How To Get To Background Apps In Windows 11: A Simple Guide

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5 min. read

Published on October 28, 2025

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Managing background apps in Windows 11 can significantly impact your computer’s performance and battery life. Many applications continue to run in the background even when you’re not actively using them, consuming valuable system resources. Understanding how to access and control these background apps is essential for optimizing your Windows 11 experience.

This guide provides a straightforward approach to finding and managing background apps in Windows 11. By following these simple steps, you can easily identify resource-intensive apps and adjust their permissions to improve your computer’s overall speed and efficiency. Let’s dive into how you can take control of your background apps!

Where Do I Find Background Apps in Windows 11?

Accessing Background Apps Settings

To manage background apps, you’ll first need to access the relevant settings menu. Here’s how:

Click the Start button.
Click the Settings icon (it looks like a gear).
In the Settings window, click on Apps.
Click on Apps & features.
Scroll down and click on Installed apps.
Find the app you wish to manage and click on the three dots to the right of the app’s name.
Select Advanced options.
Under “Background apps permissions”, use the dropdown menu to select your preferred option: Always, Power optimized (recommended), or Never.

Understanding Background App Permissions

Windows 11 offers several options for controlling how background apps behave:

Always: Allows the app to run in the background without restrictions. This can be useful for apps that need to provide real-time updates or notifications.
Power optimized (recommended): Lets Windows manage the app’s background activity to balance performance and battery life. This is generally the best option for most apps.
Never: Prevents the app from running in the background entirely. This can significantly improve performance and battery life, but may also disable certain features of the app.

Identifying Resource-Intensive Background Apps

Determining which apps are consuming the most resources can help you prioritize which ones to manage:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click on the Processes tab.
Look at the CPU, Memory, and Disk columns to see which apps are using the most resources.
Identify any apps that you don’t need running in the background and adjust their permissions accordingly.

Alternative Method: Battery Usage Settings

You can also manage background app activity through the Battery settings:

Click the Start button.
Click the Settings icon.
Click on System.
Click on Power & battery.
Scroll down to Battery usage.
Click on an app to view its battery usage details.
Click the three vertical dots and select Manage background activity.
Here you can change the background app permissions for the selected app.

Tips for Optimizing Background App Usage

Managing background apps effectively can have a positive impact on your system’s performance. Here are some tips to help you optimize background app usage:

Regularly review your background app permissions to ensure that only necessary apps are running in the background.
Disable background app activity for apps that you rarely use or that don’t require real-time updates.
Consider using the “Power optimized” setting for most apps to allow Windows to manage their background activity intelligently.
Monitor your system’s performance using Task Manager to identify any apps that are consuming excessive resources.
Keep your apps and operating system up to date to ensure that you have the latest performance improvements and bug fixes.

Let’s summarize the key differences between the background app permission options:

Feature	Always	Power Optimized (Recommended)	Never
Background Activity	Unrestricted	Managed by Windows	Completely Disabled
Performance	May impact performance & battery life	Balances performance & battery life	Improves performance & battery life
Use Case	Apps requiring real-time updates/alerts	Most apps; general use	Apps rarely used or not needing updates

Taking Control of Your System’s Performance

By following these steps, you can effectively manage background apps in Windows 11 and optimize your computer’s performance and battery life.

FAQ

How do I stop apps from running in the background Windows 11? You can stop apps from running in the background by going to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > [App Name] > Advanced options > Background apps permissions and selecting “Never”.

How do I see what apps are running in the background Windows 11? Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and look at the “Processes” tab to see a list of apps and processes currently running.

How do I turn off background app refresh in Windows 11? Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > [App Name] > Advanced options > Background apps permissions and select “Never” to disable background app refresh.

What happens if I turn off background apps? Turning off background apps can improve performance and battery life, but it may also disable certain features of those apps, such as real-time notifications.