Windows 11: Disable background apps for better battery performance
Open settings
For example, applications banished to the background can still receive information, send notifications, or download updates. On the one hand, this is useful. But if you depend on good battery performance, you should check whether the battery consumption can be optimized with these apps.
- Windows 11 version 21H2
First, call up the settings, for example by right-clicking on the start button. - Windows 11 version 21H2
Then navigate to the “System” section on the left and click on “Power and Battery” on the right. - Windows 11 version 21H2
On the following page you have to scroll down a bit to see all the options. - Windows 11 version 21H2
Now under “Battery” open the category “Battery usage”. - Windows 11 version 21H2
The “Battery usage per app” section lists all applications running in the background. - Windows 11 version 21H2
Next to the app for which you want to make settings, click on the three-point icon. - Windows 11 version 21H2
In the pop-up that appears, select “Manage background activities”. - Windows 11 version 21H2
Windows will then redirect you to the Apps section. In this dialog, open the pull-down menu under “Background App Permissions”. - Windows 11 version 21H2
There are three options to choose from. If you want to prevent the app from running in the background, select the “Never” entry. - Windows 11 version 21H2
Not all applications can be managed in this way. Firefox, for example, does not allow you to control its background activities.
To control which apps are actually working in the background, first open the settings. This can be done via the extended context menu that appears after right-clicking on the Start button. If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, press the Windows key + i instead.
View battery usage per app
By default, you are then directly in the System section. If not, use the left sidebar to navigate there. Now go to the right pane and click on Power and Battery. On the next page you can see the current state of charge with the estimated remaining running time at the top and the battery status over time on the right.
Now scroll down a bit and open the Battery usage category. In the Battery usage per app section, you can find the applications running in the background, including their respective usage time. You won’t have started all of them yourself, like the Windows Feature Experience Pack or the Xbox Game Bar on our test device.
Customize background app permissions
Now click on the three dots arranged one above the other next to the app for which you want to make settings. In the pop-up that appears, select Manage Background Activities. Windows then automatically redirects you to the Apps section, where you can find out details about the respective program, such as publisher, version and data usage.
The crucial option for battery usage is found in the background app permissions section. If you open the pull-down menu below, you can choose from three entries: Power Optimized (recommended), which is usually the default, Always, and Never. If you never want the app to be active in the background, select the latter.
Incidentally, not all applications can be managed in this way. For example, on Firefox, if you click the three-dot icon, you’ll get a message that background activity for that app can’t be managed. The only thing that helps here is to try out the programs that come into question.
