Top 3 Ways to Stop Microsoft Teams From Starting Automatically on Windows 10

The Microsoft Teams application is ideal for team management and communication. It is up there among the likes of Zoom, Skype, etc. Despite its incredible features, there is one thing I don’t like about the Microsoft Teams Windows app: it starts automatically every time I start Windows. If you don’t like that either and you’ve come here to find answers on how to prevent Microsoft Teams from starting automatically on your Windows 10 PC, then you’ve come to the right page.

Applications that start automatically can significantly reduce the speed of your computer and unnecessarily use available PC resources. They could also slow down your computer’s startup time and drain your laptop batteries faster. For an application like Microsoft Teams that you don’t necessarily use all the time, you should prevent it from starting automatically every time you turn on your desktop or laptop computer. We will show you 3 ways to do this in the section below.

Method 1: in the application

One of the easiest ways to turn off Microsoft Teams’ auto-start feature is in the app itself. Here’s how.

Step 1: Right-click the Microsoft Teams icon in the system tray of your taskbar. If you don’t see the icon in the taskbar, click the up arrow icon in the status bar to reveal it.

2nd step: Then select Settings from the context menu.

This will launch the Microsoft Teams app and automatically redirect you to the App Settings page.

Step 3: Uncheck the “Autostart application” option and close the Settings menu.

If you can’t find the Microsoft Teams icon in your PC’s taskbar, you don’t have to worry. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Launch the Microsoft Teams application from the home page of your PC or from the Start menu.

2nd step: When the app launches, tap the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the app.

Step 3: Select Settings.

Step 4: In the General section of the Settings menu, uncheck “Autostart application”.

And that’s it, Microsoft Teams should no longer start automatically every time you turn on your PC.

Method 2: Use Windows Task Manager

In the rare case that Microsoft Teams continues to start automatically after being asked not to use method # 1 above, you can disable the automatic start of the application using Windows Task Manager.

Step 1: Use the Windows + X shortcut to launch the Windows quick access menu and select Task Manager.

Pro tip: You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Windows Task Manager directly.

2nd step: In Task Manager, click the Startup tab.

Step 3: Right-click Microsoft Teams and select Disable. Otherwise, click Microsoft Teams and press the Disable button in the lower right corner of the section.

If you want to cancel this action later and have Microsoft Teams restart automatically, follow the same steps and press Activate.

You can also use this method to stop the automatic startup of any other application on your Windows computer. Just launch Windows Task Manager, go to the Startup section, and turn off any power-hungry and CPU-hungry application that you barely use or don’t need to start automatically. This will save and significantly extend the battery life of your Windows 10 PC.

Method 3: Using the Microsoft Registry Editor

The above two methods should prevent Microsoft Teams from automatically starting on your Windows 10 PC. If you are feeling adventurous, you can try this method (technique). This involves deleting the Microsoft teams autostart file in the Windows Registry Editor.

Note: Make sure to follow the steps below carefully so as not to mess up any file or configuration in the Windows registry. It is therefore advisable to back up the Windows registry of your PC so that you can restore it in the event of a problem.

Step 1: Use the Windows key + Keyboard shortcut R to launch the Run dialog box.

2nd step: Type regedit in the box and select OK or press Enter on your keyboard.

This will launch the Windows Registry Editor.

Step 3: Paste the path below in the address bar of the Registry Editor and press Enter on your keyboard.

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun

This will open the Microsoft Run folder.

Step 4: Right-click the Microsoft Teams autostart registry file (com.squirrel.Teams.Teams).

Step 5: Select Delete.

Restart your computer and the Microsoft Teams application should no longer start automatically, unless you launch it.