Have you ever checked which services are running on your Windows 11? I bet there must be several services that you rarely use, yet they are running in the background and consuming system resources. If you are not using a high-end laptop or system, you must be cautious of how system resources are being spent. In this post, we will discuss in length the services that are completely safe to disable on Windows 11.
Nine Services that are Safe to Disable on Windows 11
Certain services on your Windows 11 only waste system resources as they are not being used, yet they are running in the background. We will present a list of such services that you need not require running, and you may disable them on your Windows 11 PC. They are as follows –
1. Fax Service
If you don’t work in a corporate, or rarely send or receive Fax, you may choose to disable the Fax service running in the background. To disable the Fax service on Windows 11, do the following –
- Press Win + R to launch the Run dialog.
- Type “
services.msc” and hit OK. - When the Services window launches, scroll down to the Fax Service.
- Right-click on it and select Properties.
- Change its startup type to “Disabled” on its properties window and hit Apply > OK.
Note: If you ever receive a fax, you need to reverse the above steps i.e. change the startup type to “Enabled“.
2. Downloaded Maps Manager
Windows 11 has a native map application and for this to work accurately, there’s a service running in the background. If you don’t use this navigation feature by Windows, you must disable this service on your PC.
Open the Services window and search for Downloaded Maps Manager by scrolling down. When found, right-click on it and choose Properties. Change its startup type to “Disabled” and hit Apply > OK.
That’s it, downloaded maps manager will stop running in the background when you restart your PC.
3. Universal Telemetry Client (UTC)
The universal telemetry Client is a service that runs in the background and accumulates data on how well your device is operating or functioning. It runs different diagnostic services in the background and sends the full report to the Microsoft servers. Though it sends info for the betterment of Windows, it unnecessarily consumes system resources and makes your device slow.
If you do want to disable a service because your device is running slow, you must disable it. To do so, launch Services and look for a Universal Telemetry Client on it. When found, right-click on it and select Properties. Change its startup type to “Disabled” and hit Apply then OK.
Note: Disabling it will free up some system resources and unnecessary data waste when sending information from your computer to Microsoft Servers.
4. Windows Biometric Service
Windows biometric service is useful on laptops where you do have a fingerprint scanner. If you are using an old system, it must be lacking a fingerprint scanner. Well, in that case, one may opt to disable Windows biometric service on his/her device.
To disable Windows Biometric Service on Windows 11, do the following –
- Launch the Services window first.
- Look for the Windows Biometric Service on the Services window.
- When found, right-click on it and hit Stop.
By default, Windows Automatic Service is set to start automatically when you power On your PC. This is so because you need to unlock your computer using your fingerprint. Stopping this service one time will not resolve this problem as this can restart the moment you reboot your PC.
To permanently disable Windows Biometric Service, reach out to its Properties window and change its Startup type drop-down menu to “Disabled”. Don’t forget to click Apply and then OK to confirm this change.
5. Windows Mobile Hotspot Service
Windows Mobile Hotspot Service is a very useful service that can make your device a hotspot for nearby devices. This indeed is a great thing, however, what if you never make your device a hotspot? Well, then it is unnecessarily running and consuming system resources. It is completely safe to disable this service as you won’t be missing anything on your computer. To do so, follow these steps –
- Right-click on the Windows icon and select Run.
- Type “
services.msc” on it and hit OK to enter the Services window. - Scroll down to Windows Mobile Hotspot Service and right-click on it.
- Select Properties on the context menu.
- Change its startup type to “disabled” and hit Apply > OK.
- After successfully disabling the Mobile hotspot service, do reboot your PC.
Sign back into your device again and the Windows Mobile hotspot Service must not be running on your computer. If you ever wish to re-enable this service, re-open the Services and change its Startup type to “Enabled” on its Properties window.
6. OneSyncSvc
OneSyncSvc is a sync service by Microsoft and it keeps all Windows apps in sync when used on two or more devices. It could be your Microsoft account, Mail & Calendar, and several other apps. If you do use these apps on your laptop or personal computer only, there’s no need to keep these apps in sync.
So, it is quite safe to disable this OneSyncSvc on your Windows PC. Open Services and come down looking for this service. When you locate this service, right-click on it and select Properties. On its properties window, use the drop-down menu next to the Startup type and change it to “Disabled“.
7. Security Center
Security Center seems to be a service having something to do with system security. Well, it isn’t. All it does is keep running in the background and check if any new update is available for your operating system. This definitely sounds like a not-important service, isn’t it?
If you are not concerned about system resources being wasted, you may keep this service On and running. Else, follow the below steps to disable it permanently on your computer.
- Press Win + S, and type “Service” in the search bar.
- Click on the top result to launch the Services window.
- Scroll down to Security Center, and right-click on it.
- Click Properties and change its startup type to “Disabled”, followed by Apply > OK.
After you disable this service, restart your PC. You will find your computer running more efficiently from the next login.
8. Print Spooler
Print Spooler is an essential service when you use a printer attached to your computer. However, if you don’t print anything from your system, there’s no point in keeping this service On and running.
To disable this service, launch the Services window first. Scroll down and locate the Print Spooler service over here. When found, right-click on it and select the option – Stop.
To ensure this doesn’t start automatically when you restart your PC, double-click on the Print Spooler service. Change its startup type to “Disabled” and hit OK. Doing so will keep this service disabled even when you reboot your device.
How to Fix Print Spooler Service Issues on Windows 10
9. Disable Windows Defender Firewall
Windows Defender Firewall prevents your device from installing untrusted applications, software from malicious sites, etc. This is a good thing but it is non-relevant if you are already using a third-party antivirus on your computer.
Keeping a Windows Firewall running along with an external antivirus will only consume unnecessary system resources. So, you better disable Windows Defender Firewall by following the below steps –
- Launch Control Panel.
- Click Windows Defender Firewall.
- Select “Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off” on the left pane.
- On the next screen, turn off Windows Firewall for both Private as well as Public networks. See the Snapshot below.
- Click OK to confirm disabling the Windows Defender Firewall.
Note: If you don’t use any other antivirus on your computer, restarting your computer will re-enable Firewall.
Can I disable the Windows Update Service?
Microsoft releases new security updates every second Tuesday of a month and one shouldn’t restrict such updates. This is because they include several bug fixes along with features to improve your device’s security. However, as they come too often, you may delay installing such updates.
Even in cases where you don’t want to delay Windows updates, you may wait to know about the features a new update holds. When a new update is available for your PC, you may visit Windows 11 Update history and read its changelog. If it does satisfy you, you may proceed ahead with its manual installation from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
Apart from security patches, Microsoft also releases non-security updates or optional updates which contain more bugs than any new feature. So, when you disable unnecessary scanning for new updates on your computer, it saves system resources and your device may last longer. Here’s how to put a stop to Windows updates automatically.
- Press Win + R to launch Run.
- Type “
services.msc” on it and hit OK. - Locate Windows Update on the Services window.
- When found, right-click on it and select Properties.
- On its properties window, change the Startup type drop-down menu to “Disabled“, and hit Stop.
If an update comes after disabling Windows Update and you do wish to install that, check for the same over Microsoft’s Update Catalog. Microsoft releases standalone packages for all new updates (security, non-security, out-of-band, or optional). Here’s a complete guide on how to install pending updates manually on your PC –
What other Services you can disable on Windows 11?
Apart from the above list, you may disable these services safely on your Windows 11. It is to be noted that these services will restart the next time you restart your computer. So, you must change their Startup types to “Disabled” on their properties window.
- Application Layer Gateway Service
- Alljoyn Router Service
- AVCTP Service
- Bitlocker
- Bluetooth Support Service
- Certificate Propagation
- Diagnostic Policy Service
- Diagnostic Service/System Host
- Distributed Link Tracking Client
- Enterprise App Management Service
- File History Service
- GameDVR and Broadcast
- Geolocation Service
- IP Helper
- Internet Connection Sharing
- Netlogon
- Offline Files
- Parental Control
- Payments and NFC/SE Manager
- Phone Service
- Program Compatibility Assistant Service
- Remote Registry
- Retail Demo Service
- Secondary Logon
- Smartcard
- TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
- Windows Error Reporting Service
- Windows Insider Service
- Windows Image Acquisition
- Windows Camera Frame Server
- Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service
- Xbox Accessory Live Auth Manager
- Xbox Live Networking Services
That would be all. I hope by now, you get a fair idea of which services to disable on your Windows 11 PC.
