How to Disable Discord Autostart and Remove It From Startup

The most reliable method is to turn autostart off inside the app itself: open User Settings (the gear icon next to your name), go to Windows Settings and switch off the Open Discord toggle. Discord will stop launching with the system, and your account, messages and servers stay exactly as they were.

If that section isn't there, or Discord writes itself back into startup after an update, the system-level methods below will do it. Here are all the working options for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus what to do when the app keeps running in the background even with autostart disabled.

Method 1. Discord's own settings

Start here: the app stores its own autostart flag and can recreate the system entry on the next update if that flag is still switched on.

1. Open the Discord desktop app.
2. Click the gear icon next to your username in the bottom left corner.
3. Find the Windows Settings section in the left menu.
4. Switch Open Discord to off.
5. Close settings — the change applies immediately, no restart needed.

There's a second toggle next to it, Start Minimized. It doesn't disable autostart; it only hides the window in the tray, so for a full opt-out you need the first one.

Method 2. Windows system tools

These help when the Windows Settings section is missing from the app, the toggle doesn't stick, or Discord launches through a separate startup entry.

Task Manager

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. Go to the Startup tab (called Startup apps in Windows 11).
3. Find the Discord row, right-click it and choose Disable.

The "Startup impact" column shows how heavily an entry loads the boot process — a useful reference if you're cleaning up the whole startup list.

Windows Settings

Open Settings → Apps → Startup and switch off the toggle next to Discord. It shows the same list as Task Manager, just in a clearer layout.

The registry and the Startup folder

A last resort when the entry refuses to disappear. Open the registry editor (Win + R, then regedit) and navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Look for a value named Discord — it usually points to Update.exe with a launch argument for the app. Delete that value. Then check the Startup folder: press Win + R and enter shell:startup, and if needed shell:common-startup. If a Discord shortcut is sitting there, remove it.

Create a restore point before editing the registry: deleting the wrong key can affect other programs.

How to disable Discord autostart on macOS

On macOS, startup behaviour is handled by the system rather than the app:

• Through System Settings. Open System Settings → General → Login Items (on older versions, System Preferences → Users & Groups → Login Items) and remove Discord from the list with the minus button.
• Through the Dock. Right-click the Discord icon in the Dock, open Options and uncheck Open at Login.

Both do the same thing — it's a single entry, just reached two different ways.

How to disable Discord autostart on Linux

In most distributions, autostart is defined by a separate file in your user directory. Check the ~/.config/autostart folder and delete the discord.desktop file from it. If you prefer a graphical route, use your desktop environment's built-in startup manager — in GNOME it's available through the Tweaks utility, in KDE through the autostart section of System Settings.

For Flatpak or Snap installations the path may differ, so rely on the autostart list in your environment's settings.

Why Discord keeps coming back to startup

A familiar scenario: you disable the entry in Task Manager, and a week later the app boots with the system again. The usual causes:

• The in-app toggle is still on. A client update restores the system entry based on the app's own settings. The fix is to disable autostart inside Discord, not only in the system.
• A reinstall. A fresh installation registers startup again by default.
• Optimiser utilities. Some cleanup tools restore startup entries when rolling back changes.
• Multiple installed versions. The stable client, PTB and Canary are three separate apps with three separate entries.

Discord is still running with the window closed

The X button doesn't quit the app by default — it minimises it to the system tray, and the process stays in memory. To close the client fully, right-click the Discord icon in the tray and choose the quit option. Inside the app's Windows Settings there's a toggle that controls minimising to tray instead of closing; turn it off if it gets in your way.

Worth remembering separately: a closed Discord shows no message notifications. If your chats matter, it's smarter to leave autostart on and add the minimised launch instead.

The middle ground: start minimised

Disabling autostart entirely suits people who open Discord only when they feel like it. If you need the app running all the time but don't want a window popping up every time you turn on the computer, enable both Open Discord and Start Minimized. The client starts quietly, notifications keep arriving, and nothing covers your desktop.

Multiple clients and accounts

If you have the stable version alongside the PTB or Canary test builds, autostart has to be switched off in each one separately — there's no shared toggle. The same applies when you run separate clients or browser profiles for different accounts, say a personal one and a work one tied to a community or project. Server admins often split moderation and personal chatting across profiles this way, choosing Discord accounts to match each specific task.

Common mistakes

• Uninstalling the app instead of disabling autostart. One toggle is enough — there's no need to reinstall Discord.
• Disabling the entry in Task Manager only. It comes back after the next update if the in-app setting is still active.
• Confusing autostart with background operation. They're different: the app may not launch with the system yet still sit in the tray after you open it manually.
• Cleaning the registry blindly. Deleting extra keys in the Run branch can disable programs you actually need.
• Expecting a big performance jump. Disabling autostart speeds up boot and frees memory, but it has little effect on in-game frame rates when the client is closed anyway.

FAQ

Will disabling autostart delete my messages or servers?

No. The setting only affects how the program behaves at system startup; your account, chats, servers and roles stay in the Discord cloud.

Will I get notifications if Discord isn't running?

Not on the computer — a closed app receives nothing. The mobile client will keep sending notifications as long as it's installed and signed in.

How do I turn autostart back on?

Switch the Open Discord toggle back on in the app settings. If you removed the entry manually before, the app will recreate it.

Why is there no Windows Settings section in my Discord?

That section only exists in the desktop app. The browser version doesn't have it, and on macOS and Linux startup is handled by the operating system.

Does Discord autostart really slow down boot time?

Yes, every program in the startup list takes a share of resources at boot. How noticeable it is depends on your hardware, so use the startup impact column in Task Manager as your guide.

Can I disable autostart temporarily?

Yes, the toggle is reversible: switch it off now and back on whenever you need to be online constantly again.

What if Discord still launches after I disable it?

Check them in order: the in-app setting, the startup tab in Task Manager, the Run branch in the registry and the shell:startup folder. Also make sure you don't have PTB or Canary installed with entries of their own.

Does mobile Discord have autostart?

Not in the usual sense. On a phone the behaviour is governed by background activity and battery optimisation settings in the system app parameters.

In short

To stop Discord from opening when your computer boots, switch off the Open Discord toggle in the app settings — that's enough in most cases. If the entry returns, back it up with Task Manager, the system startup settings or the Run branch in the registry, and on macOS and Linux remove the app from the login items list. When you need the messenger running all the time, leaving autostart on with a minimised launch is more practical than turning it off completely.