How to Turn On or Off Automatically Restart Apps When You Sign Back In on Windows 11

This guide will help you easily turn on or off the feature that automatically reopens apps when you sign back into your Windows 11 account.

Windows can remember which apps you had open before you signed out, restarted, or shut down your computer. When you sign back in, it can open those apps for you automatically.

Starting with Windows 11 version 25H2, if you have the setting to “Restore previous folder windows at logon” turned on in File Explorer, Windows will also reopen all the tabs you had open in each File Explorer window. When you turn on the automatic restart apps setting, Windows will turn on this File Explorer setting for you as well.

Option 1: Turn On or Off Automatically Restart Apps Using Settings

Press Windows key + I on your keyboard to open Settings.
Click Accounts on the left side.

Then click Sign-in options on the right side.
Under Additional settings, find the option called Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in.
Switch it On to enable this feature or Off to disable it.
Close the Settings window when you’re done.

You can also open the Sign-in options page directly by clicking this link: Open Sign-in options settings

Windows 11 account sign-in options settings tile

Option 2: Turn On or Off Automatically Restart Apps Using the Registry (for advanced users)

If you like, you can change this setting by editing the Windows Registry. Please be careful when using the Registry Editor.

To Turn On Automatically Restart Apps:

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon" /v RestartApps /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

To Turn Off Automatically Restart Apps (default setting):

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon" /v RestartApps /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Summary

Easy to change: Use Windows Settings or the Registry Editor to turn this feature on or off.
Keeps your apps ready: Automatically saves and reopens apps so you can continue working faster.
File Explorer tabs: Windows 11 now also remembers your open File Explorer tabs when you sign back in.
Flexible: You can choose to use this feature or not depending on your preference.
User-friendly: Windows Settings gives you a simple way to find and change this option.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn on automatically restart apps in Windows 11?

To enable automatic app restart in Windows 11, press Windows key + I to open Settings, click Accounts, then select Sign-in options. Under Additional settings, find the option called "Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in" and switch it On. Your apps will now automatically reopen when you sign back into your account.

What is the automatically restart apps feature in Windows 11?

The automatically restart apps feature in Windows 11 allows your computer to remember which applications were open before you signed out, restarted, or shut down. When you sign back in, Windows automatically reopens these apps so you can continue working without manually relaunching them.

Does Windows 11 automatically restart File Explorer tabs when I sign back in?

Starting with Windows 11 version 25H2, if you enable the automatically restart apps setting and have "Restore previous folder windows at logon" enabled in File Explorer, Windows will automatically reopen all the tabs you had open in each File Explorer window when you sign back in.

Can I disable automatically restart apps in Windows 11?

Yes, you can easily disable the automatically restart apps feature by opening Settings, navigating to Accounts > Sign-in options, and switching Off the option called "Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in." This is the default setting if you prefer not to use this feature.

How do I enable automatically restart apps using Registry Editor in Windows 11?

For advanced users, you can enable automatically restart apps by opening Registry Editor and running the command: reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon" /v RestartApps /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f. To disable it, change the /d value from 1 to 0. Be careful when editing the Registry as incorrect changes can affect system stability.

Categories:

Windows

Tags:

Windows 11