If Chrome opens by itself every time you turn on or sign in to your computer, it is usually one of two things: a Chrome setting that keeps it running in the background, or your computer’s list of apps that open at sign-in. Turn off both:
- In Chrome (Windows and Linux): paste
chrome://settings/systeminto the address bar and turn off Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed. - On Windows: select Start > Settings > Apps > Startup and set Google Chrome to Off, if it is listed.
- On a Mac: choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, select Google Chrome and click the minus button.
Looking for the On startup setting that decides which pages Chrome shows when you open it? That is covered in how to set your Chrome homepage and startup page.
Turn off Chrome’s background mode
On Windows and Linux, Chrome has its own setting that can start it. Google’s policy documentation for this setting says that when it is on, a Chrome process starts when you sign in to your computer and keeps running after you close the last Chrome window, so that background apps stay active. It also shows a Chrome icon in the system tray.
- Open Chrome and select More (the three dots at the top right) > Settings.
- On the left, select System.
- Turn off Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
If the switch is greyed out, your work or school controls it and you can’t change it. Chrome on a Mac does not have this setting. For more on Chrome processes that stay open after you close the window, see Chrome running in the background after closing.
Remove Chrome from Windows startup apps
Microsoft’s guide to startup applications in Windows gives two ways that change the same list:
- Settings: select Start > Settings > Apps > Startup, then set the switch next to Google Chrome to Off.
- Task Manager: right-click Start, select Task Manager, open the Startup apps tab, select Google Chrome and select Disable.
Some apps are started from a shortcut in your personal Startup folder instead. To check it, right-click Start, select Run, type shell:startup and press Enter. If you see a Google Chrome shortcut there, delete the shortcut. This only stops it starting with Windows. Chrome itself stays installed.
Remove Chrome from Mac login items
Apple’s guide to opening items automatically when you log in gives these steps:
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click General in the sidebar.
- Click Login Items & Extensions. You may need to scroll down.
- Select Google Chrome in the list of items that open at login and click the minus button below the list.
To skip every login item just once, hold the Shift key while you click Log In and let go when the Dock appears.
If Chrome opens to pages you didn’t choose
If Chrome opens to a page you never set, or uses a search engine you never picked, you may have unwanted software, as Google’s help on startup pages warns. Work through our guide to removing a browser hijacker.