How to put programs to sleep in Windows 10

If you’ve been willing to know how to put programs to sleep in Windows 10, then this is the article for you.

Putting programs in the sleep setting is one of the first fixes for a computer that slows down or runs out of battery quickly.

This happens mostly because you have too many processes opened in the background using system resources and impacting everything else.

Sometimes, this may not be your fault. Windows operating system is designed to keep applications running in the background so they can launch within seconds if you ever need them.

Many of these applications also run in the background to provide support to the entire computer system in case it needs resources like up-to-date notifications and downloading important data.

While having programs running in the background is essential for the smooth running of your computer, they clog system resources and drain your battery.

Thankfully, you can do without them if they do not matter to you or you want to release some system resources. Making a few changes in settings can make all the difference you want.

Table of Contents

1. How to put programs to sleep in Windows 10
   1. Put programs to sleep using Privacy Settings
   2. Put programs to sleep using System Settings
   3. Can I put desktop apps to sleep too?
2. Wrap Up

How to put programs to sleep in Windows 10

In this guide, you will find all the detailed steps so you can put programs in sleep mode in Windows 10.

Put programs to sleep using Privacy Settings

• Use the Windows Search option to search for “Settings” and hit the enter key;
• Find “Privacy” from the settings menu and click it:

• After clicking on “Privacy” on the left pane of the screen, scroll down the window to “Background Apps” and click there;

• In the middle of the panes, turn off the toggle switch underneath “Let apps run in the background”. Disabling that toggle switch will turn off all your background apps;

• If you have specific programs you would like to stop, choose them from the list of programs under “Choose which apps can run in the background” and turn off the toggle switches one by one.

Put programs to sleep using System Settings

You can use System Settings to put programs to sleep or prevent applications from running in the background if you turn “Battery Saver Mode” on.

This feature automatically turns on when your battery power is below 20 percent, but you can turn it on even if your battery is fully charged.

The steps below highlight this method:

• Go to Settings and click on “System”;

• Scroll down and select “Battery”. On the resulting screen, click on “Battery Saver”;

• Turn off the toggle switch for “Battery saver status until next charge” under the battery saver slider. The battery saver will be turned on once you do that, and programs will be put to sleep and stop running in the background.

NOTE: You can only put programs from the Microsoft Store to sleep with this method. Programs gotten outside the store will need to be put to sleep manually.

Can I put desktop apps to sleep too?

All the methods described above do not control traditional Windows desktop applications. These methods only work with the new mobile-style universal Windows 10 app format.

To put desktop programs to sleep on Windows 10, close all desktop applications when you are not using them.

Also, check your notifications area to see if programs aren’t hiding there and running in the background.

Open Task Manager and hover over the Startup tab to see all the programs running currently. Disable any of them you want to put to sleep.

Wrap Up

For the smooth running of your Windows 10 computer system, you need as many system resources as possible. With enough resources freed, your device runs more effectively and smoothly.

Using the sleep option helps you achieve that, and we hope that we have provided you with some tips to help you do it.

Let us know which of the methods worked.

And if you have any alternative method that can be used to put programs to sleep on Windows 10, highlight the steps in the comments.

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