Google Chrome is probably one of the most popular browsers on the internet among users. It has garnered this reputation thanks to its focus on speed and reliability. It has many features that make the browsing experience more secure and fast for the user.
There is one major problem with the browser, which many users will agree they suffer from. That is the high system resource usage. Running and maintaining the application takes up a lot of resources which can essentially slow down the device if many tabs are open.
Chrome Opens On Startup Windows 10!
Many users are reporting that when they boot into Windows 10, Google Chrome starts on its own and loads either the new tab or some other page. This can be a serious error in Windows 10, as boot-time startup coupled with the high resource can lead to the device being bottlenecked right at the boot.
This situation often causes a decline in productivity, as you won’t be able to start working right away and have to wait for the system to settle into idle resource usage.
Here I will discuss why Chrome opens on startup in Windows 10 and the potential fixes that you can deploy to solve this issue. Even Microsoft Onenote has the similar issue and you can get it fixed by following the post here.
Why Does Chrome Open When I Start My PC?
There are many reasons why Chrome may start when you start your system. Here is a list of some of the most common reasons why Chrome opens on startup in Windows 10.
- Chrome may be set to start alongside Windows. This setting is usually enabled when you install Chrome applications. Some of these applications need Chrome to be up and running besides Windows as well.
- If Chrome is configured to run background apps, they may start Chrome when Windows boots.
- Sometimes, the ‘Continue where you left” option can lead to Chrome forcefully starting itself at startup.
- Browserhijacker is a type of malware that is usually installed alongside unwanted programs like adware and other complementary software. These can be very difficult to remove and need a special change in the registry to remove.
How To Stop Chrome From Opening On Startup In Windows 10?
Now that I have answered Why does Chrome start automatically, it is time to solve the error. You can follow these solutions to solve Chrome opens on startup issue.
Note: this is assuming you are on the latest build of both Google Chrome and Windows 10. If not, update the software and the operating system before making any changes to your system. This is to ensure that any software related bugs are removed by the developers themselves.
If updating your system and OS made no difference, you can proceed with the fixes here.
Solution 1: Disable Chrome From Startup
Many different settings can change when installing other applications. If you did not add Chrome to start automatically at boot, some other application may have done it.
Whatever may have caused it, this is actually very easy to solve. You just need to disable Chrome from startup.
- Open Task Manager by simultaneously pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Alternatively, you can also access it from the WinX menu as well.
- Click on the Startup
- Here locate Google Chrome.
- Right–click on it and select Disable.
Restart your device to check if Chrome starts at boot. This should solve your error.
However, if you already tried this and it failed, there may be some other issue that needs to be resolved.
Solution 2: Make Changes In Chrome Settings
There are some other settings that can be changed to solve this error on your device. This error usually occurs when you install Chrome applications. There are some basic changes that you need to make inside Google Chrome to prevent Chrome opens at startup error.
- Open Google Chrome if it is already not open.
- Click on the menu button at the top right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings from the context menu that opens.
- Scroll down to the On Startup
- Here, click the radio button next to Open the New Tab page instead of Continue where you left off.
This will open a new tab when you open Google Chrome. Now,
6. Scroll down to the System
7. Here uncheck the toggle associated with Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
8. Restart your system.
These changes are usually associated with Chrome opening on startup in Windows 10. Once you change these settings, Chrome should not start at boot.
Solution 3: Make Registry Changes
Google Chrome AutoLaunch is a feature that can allow apps to open new Chrome Windows without user interaction. This was introduced as a feature to increase the ease of use. But it is heavily misused by unwanted software and force unnecessary Chrome instances.
This can become annoying quickly, and you need to make a small Registry change in order to solve this error.
- Open a Run window by pressing Win + R.
- Type regedit and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor. Click on Yes if prompted by the User Account Control dialog box.
- Inside the Registry Editor, paste the following path in the address bar to locate it:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run - With the Run key selected, from the right pane delete any entry that you do not recognize or are unrelated to any unnecessary applications. To delete, simply right-click on the entry and select Delete.
5. Next, navigate to the following path by pasting the location in the address bar:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
6. Repeat step 4 and delete any unrecognized entry here as well.
7. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.
Once this is done, check if Google Chrome still opens at every startup.
Solution 4: Create A Task Killer For Chrome At Startup
If Chrome is still stubborn enough to start at every boot, you can deploy an advanced solution that involves creating and running a Task Killer batch file.
Here is the simple method to do so:
- Open a text editor that you prefer like Notepad or MS Visual Code.
- Paste the following line of code in the editor:
Taskkill /IM chrome.exe /F - Save the file with the name and extension killchrome.bat
Remember to save the file with .bat extension.
- Close the text editor.
- Open another Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
- Type shell:startup and press Enter to open the startup folder.
- Paste the batch file that you just created inside the startup folder.
Now when you boot into Windows, the task killer file will kill Chrome before it even gets the chance to start itself at boot.
Solution 5: Reset Or Reinstall Chrome
As a last resort, if all other fixes fail, you can try performing a clean reinstall of the Google Chrome browser. This will also help you in case you have a corrupt Chrome installation. A fresh install will reset all the broken files and settings, and form the data libraries again.
- Uninstall the Chrome application from the Control panel. Then remove the residual files as well. To remove the residual files, you can use a third-party junk file cleaner like CCleaner.
- Then download a fresh copy of the Chrome installer from the Google website and run the installer.
- Wait for the installer to finish.
Now try loading the web page in this new installation of Google Chrome.
Wrapping Up
If you can look past the heavy resource usage, Google Chrome is one of the best browsers available on the internet. If you were wondering Why does Chrome start automatically, now you know how to solve the Chrome opens on startup in Windows 10 error using the fixes above. Tell us in the comments which method worked for you.
