How to Remove Invalid Entries from Task Manager Startup tab

Managing startup entries was possible using the System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe), in Windows 7 and earlier. This functionality is now provided by the Task Manager in Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11, which features a new “Startup” tab that lists all auto-start entries in the system.

You can either enable or disable items listed in the Task Manager Startup tab, but no option is provided to delete the obsolete entries. Over time, old entries may accumulate in the Startup tab as and when you uninstall programs that you no longer use.

Here is an example where the OneDrive entry exists in the Startup tab even after uninstalling the OneDrive client.

task manager startup tab dead entries - onedrive

When you right-click on it, the Open file location option would be grayed out if the executable doesn’t exist in the specified location.

This post tells you how to remove the leftover or invalid entries in the Task Manager Startup tab in Windows 8, Windows 10 & Windows 11. Also, see the note included at the end of the article for Store apps.

RELATED: How to Open Task Manager to a Specific Tab Directly

Remove invalid entries from Task Manager Startup tab

The invalid startup entries can be removed via the registry or using a specialized program like Autoruns.

Method 1: Using Autoruns

Using Task Manager you can manage startup entries only from the above auto-start launch points. However, there are many other launch points in obscure registry locations from where programs can run. And to manage most, if not all, of them, Autoruns is the tool you need. Autoruns, as they say, is like MSCONFIG on steroids.

warning caution iconImportant: Autoruns won’t display entries that are disabled in the Task Manager’s Startup tab because they are stored in a different registry location. If you want to delete a “Disabled” startup item, make sure you enable the item first in Task Manager. To do so, right-click on the startup item, and choose “Enable”.

  1. Download Autoruns from Microsoft.
  2. Unzip and run the tool elevated (“Run as administrator”).
  3. Click the “Logon” tab
  4. Remove unwanted startup entries there. It’s important to make sure you don’t remove Microsoft entries there, especially the Userinit entry.
    remove taskmgr startup entries
    Tip: Autoruns allows you to hide Microsoft and Windows entries via the Options menu so that you don’t accidentally remove important auto-start programs needed by Windows.
  5. After you’ve cleaned up the dead startup entries, proceed to delete the invalid shortcuts in the Startup folders. Follow the instructions in “Step 2” (under Method 2) below.
RELATED: What is Startup Impact in Task Manager and How is it Calculated?

Method 2: Using the Registry Editor

The auto-start programs listed in the Task Manager Startup tab can load from the registry or from the Startup folders. Follow these steps to clean the invalid entries from the registry as well as from the two Startup folders manually.

Step 1: Clean up the “Run” keys in the registry

  1. Create a System Restore Point or take a complete registry backup first.
  2. Start the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and go to the following location: 
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  3. Each value in the right-pane is an auto-start entry added by programs. Right-click on an unwanted entry in the right pane, and choose Delete.
    remove taskmgr startup entries
  4. Repeat the same in the Run key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key (applies to all users) mentioned below.

    Hint:     While you’re in the previous registry location, you can right-click on the “Run” key and choose Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE option in the right-click menu, which automatically gets you to the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  5. 32-bit programs on a 64-bit Windows computer use the following WOW6432Node\...\Run registry locations. You need to follow the same procedure here, as well: 
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
  6. Additionally, cleanup the corresponding entries (for each item removed from the above locations) under the following keys. 
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run32

    remove taskmgr startup entries

    (Note: The disabled items in the Task Manager startup tab are stored in the StartupApproved registry locations.)

  7. Exit the Registry Editor.

Step 2: Cleanup the items in the Startup folders (per-user & common startup)

  1. Open this folder by typing the path in the File Explorer address bar: 
    %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

    remove taskmgr startup entries

  2. Delete the unwanted shortcuts there.
  3. Open this folder by typing the path in the File Explorer address bar. This opens the per-user Startup folder (shell:startup) 
    %Appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
  4. Delete the unwanted shortcuts from the above folder.
RELATED: What is “Program” in Task Manager Startup Tab

Hope you were able to get rid of dead or invalid entries in the Task Manager Startup tab using one of the above two methods!

What about startup entries of Store apps?

Note that the above methods are to remove only the classic desktop (win32) apps from Startup. The modern Universal Web Apps or Store app startup entries can’t be removed using the registry or Autoruns.

For classic desktop apps, you’ll either see the words Registry or Folder in the “Startup type” column, denoting whether the entry is originating from the Startup folder or from one of the Run keys in the registry.

store app startup entries
The “Startup type” column is blank for UWP/Store apps.
RELATED: Task Manager Startup Entries Keep Getting Disabled

For Store apps (e.g., ShareX, Skype, Cortana, Your Phone apps) the Startup Type column would be blank. That’s because, for UWP apps, the startup entries are coming from the manifest file included at the time of compilation. The only way to remove the Store app startup entry is to uninstall the software.

Last reviewed on 11-July-2023.

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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

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42 thoughts on “How to Remove Invalid Entries from Task Manager Startup tab”

  5. I noticed that with iTunes there are installed some iTunesHelper.exe and AppleMobileDeviceProcess.exe (mobile iTunes Helper). These could not be found under any key noted and also Autoruns does not list them.

    Reply

    • @Jirka: Can you enable the “Startup type” and “Command-line” columns in Task Manager Startup tab? After doing so, please upload a screenshot of it.

  6. Would be really nice if you included some context for “Export the key to a REG file first.” “Keys” are not mentioned This is showing us how to remove old entries, so why are we exporting something before deleting it?

    Reply

    • @DK: Exporting before deleting is a good habit anyway, just in case you’re sitting in a wrong registry branch and nuke something else accidentally.

  10. Very helpful. I did reset my PC thinking it will delete the ‘programs’. Alas! Upon boot up the suckers are staring at me again. Thanks to you, now I know how to solve the issue, despite of losing many softs.

    Reply

  11. thank you, very helpful,
    but unfortunatly it didn’t work for me:

    I am unable to find my 2 dead entries neither in Autorun nor in regisrty
    I try to delete Skype and Ear Trumpet entries from task manager’s startup tab after having disabled them.
    in “startup type” there is nothing and in”command line” tab I have:
    Skype\Skype.exe
    EarTrumpet\EarTrumpet.exe

    I will try to uninstall EarTrumpet as it was me who installed it but Skype I didn’t even use it at all; it started alone and create this entry; would prefer to not uninstall it but if nother way why not even if I’m not sur it will delete this entry in task manager

    Any other help would be highly appreciated
    thanks again

    Reply

    • @Umair, The disabled entries are present in these registry keys. Checked there?

      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

  12. Why not tell there is a program that does this at first? Making people read and do it manually and then oh, hey, there was this program that could do it all for you!

    sad times.

    Reply

  19. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run32
    I also found the unwanted program entry in this key as well. Maybe you should update the blog.
    Thank you for your help.

    Reply

  20. Thanks a ton man. Autoruns is soooo good! it directly highlighted the 3 files I had to delete. i didn’t even had to search or do anything.

    Reply

  21. Thank you, this worked for me. I didn’t know that there were other locations were start-up programs were added. I thought they were only located where the .exe folder was based on shell:startup

    Reply

  24. Thanks a lot bro. Method 2 helped me to remove an invalid startup program that came from a non-existent application. Good game and well played bro! ^_^

    Reply

  25. This is very usefull, my ocd can calm down now . However, Does removing items by using method 2 break the app or software or does it simply just stop it appearing in “startup” under taskmanager?

    Reply

  26. Thanks a lot!! I have managed to remove a startup path: C:\Program” Files (x86)\… which is not even existed lol. Method 1 was super useful!!

    Reply

    • @Sid: Some program may be adding the entry again? Please post a screenshot of the Task Manager Startup tab as well as the Registry Editor window showing the Run key.

  33. I was not able to delete “Send to OneNote.Ink” in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\ONENOTEM.exe.
    I found OneNote in the following folder: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\StartupFolder

    Reply

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