How to prevent applications from running in the background. How to turn off background Android applications and when to do it

Many of the smartphone users on Android based You may have heard about the background mode, but some people simply don’t know what it is. Background mode is, roughly speaking, a mode in which individual applications or processes run without user interaction. Want an example? You don’t have to go far - you can use any popular messenger. Look, when you are not communicating with your friends via messenger, he is in background, and as soon as a message arrives, you receive a notification about it. If the messenger did not work in the background, but was completely disabled, you simply would not be able to receive the notification. In general, the background mode is an extremely useful thing.

However, it should be noted that not all applications that run in the background are useful to the user. These could be, for example, some services that are built into the firmware, and remove them in the usual way It’s simply impossible - there’s no such possibility. Meanwhile, the user may not use some of these services or all of them at once, but they often work in the background and are loaded along with the operating system, consuming hardware resources. But such applications can be stopped.

Let's use as an example Huawei smartphone and stop whatsapp app- just as an example: it is better not to disable the messenger, otherwise you will stop receiving notifications until it is turned on.

Open settings.

Go to the applications section.

Find and open the page for the desired application.

Click on the "Stop" button.

Confirm the action.

The application will be stopped until you launch it (to do this, just click on the application icon).

Background mode on Android devices– this is the transfer of data by applications without user intervention or their operation during the smartphone’s standby mode (when the screen is off).

Without exchanging information with the server, some applications do not work correctly. The most simple example are messengers. Constantly updating current information allows the program to receive messages, feed updates and other current news, after which the device notifies the user about events (via notifications). Widgets showing the weather and balance status also use a hidden Internet connection.

Not all applications require network access by default to work. Some programs, when connected to the network, display advertisements, which can interfere with work and irritate the owner.

How to enable/disable background data transfer mode?

If the user wants to limit data transfer in the background for all applications without exception, this can be done through the device settings. You should go to the network and mobile Internet settings.

In point " Data transfer" there is a string " warnings and limit” (if the phone is equipped with two SIM cards with Internet access, then it is better to set restrictions for each).

Thus, when a certain number is reached, data transfer will be suspended.

After enabling the restriction, the rule will apply to all applications without exception.

If necessary, disable the background data transfer mode specific application should proceed as follows. In the settings go to “ apps and notifications“. Select the required program.

In the information window that opens, there is a data transfer item. Here you can disable background sharing for a specific program.

Just tap on the slider or uncheck the box (depending on the device model).

This method is useful if the user installs games, tools and other programs that do not need to have access and synchronize with the server. At the same time, messengers remain active and work properly.

How to view and disable applications running in the background?

You can find out which apps are running in the background by checking your battery usage information. To perform any actions, the program requires energy and, if this task was not launched by the user, the application runs independently in the background.

You can clarify the information as follows: you need to go to Settings – Battery.

There is a menu button in the top right corner that allows you to find out more detailed information about energy use. All previously launched applications will be displayed in the list below the charge consumption graph.

From this section you can limit the operation of the application by selecting it from the list.

You can also disable it through the application settings. You need to open the list installed programs and select the required object.

Through the item “ additionally” Find the battery section and enable background operation limitation.

The user should be aware that operational restrictions may cause interruptions in receiving timely, up-to-date information. It should not be surprising that messages from social networks do not arrive on the phone while the application is inactive, if the program does not have the ability to update the status.

Android devices (with the rare exception of older models) are equipped with a multitasking function. This means that the user can switch between working windows without losing information, quickly go to recently open application, split the screen into two desktops, etc.

To close the program, it is not enough to simply press the home button. You need to go to the list of recent applications and close all active windows. This can be done by moving the application window off the screen or by clicking the “close all” button. The procedure will help clear RAM and send previously used programs to sleep.

To regularly and quickly clean up background processes, you can use third-party programs. Their action can be seen using the Task Manager as an example.

The principle of operation is similar to a program on a computer, but the interface is simpler.

The start screen has a “ button Clear memory“, which stops active applications. In the settings, you can set automatic cleaning when your smartphone is locked.

During installation, Task Manager creates a widget that you can display on main screen and, if necessary, perform cleaning without going into the application.

Limiting work in the background allows you to increase the performance of your smartphone, especially if you use intensive applications that limit the speed of the device, and save battery power.

A ban on the use of mobile traffic or a wireless connection makes it possible to save money on the Internet and avoid intrusive advertising.

If the device has become slower, or the amount of data transferred has increased, you should carefully analyze the behavior of programs and set frameworks that will help correct the situation.

Backgroundapplications/processes are called, which work in the background (hidden from the user) mode.

Some of them are not used by the user, nevertheless consuming system resources and, accordingly, reducing the efficiency of equipment use; some simply litter the taskbar, desktop and list of installed programs.

Some of these programs are various services that are started by the operating system. Due to its versatility, the operating system runs a large number of applications, some of which you will never specifically need. In addition, some of the background applications in turn launch their own background applications, for example MS Office. Removing applications you don't use will help speed up system startup and free up computing power.

ctrl+alt+del)

2.3 Via Msconfig (SCU)

2.4 Via Windows registry(regedit)

3. Background services, pages and other processes

4. Bring your device to the service center for repairs

1. Basic types of background applications

You can view running applications in the panel Windows tasks. As a rule, these are various download managers, antiviruses, “daemons”, “wizards”, and other useful and not so useful utilities. Those that are “not so good” end up on your machine in different ways: as an “add-on” to files downloaded from the Internet, when installing various programs using the “default” method, etc. Taking a few minutes to disable unnecessary applications and services can improve the performance of your hardware. Background services compete with user tasks for memory, increasing the number of calls to the page file, thereby reducing the efficiency of the entire system.

2. Ways to detect and remove background processes

To view the list of applications that launch automatically, press .

“Honest” programs are reflected here; you can remove them from startup by right-clicking – “delete”, while the program itself is NOT deleted, it just stops loading automatically when Windows starts . Others background programs"hiding" and we need to be able to look for them.

Pay attention to your computer's taskbar (usually the lower right corner). There are shortcuts to programs that are launched by default

In this case, we see the uTorrent download manager, 2GIS update agent, Skype, disk emulator DAEMON Tools lite and others.

Fig.2. List of programs in the taskbar

The programs that we see in the taskbar can be unloaded by pressing the right key:

Fig.3. Shutting down (unloading) programs

Comment: when using the Exit button, Exit The unloaded process starts again when windows is restarted. If you need to turn it off permanently, use msconfig, regedir.

2.2 Using the task manager ( ctrl+alt+del)

By launching the Windows Task Manager (by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete), you can look at the list of background services. Windows distinguishes between user applications and system services. On the "Applications" tab you can see running programs, on the “Processes” tab, a list of system services and application components.

Fig.4. Task Manager, Applications tab

The End task button can be used to kill a program or process

In the Processes list you can see the same programs that we saw on the taskbar and more. For example, the explorer.exe component is a familiar one Windows Explorer, and iexplore.exe – Internet browser Explorer.


Fig.5. Task Manager, Processes tab

Modules you don't need can be removed by clicking the " End the process" You can safely delete processes:

TweakUI (tweakui.cpi) - configuration utility operating system;

MS WebCheck Monitor (loadwc.exe) – configures Microsoft Explorer on first launch;

ShedulingAgent (mstask.exe) - task scheduler (if not used);

Microsoft Office Wrapper (osa.exe) - launch accelerator for MS Office programs;

File Open (findfast.exe) - speeds up searching in office documents

Internat.exe - keyboard layout indicator;

System Tray (systray.exe) is a program that creates icons in the system area of ​​the Taskbar.

Comment: The unloaded process starts again when Windows is restarted. If you need to turn it off permanently, use msconfig or regedir.

2.3 Via MSCONFIG (SCU)

In Windows, there is a special utility System Configuration Utility (SCU). It can be launched by specifying MSCONFIG in the program launch line Start ->Run. It is simple and easy to use and allows you to manage running applications. The utility contains several tabs that allow users to change OS startup parameters.

The information we need is located on the Startup tab and contains a list of applications that launch when booting Windows. On this tab you can disable them as needed.

Programs, the list of which we see in SCU, are deleted there. SCU allows you to experimentally significantly increase system performance and remove all unnecessary things. Once you find a program you don't need, you can remove it from the download list in the SCU panel.

Fig.6. SCU Utility (MSCONFIG)

2.4 Through the Windows registry (regedit)

Programs that are registered in the system registry, can be deleted using the program REGEDIT(keyboard shortcut win + r, team regedit.exe). As always, before making major changes to the system, we do a backup and, as always, we do this only when we are completely confident in our abilities. Most often, such programs are located in the branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Removal from the program is carried out by deleting the corresponding registry line.

Unfortunately, not all programs can be removed using the methods listed above. Microsoft will not allow you to delete, for example, Windows Messenger. This rather useless program is installed by default, and is not visible in the Add or Remove Programs dialog of the Control Panel. If you want to remove one of these programs, you will have to edit the file SYSOC.INF, which is located in C:\WINDOWS\INF default. To do this, first find the title , which contains options for loading various Windows components. Those that contain the parameter "hide"- the Add/Remove Programs panel is not visible, for example msmsgs = msgrocm . dll , OcEntry , msmsgs . inf , hide ,7 in the case of Messenger, after removing this parameter, the component becomes visible in the Add or Remove Programs panel.

3. Background services, pages and other processes

In addition to background applications and processes, there are also background pages, services, etc., but we will talk about them next time.

Everyone wants their mobile phone to work quickly and smoothly, and to last as long as possible on its charge. One of the options that will come to the rescue in this case is disabling background processes.

Why are background applications needed and what is their harm?

Background applications are a type of programs that launch certain processes without the user's knowledge and run in the background, which is why they got their name. It looks like the app is closed, but it still uses system resources, reduces the amount of RAM and battery life of the phone. These programs have certain reasons for this behavior, for example, obtaining geolocation information, synchronization, or other activity directly related to the functions of these applications.

Some background processes are actually necessary and make it much easier for the user to obtain information. Others, in turn, only slow down the operation of the gadget, reduce the battery charge, as well as the performance and autonomy of the phone.

How to find out running background processes

In order to determine which operations affect the operation of the device, you must:

  1. Activate developer mode. Go to the menu, namely “Settings”, then “About phone”. At the very bottom of the list that opens, click on the “Build number” item 7 times. After this action, you will receive a notification that you have become a developer.
  2. Go to the “For Developers” section that appears and select “Process Statistics”. The screen will display information about all currently running programs, as well as information about the amount of memory required for their operation.
  3. To see how much charge each device uses installed application, you should return to “Settings” and select the “Battery and Performance” section, then “Battery Usage”. In the window that opens, statistics for all programs will appear in descending order.

What applications can be stopped

Most users mobile phones absolutely not required functionality many programs that run in the background. The most common examples are games, photo and video editors, music players. This applies to other applications as well. Determining which hidden processes are allowed to be disabled is quite simple: if the user does not need it at the moment, then it can be safely stopped.

The Android system is designed in such a way that programs important for the operation of the phone will not allow the owner of the gadget to close their background processes. It is also not recommended to disable hidden operations of applications that are in constant use, for example instant messengers, since they will no longer send notifications that may be important to the user. Basic apps that start with Google, such as Google Search, Google Play Store, it’s also not worth stopping.

How to disable applications

Android allows the owner of a smartphone to make significant changes to its operation, including disabling hidden processes of most programs. To do this you need:

  1. Open "Settings".
  2. Find the “For Developers” item, then click on the “Process Statistics” section.
  3. Choose required applications, then click the Stop button.
  4. To force the program to close, it must be closed through the Application Manager.

You can also use special utilities, designed to automate the gadget, for example:

  • Greenify;
  • ES Task Manager;
  • Clean Master;
  • Advanced Task Manager;
  • ShutApp;
  • Naptime.

As a result, the user will be able to free up memory space to perform more important tasks, improve the performance of their device, and significantly increase its battery life.

Despite the fairly high characteristics of most modern Android devices, smartphone resources have certain limitations that lead to various kinds of performance problems. You can avoid such situations by disabling background applications that run in hidden mode on an ongoing basis. During this instruction, we will look at this procedure using the example of several options.

Of all the possible methods for disabling background applications, we will pay attention to only three methods, in most cases closely related to each other. At the same time, the task in question is easily accessible on a smartphone with any version of the OS and does not require the installation of additional software from the Play Market.

Method 1: Memory Used

The simplest method of stopping background processes is to use a special section in "Settings", designed to control RAM Android devices. This feature is available on smartphones with the fifth and higher versions of the operating system, equally allowing you to disable both standard and third-party applications.


In some cases, stopping background processes will require additional confirmation through a corresponding pop-up window. In addition, on different versions firmware section with statistics may differ significantly in location and capabilities provided. One way or another, at this point the shutdown process can be considered complete and, if necessary, move on to the next options.

Method 2: Security Settings

This method is only partially related to the topic at hand, since it involves disabling applications that have access rights to manage the Android device. By deactivating in this way, the software will be isolated from affecting the functions of the smartphone, for example, when it is in screen lock mode.


As you can see, this option is not relevant in all cases, since few applications require this level of access to the phone. Moreover, sometimes such an approach is not only a way to disable background processes, but also allows you to unlock the function of stopping software for the previous and next method.

Method 3: Manage Applications

Unlike previous options, this method allows you to stop any background software, including those that consume a minimum amount of resources and have little impact on the performance of the smartphone. On different versions of the operating system, the capabilities of the section in question with parameters vary significantly.

Android 5.1 and higher


Android 4.4


Such stopping of processes is not always available, but in any case it is the most effective method. In addition, deactivation will require the exact name of the application, and its performance after deactivation may be at risk in many ways.

Method 4: Force Stop (root only)

Each method discussed above in one way or another allows you to deactivate background processes through system settings, however, in addition to this approach, you can always use third party programs. One such tool is Greenify, which allows you to forcefully stop any running software, including system software. At the same time, for the program to work correctly, you will have to add root rights to your Android device.

  1. Install the application from the link below. On the page "Work mode" select an option "My device is rooted" and press "Further".
  2. Confirm adding root rights for Greenify. You can leave all subsequent parameters at your personal discretion.
  3. On home page applications, you can click on the three-dot button and perform several tasks, be it going to "Settings" or "Euthanasia" selected software. The section with parameters should be given special attention, since this is where the behavior of disabled applications is determined.
  4. Having understood the settings, on the Greenify main page, click on the icon «+» in the lower or upper corner of the screen. As a result, a window will open with a list of applications running in the background.
  5. Select one or more options for the software that you want to force stop. Once you've completed your selection, tap the check mark icon in the lower right corner of the screen.
  6. To automatically stop all selected programs, use the icon in the lower right corner on the main page. After this, the applications will go to "Sleep mode", being in the block "Put to Sleep".

    Note: Although most, but not all programs can be stopped in this way, as can be seen from the screenshot.

  7. The instructions can be completed here, but it is especially important to note the automatic analysis. This allows you not only to stop unnecessary software, but also to significantly save resources on your Android device.

We hope that after familiarizing yourself with each of the proposed methods, you were able to stop background processes.