click on the Restore settings to their original defaults button.

• On receiving a prompt, click on Reset settings.
• Restart your PC and see if Chrome is launching automatically on startup.

Reinstall Google Chrome

This final method to reinstall Google Chrome will delete every Chrome settings and registry key and eliminate the possibility of a browser hacker due to PuPs (that adds an AutoRun key forcing the launch of Chrome at startup). Follow the steps below to uninstall Chrome and reinstall it from the official Google website:

• Press Windows Key + R to open up Run
• Type appwiz.cpl inside the Run window, and press Enter to open up Control Panel’s Program and Features window.

• Scroll down through the list of installed applications to find Google Chrome.
• Select the browser app and click on Uninstall.
• Restart the computer once the uninstallation finishes.
• Perform a virus scan to remove any PuPs from the computer.

• Visit the official Google Chrome website.
• Click on Download Chrome to retrieve the Chrome installation package, and install it from the Downloads page.
• Your Chrome issue will be fixed after providing a clean environment for the browser.

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