[Fixed] 5 Ways To Stop Steam From Opening On Startup

Having a Steam account on your PC enables you to play your favorite computer games directly as well as Steam’s Remote Play Feature. But it becomes annoying when the Steam application opens with every startup of the computer.

Startup applications utilize computer resources like processor and RAM and put a strain on your PC. Having many applications on your startup list can slow down the computer boot-up process. And if you are not interested you may still hide the unnecessary games from Steam for some time.

Steam is on those applications that start on their own every time you turn on the computer. It may be OK if you are turning on the PC just for gaming. But if you are not in gaming mode and want productivity, then this startup issue can be annoying.

You may be thinking about how to stop Steam from opening on startup. It is a pretty easy task and requires few steps to turn it off. However, Windows and Mac have different methods that we will explain in detail. Let’s get straight to it.

Steps to Stop Steam From Running at Startup From Steam Application

Out of many methods of stopping Steam from launching at startup, this is the most straightforward method. This method is unique in the way that it works on both Mac and Windows. It involves using the Steam application itself.

how to stop steam from opening on startup
  1. Open the Steam application, and from the top menu, click on the “Steam” tab. Once in the drop-down menu, click on “Settings.”
  2. Then inside the settings tab, lookup the “Interface” section in the left panel.
  3. There will be a list of options inside the Steam interface settings. Look for a checkbox that says “Run Steam when my computer starts.” Simply uncheck it and click on the OK to button at the bottom to confirm the selection.

Having done that, close the Steam window and restart the PC. You will see that by following the instructions, you have stopped Steam from loading on PC startup.

Steps to stop Steam from opening on startup on Windows 10

Method 1: Disabling Steam from Startup App

The first method involves opening the Steam application and disabling the Steam startup on Windows loading from the settings. But if you are having difficulty in opening Steam by following the methods, or it is not working for one or the other reason, you can stop Steam from loading on startup by using Windows.

You need to finds the “Startup applications” by utilizing the Windows search function. Type in “Startup apps” in the search bar and press enter. Or you can press the windows key on the keyboard and search.

searching steam from start menu

Once you open the startup apps, you need to search for “steam client bootstrapper” manually. Because there is no search function in the startup apps, you need to scroll down the list manually. This shouldn’t be the issue unless you have a long list of installed programs.

disabling steam from startup apps

There, you will see a toggle switch underneath the “Steam client bootstrapper.” If you want to stop Steam from opening at startup, toggle the switch off. Once it is off, there is no need for any extra step and simply close the startup applications.

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Method 2: Disabling Steam Auto-Startup Using Task Manager

If you are looking for another simpler method to prevent Steam from startup and facing difficulty following the above methods. Here is another method that will take only a few clicks. It involves using Task Manager to disable Steam auto startup.

Disabling Steam Auto-Startup Using Task Manager
  1. To start the Task Manager, the simplest method is pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Del combination on the keyboard.
  2. After that, you will see a new screen, click the “Start Task Manager” option.
  3. You will see a small window that has few tabs.
  4. From the given tabs, choose the startup tab. It enlists the programs that are installed on your computer.
  5. Within this listing, search “Steam client bootstrapper.” Once you find it, right-click it.
  6. From the context menu, select disable to stop autostart of Steam at startup.

Steps to stop Steam from opening on startup on Mac

Mac users can follow the first method involving Steam application to disable the startup. However, in case of that method is not working for you, there is another easy solution.

Method 1: Deleting from Login Items

Deleting from Login Items
  1. On the main screen on Mac, click on the Apple logo on the top left of the screen.
  2. From the drop-down, select “System Preferences.”
  3. Now look for the “Users and Group” option and select it.
  4. On the bottom left of the menu, there will be a lock; click it. After that, enter your password, and now you can make changes. Select “Login Items” from the top of the menu but keep in mind to unlock it so that you can make changes.
  5. It will open the startup programs. From this list, highlight the Steam app and press the “-” symbol to remove it from the startup.

Method 2: From Steam application in Dock

Another easy way to disable Steam from opening at startup on Mac is by accessing it from Dock at the screen bottom.

  1. Locate the Steam app on the Dock and right-click it.
  2. In the context menu, bring your cursor to the “Options.”
  3. Check if the “Open at login” is enabled. Disable it by toggling it off from the checkbox.

Disabling Steam from opening on startup is not working

Steam can still auto-start no matter what methods you use to disable it. In that case, you can consider removing/uninstalling Steam from PC and installing its fresh copy.

Disabling Steam from opening on startup is not working
  1. Press Ctrl + R on your keyboard.
  2. To open the control panel, type “control.exe” in the search box.
  3. Once it is open, choose “Uninstall a program.”
  4. From the list, select Steam and uninstall it.
  5. Now go to the official Steam webpage and download a fresh Steam client to your PC.
  6. Install it and disable the auto start from one of the above methods.

Summing Up

So, it’s the end of our comprehensive guide on how to stop Steam from opening on startup. We have listed many methods that you can utilize to stop this autostart behavior of the Steam app. After applying these quick fixes, you can not only turn off the Steam autostart but other applications too. If you are still having issues regarding understanding the methods or having problems in their execution, ping me in the comment below.

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Muhammad Kashif

M. Kashif is a published author at Gaming Expert.net. He is a tech enthusiast, a passionate gamer and loves to try new gadgets and writing about games and technology events.