Discord, the immensely popular voice and text chat platform, has become an indispensable tool for gamers, streamers, and communities worldwide. However, for those who prefer a clean and organized startup experience, Discord’s tendency to launch automatically upon system boot can be an annoyance. This constant presence can clutter your taskbar and consume system resources unnecessarily. Therefore, if you seek to regain control over your startup applications and prevent Discord from intruding on your workflow, this comprehensive guide will provide you with step-by-step instructions to disable its automatic startup on Windows 11.
To commence the process of disabling Discord’s automatic startup, navigate to the Task Manager by simultaneously pressing the “Ctrl,” “Shift,” and “Esc” keys on your keyboard. Once the Task Manager window appears, locate the “Startup” tab, which displays a list of applications that launch automatically when your computer boots up. Within this list, search for the “Discord” entry and right-click on it. From the context menu that appears, select the “Disable” option to prevent Discord from launching on startup. This simple yet effective action will ensure that Discord remains dormant until you manually initiate its launch, granting you greater control over your startup routine.
In addition to the Task Manager method, there is an alternative approach to disabling Discord’s automatic startup by modifying the Discord application settings. To do this, launch Discord and click on the gear icon located in the bottom-left corner of the window to access the “User Settings” menu. Navigate to the “Windows Settings” tab and locate the “Startup Behavior” section. Here, you will find several options related to Discord’s startup behavior. Select the “Do not open Discord” option to prevent Discord from launching automatically, thereby ensuring that the application only opens when you specifically desire it.
Prevent Discord Startup in System Configuration
To disable Discord from launching automatically at startup using System Configuration:
- Press Windows key + R to open the “Run” dialog box.
- Type “msconfig” and click “OK”.
- In the “System Configuration” window, select the “Services” tab.
- Scroll down the list of services and locate “Discord”.
- Uncheck the box next to “Discord” to disable its automatic startup.
- Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.
- Restart your computer to apply the new settings.
Detailed Explanation:
The “System Configuration” utility provides a comprehensive way to manage startup programs and services in Windows. By unchecking the box next to the “Discord” service, you prevent it from being loaded automatically when the system starts up. This ensures that Discord only launches when you manually open it.
| Option | Result |
|---|---|
| Checked | Discord launches automatically at startup. |
| Unchecked | Discord does not launch automatically at startup. |
Modify Discord Settings to Disable Auto-Launch
To disable Discord from opening automatically on Windows 11 through its settings, follow these steps:
- Launch Discord and click on the “User Settings” gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
- In the “User Settings” window, navigate to the “Windows Settings” tab on the left panel.
- Under the “Startup Behavior” section, uncheck the box next to “Open Discord on system startup.”
- Click the “Close” button to save your changes.
Here’s a detailed explanation of the third step:
Uncheck the “Open Discord on system startup” checkbox
Locate the “Startup Behavior” section in the “Windows Settings” tab. This section contains two options:
- Open Discord on system startup
- Minimize Discord to tray on close
Uncheck the box next to “Open Discord on system startup.” This will prevent Discord from automatically launching when you start your computer.
Remove Discord Shortcut from Startup Folder
This method involves removing the Discord shortcut from the Startup folder, which prevents it from launching automatically during Windows startup:
- Press the **Windows key + R** to open the Run dialog box.
- Type **shell:startup** into the Run dialog box and click **OK**.
- In the Startup folder window, locate the Discord shortcut.
- Right-click on the Discord shortcut and select **Delete**.
Note: If the Discord shortcut is not visible in the Startup folder, it may have been placed in a different location. In this case, you can use the following steps to find and remove it:
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the following location: **%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup**.
- Locate the Discord shortcut in the Startup folder and delete it.
Once the Discord shortcut has been removed from the Startup folder, it will no longer launch automatically when Windows starts up.
| Os | Steps |
|---|---|
| Windows 10 and 11 |
|
Use Autoruns Utility to Disable Discord Startup
The Autoruns utility is a powerful tool that provides a comprehensive view of all programs that are configured to run automatically when your computer starts up. To disable Discord from starting on startup using Autoruns, follow these steps:
- Download Autoruns from Microsoft’s website: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns
- Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a convenient location.
- Run Autoruns.exe as an administrator.
- In the Autoruns window, select the “Everything” tab.
- Locate the entry for Discord in the list of programs. It will typically be listed as “Discord” or “Discord.exe”.
- Uncheck the box next to the Discord entry to disable it from starting on startup.
- Click the “OK” button to save your changes.
- Restart your computer to apply the changes.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. | Download Autoruns from Microsoft’s website. |
| 2. | Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a convenient location |
| 3. | Run Autoruns.exe as an administrator. |
| 4. | Select the “Everything” tab in the Autoruns window. |
| 5. | Locate the entry for Discord in the list of programs. |
| 6. | Uncheck the box next to the Discord entry to disable it from starting on startup. |
| 7. | Click the “OK” button to save your changes. |
| 8. | Restart your computer to apply the changes. |
Edit Discord Registry Key to Disable Startup
To disable Discord from opening automatically on startup through the registry, follow these detailed steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command window. Type “regedit” (without quotes) and click OK.
2. Navigate to the Discord Key
In the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
3. Check for the Discord Entry
In the right-hand pane, look for an entry named “Discord”. If you find it, proceed to the next step; otherwise, the registry key does not exist, and Discord is likely not set to start automatically.
4. Right-click on “Discord”
Hover over the “Discord” entry and right-click on it. Select “Delete” from the context menu.
5. Confirm Deletion
A confirmation window will appear. Click “Yes” to confirm the deletion of the “Discord” registry key.
6. Close the Registry Editor
Once you have deleted the “Discord” registry key, you can close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart Your Computer (Optional)
Restarting your computer is recommended to ensure that the changes take effect. However, this step is not strictly necessary for the registry edit to work.
| Registry Path | Value |
|---|---|
| HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | Discord |
Use Group Policy to Restrict Discord Startup
If you’re a Windows 11 user, you can use Group Policy to prevent Discord from opening on startup. Here’s how to do it:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type gpedit.msc and click OK.
- Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Security Center > Advanced.
- In the right pane, double-click on the “Configure Windows Defender Security Center” policy.
- In the Local Security Policy Settings window, click on the “Enabled” option.
- Under “Options,” select the “Disable all notifications” option.
- Click on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons to save the changes.
- Restart your computer.
Note:
This method will disable all notifications from Windows Defender Security Center. If you want to keep receiving other notifications, you can use the following steps instead:
1. Open the Start menu and click on “Settings.”
2. Go to “Notifications & actions.”
3. Under “Notifications,” find Discord and click on it.
4. Turn off the “Show notifications” toggle.
Uninstall and Reinstall Discord
Uninstalling and reinstalling Discord can be a simple but effective way to reset its startup settings and prevent it from opening automatically on startup. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Settings app by pressing Windows key + I.
- Click on “Apps” and then select “Apps & features.”
- Scroll down and select “Discord.”
- Click the “Uninstall” button.
- Once Discord has been uninstalled, download the latest version from the Discord website.
- Install Discord and launch it.
- Disable the “Open Discord on system startup” option in Discord’s settings.
- Restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
- Verify that Discord does not open automatically when you start your computer.
-
Open the Discord settings by clicking on the gear icon in the bottom left corner.
-
Click on the “Windows Settings” tab in the left sidebar.
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Under the “Startup Behavior” section, toggle the “Open Discord” switch to the “Off” position.
-
Click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the window to apply the changes.
How to Stop Discord From Opening on Startup Windows 11
If you’re tired of Discord automatically opening when you start your Windows 11 computer, here’s how to stop it:
Discord will no longer automatically open on startup when you restart your computer.
People Also Ask
How do I open Discord on Startup Windows 11?
Follow the steps above and toggle the “Open Discord” switch to the “On” position.
How do I restart Discord on Windows 11?
Right-click on the Discord icon in the taskbar and select “Restart”.
How do I update Discord on Windows 11?
Discord should automatically update when a new version is released. If it doesn’t, you can manually check for updates by clicking on the gear icon in the bottom left corner and selecting “Check for Updates”.
