➤ 3 ways to prevent Microsoft Teams from starting automatically on Windows 10 🎮

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

Apps that start automatically can greatly reduce your computer speed (Speed up Windows 10 to the maximum) and use unnecessarily available PC resources. They may also slow down your computer's startup time (How to Optimize Windows 10 PCs for Free) and drain your laptop's battery quickly (How to Save Battery in Windows 10 - Increase Battery Life). For an app like Microsoft Teams that you don't use all the time or at least often, you should prevent it from starting automatically every time you turn on your desktop or laptop. We will show you 3 ways to do this in the section below.

Method 1: within the app

One of the simplest ways to disable the Microsoft Teams autostart feature is within the app itself. That's how.

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

Step 2: Then select Settings from the context menu.

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

Step 3: uncheck the “Automatic application start” option and close the Settings menu.

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

Step 1: launch the Microsoft Teams app from your PC home page or Start menu.

Step 2: when launching the app, tap the profile icon in the top right corner of the app.

Step 3: select Settings.

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

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

Method 2: using the Windows Task Manager

In the rare case that Microsoft Teams keeps starting automatically after instructing it not to use method no. 1 above, you can disable the automatic launch of the app using the Windows Task Manager.

Step 1: use the Windows + X shortcut to launch the Windows Quick Access Menu and select Task Manager.

Suggestion: you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Windows Task Manager directly.

Step 2: in the Task Manager, click the Startup tab.

Step 3: right-click Microsoft Teams and select Disable. Alternatively, click on Microsoft Teams and tap 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 tap Enable.

You can also use this method to stop any other apps from starting automatically on your Windows computer. Just launch the Windows Task Manager, go to the Startup section, and disable any power-hungry, CPU-intensive apps you barely use or don't need to start automatically. This will significantly save and extend the battery life of your Windows 10 PC.

Method 3: Use the Microsoft Registry Editor

Both of the above methods should prevent Microsoft Teams from starting automatically on your Windows 10 PC. If you are adventurous, you can try this (technical) method. It involves deleting the Microsoft Teams autostart file in the Windows Registry Editor.

Final report: make sure you follow the steps below carefully so that you don't mess up any files or configurations in the Windows registry. It is therefore recommended that you backup your PC's Windows registry so that you can restore it if something goes wrong.

Step 1: use the Windows key + keyboard shortcut R to launch the Run dialog.

Step 2: type regedit in the box and select OK or tap Enter on your keyboard.

This will start the Windows Registry Editor.

Step 3: paste the path below into the registry editor address bar and tap Enter on your keyboard.

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun

This will open the Microsoft Run folder.

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

Step 5: select Delete.

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

Conclusion

Allowing the Microsoft Teams app to start automatically could save you time if you're a daily user of the tool. However, it is worth remembering that this will reduce the performance (speed) of the computer and cause it to start slower than usual. It also has a major impact on PC battery life. You need to stop Microsoft Teams from starting automatically if you only use the app occasionally. Even if you use the app every day, manually launching the app yourself when you need it is the best option.