How to manage startup apps with eclean Booster

Startup Apps controls which apps are allowed to start automatically when you sign in to Windows. If your desktop takes too long to become usable after login, this is usually the safest Booster page to review first.

How to manage startup apps

1. Open Startup Apps: Go to Booster > Startup Apps.
2. Refresh the list: Click Refresh if you want eclean to rescan the latest startup entries.
3. Review the app details: Check the name, publisher, install date, file path, and any visible notes before disabling it.
4. Research unknown entries: Use the search action when you need more context about an app or publisher.
5. Toggle startup access: Turn the switch off for apps you do not want starting with Windows.
6. Restart or sign out later: Startup changes are easiest to verify after the next sign-in.
7. Check Booster History: Use history if you need to confirm which startup entries were changed.

What to leave enabled

• Keep security software, driver utilities, cloud sync tools, and hardware control apps enabled unless you know you do not need them at startup.
• Disable game launchers, updaters, chat apps, or helper apps only if you are comfortable opening them manually.
• If an app re-enables itself, check that app's own settings because some apps restore their startup entry.

Technical deep dive

Startup Apps reads entries from registry-backed startup locations and Windows Startup folders. Registry entries use a stable ID made from scope, registry path, and value name. Startup-folder entries use scope, folder location, and shortcut file name.

eclean distinguishes user-level and machine-level entries. It also understands enabled and disabled storage locations, including AutorunsDisabled paths used to park disabled entries. For startup folders, the enabled path is the normal Windows Startup folder under APPDATA or ProgramData; the disabled path is an AutorunsDisabled folder beside it.

When you disable a registry-backed startup entry, eclean moves the startup value from the active Run location to the matching AutorunsDisabled location and writes the matching StartupApproved state as disabled. When you enable it again, eclean moves the value back and writes the approval state as enabled. Deleting a registry startup entry removes the value and removes the matching approval value.

For startup-folder entries, disabling moves the .lnk shortcut into the disabled folder. Enabling moves it back to the enabled Startup folder. Deleting removes the shortcut file. eclean does not uninstall the app from Startup Apps; it only changes the startup entry.

Updated on: 12/06/2026