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How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup in 3 Easy Steps

How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup in 3 Easy Steps
Avatar of Shaun M Jooste

Shaun M Jooste

  • April 26, 2021
  • Updated: July 2, 2025 at 4:08 AM
How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup in 3 Easy Steps

One feature that Steam sets as a default on Windows, Mac, and Android is automatically starting up when your operating system opens. While most gamers don’t mind at all, there are some that prefer the app to wait until they manually access it. It’s particularly the case when devices take too long to start up, and you’d like to choose which ones take priority. Since we’ve learnt how to stop Steam from opening on startup for this very reason, we’re going to quickly show you.

How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup

While most operating systems let you choose which programs open at startup via the task or app manager, you can actually disable this feature within Steam. You can perform this function whether you’re online or offline. 

Step 1: Open Steam

Open your Steam program if it isn’t already and log into your account. It doesn’t matter whose profile signs in, as the settings will apply for your device across all accounts. Make sure everyone playing on your PC is aware of the changes you plan to make. 

How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup in 3 Easy Steps

Step 2: Access the settings

Next up, click on ‘Steam’ in the menu, and then ‘Settings.’

How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup in 3 Easy Steps

Step 3: Open Interface

Select the ‘Interface’ tab, and you’ll see a variety of options appear. About midway down the list, you’ll see ‘Run Steam when my computer starts.’ You can toggle this setting off to ensure that it never does it again. Feel free to repeat the process if you want to enable it again.

How to Stop Steam from Opening on Startup in 3 Easy Steps

Ending the Steam power

If you have hundreds of Steam games, the chances are that you’ll have several updates running daily. Your computer won’t want to deal with these from the moment your operating system starts up. Sometimes, it’s better to give it some breathing space before you open the gaming client. 

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