backgroundapplications/processes are calledthat work in the background (hidden from the user) mode.

Some of them are not used by the user, consuming, nevertheless, 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 launches a large number of applications, some of which you will never need specifically. In addition, some of the background applications, in turn, run their own background applications, such as MS Office. Removing applications you don't use will help speed up system startup and offload computing power.

ctrl+alt+del)

2.3 Via Msconfig (SCU)

2.4 Through the Windows registry (regedit)

3. Background services, pages and other processes

4. Bring your device to a service center for repair

1. Main types of background applications

You can view running applications in the Windows taskbar. As a rule, these are various download managers, antiviruses, "daemons", "wizards", and other useful and not very useful utilities. Those that are “not very” get on your machine in different ways: in the “appendage” to files downloaded from the Internet, when installing various programs using the “default” method, etc. Spending a few minutes disabling unnecessary applications and services can improve the performance of your hardware. Background services compete with user tasks for memory, increasing the number of page file accesses, thus reducing the efficiency of the entire system.

2. Ways to detect and remove background processes

To view a list of applications that start automatically, press .

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

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

In this case, we see the uTorrent download manager, 2GIS update agent, Skype, DAEMON Tools lite disk emulator 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 it needs to be disabled 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 you can see 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 not only. For example, the explorer.exe component is the familiar Windows Explorer, and iexplore.exe is the Internet Explorer browser.

Fig.5. Task Manager, Processes tab

Modules you do not need can be removed by clicking the " End Process". You can safely delete processes:

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

MS WebCheck Monitor (loadwc.exe) - configures Microsoft Explorer on first start;

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

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

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

Internat.exe - keyboard layout indicator;

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

Comment: the unloaded process starts again when windows is restarted. If it needs to be disabled permanently, use msconfig or regedir.

2.3 Via MSCONFIG (SCU)

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

The information we need is located on the Startup tab and contains a list of applications that start when Windows boots. On this tab, they can be disabled as needed.

Programs, the list of which we see in the SCU, are deleted there. SCU, allows you to experimentally significantly increase system performance and remove all unnecessary. Once you find a program you don't want, 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, when loaded, are registered in the system registry, can be removed using the program REGEDIT (keyboard shortcut win + r command regedit.exe). As always, before making major changes to the system, we make a backup and, as always, we do this only when we are completely confident in our abilities. Most often, such programs are 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 won't let you uninstall like this, like Windows Messenger. This rather useless program is installed by default and is not visible in the Add/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- not visible in the Add/Remove Programs panel, for example msmsgs = msgrocm . dll , OcEntry , msmsgs . inf , hide ,7 in the case of Messenger, after removing this setting, the component becomes visible in the Add/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.

A new phone is a great thing, but over time it starts to work worse, a lot of glitches appear.

Switching between applications becomes torture, and the battery dies at the most inopportune moment.

If all this seemed painfully familiar to you, then it is worth making an effort, for example, stopping applications running in the background.

Unnecessary apps and processes can significantly slow down your smartphone

How to control background processes

To do this, you need to look at your phone "under the hood" and use the information found there.

Each phone does this differently, it all depends on your device and android version.

In some cases, you need to enable developer features.

1. In Android versions prior to Marshmallow, you need to go to Options > About phone and then tap on the version number several times, after which a notification will appear that the developer features have been activated.

2. Then you need to go to the settings called Processes or Process statistics. They can be found in Settings > Developer Options > Processes. This option will give you a list of running processes and how much random access memory (RAM) they are using.

3. Of course, the first desire is to turn off all applications running in the background, but caution should be exercised here. Disabling some applications can cause significant harm to the phone.

If you have one of the latest samsung phones like the S7 Edge, you can go to Settings > Developer Options > Running Services and open a list of applications eating RAM. You can also switch between running services and cached processes there.

In some phones, for example, Meizu M3 Max, you will not be able to enable developer functions using the above method. In this case, you need to write the name of the phone in Google and add "unlock developer features".

In the case of Meizu, it was necessary to enter ##6961## in the dialer, and then go to Settings > Access > Developer options > Statistics.

If you are using stock android version of Marshmallow or newer, you can find the same options and more information in Settings > Memory > Memory, used by applications. Here they can be disabled.

What apps can be disabled on Android

All applications marked "Google Services", and indeed any application that begins with the word Google, cannot be stopped.

On the other hand, if you look through the list and notice players and instant messengers draining your battery in the background, you can turn them off without fear. Really serious applications, as a rule, will not allow this.

For example, we disabled Kik, Facebook Pages Manager and several other services without any problems. In some cases, you will notice that applications automatically restart.

If you press More/Settings(depending on the model), you can see how much RAM is taken by cached processes. The same rules apply here.

To get rid of apps that won't turn off (we used Kik), head to Settings > Applications > Application manager to force quit, or just remove it.

Rarely used applications are better to just delete

How to understand why the battery is draining

If you have already taken the above steps, you may have noticed the battery information related to each application. But if you look at everything like that, then it can take all day.

Instead, head to Settings > Battery. Again, depending on the phone, the names and features may vary, but at the very least you should see a list of apps using the battery the most.

Here, too, no unnecessary movements can be made. On some phones in the battery section you can see which applications are system and which are not, in other phones (like Meizu) the list will be divided into "hardware" (hardware) and software (software) applications.

In theory, every new version of android improves battery features. In Android Marshmallow, for example, the biggest improvement was Doze, which hibernates your phone when the phone is lying down.

For Android Nougat - Doze 2.0, the function can be activated when the phone is simply not being used.

Samsung (and other companies) often implement features to free up RAM. Some users noted that the Doze mode only drained the battery faster, but it's worth a try anyway.

In this menu, you can manually kill applications or activate features to save battery.

Should You Use RAM Optimizer Apps?

There is an opinion that the use of "task killers" ends up doing more harm than good. Since for this you need to keep an application for monitoring resources in the background, and this is somewhat impractical.

Constantly launching an application that forces other applications to close will, of course, drain the phone. It's better not to install it at all.

However, many users claim that more control can be gained by rooting. If you go down this path, we recommend that you pay attention to the Greenify application - it automatically hibernates rooted and non-rooted devices.

Non-rooted ones will lack automatic hibernation and some other features, but you can still add the app to your home screen and hibernate at will.

This app also extends the functionality of Doze in Marshmallow and does not require root rights.

Do you think task killers, cleaners and RAM optimizers prolong battery life? Share your opinion in the comments!

The hunt for applications running in the background has begun. Many of these apps do it for a good reason: syncing, providing location data, or what they were made for. But not always. If you want to know which apps are running a lot of background processes or want to prevent them from running in the background, then read on to find out how.

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Process statistics and battery usage

If you want to know what apps are running in the background and how power hungry they are in terms of performance and battery, then Android has the following built-in monitoring options:

• Activate Developer Options by going to Settings > About Device and tap on the build number until you see a notification that Developer Options is enabled.
• Go to Settings > Developer options > Process stats to see how long your key apps are running. Click on any program to see how much RAM it takes up.
• Go to Settings > Battery, then tap on specific apps to see how much battery they're using.

What applications running in the background should I stop?

The two main culprits that take up memory and drain battery life are the games you don't play and the music players you don't use. If you don't see a logical reason for an app to run in the background, then you should probably close it.

You should leave most apps or services that start with Google. The really important services won't let you stop them anyway, but the following apps shouldn't be closed either: Google Search, Google Play services, Google Contacts Sync, Google Keyboard, Google Play Store.

The list of process statistics should give you a pretty good idea of ​​what apps to keep running in the background based on how often you use them. This is a great place to stop unwanted software or services you may not be using, such as Google Play Music.

How to disable, stop or remove background apps

If you have an app that you think is using an excessive amount of CPU power or is running too much in the background, then you can:

• Disable it through the Application Manager by going to Settings > Applications > Application Manager, selecting the application, and then clicking Disable.
• Since Lollipop has been updated, it's now possible to easily close recent apps by tapping the Recent Apps navigation button on your phone (to the right of the home button) and swiping left or right to close them.
• You can remove them from your phone by going to Settings > Applications > Application Manager, selecting an application, and then tapping Remove.
• To force them to stop, go to Settings > Applications > Application Manager, swipe right and you'll get to the Running tab, select the app, and then tap Stop.

Remember, if you have no idea what an app or service is, it doesn't use a lot of RAM or battery, and you don't want to harm your phone, then it's probably not worth stopping.

greenify

Greenify is an app sleep app that lets you put them to sleep when you're not using them. Basically, it's an automated way to force close or disable apps that kicks in every time you stop using them, and then brings them back when you need them. But doing it manually is annoying. Therefore, Greenify is one of the best application management apps.

Non-rooted users, for example, won't be able to automatically put apps to sleep, but can simply tap the switch in the widget to put them to sleep (not a bad option if you don't want to root your device). If you're serious about managing background processes, then Greenify is the way to go.

Do you monitor the processes happening with your applications? What tools do you use?

Unloading unnecessary background processes not only has a positive effect on the performance of the device, but also saves battery power. Task killers do a good job with this task, but they do not know how to do it automatically. In this case, we need the Servicely application, which will be discussed in this article.

Now I’ll tell you a little why you need it and how the Servicely program works. There are quite a few applications installed on your Android smartphone, due to which various background processes appear: services (services) that perform network requests to a web server, process information, launch notifications, etc. Using cleaners like or , you will close them, but they will be launched again soon. And Servicely can automatically kill your chosen background processes after a specified time.

To do this, install Servicely, open it and grant root access.

After that click "Add a new app to the hit-list".

Select the background processes you want to close and click the checkmark in the lower right corner.

Please note that in the free version you can disable only 3 processes, while in the Pro version there is no limit to their number. But Servicely is still being tested, so the features of the paid version are now available completely free of charge. To do this, simply drag the switch opposite the "Free Pro version" item.

You can now close an unlimited number of background processes. Also check the box next to "Start on boot" so that the program starts working automatically when you turn on your mobile device and you do not have to do it all yourself every time.

It remains only to set the time after which Servicely will automatically terminate the background processes you have marked.

And finally, it’s worth saying that turning off background processes should be approached wisely. Close only those of them that you are sure of, so as not to get failures in the operation of applications and the operating system itself.

In this article, we will figure out what background applications on Android are, what they are for and how to disable them.

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What are background apps on Android

Background applications run background processes that are invisible to the device owner. The application seems to be closed, but it still consumes system resources, takes up space in RAM and reduces the battery life of the device. Such processes are launched without your knowledge and run in the background - hence their name. Basically, there are good reasons for running these processes - it can be synchronization, obtaining location data, or other activity related to the purpose of the application.

But not all background processes are necessary. For example, we rarely use some applications, and unnecessary background processes only load the device in vain. The Android system has built-in tools with which you can always see what applications are running in the background, how much memory they consume and how they affect battery power.

To see what background processes are currently running, you need to:

• Enable in settings
• Select the menu item "Process statistics"
• Select application

In the window that opens, you will see all the information on the selected background application.

You can also see which applications and how much affect the battery consumption of your device. To do this, go to the battery settings and select the "Battery usage" menu item. You will get a list in which, in descending order, are the applications that negatively affect the battery level.

What background apps can be disabled on Android

The two main types of apps you don't need background processes for are games when you're not playing them, and music players when you're not listening to music. Look at other background processes as well. If you do not need this application at the moment, then the process can be safely closed.

The applications necessary for the operation of the device themselves will not allow you to close their background processes, this is how the Android system works. But do not close the system background applications and those that you constantly use. If, for example, you close the processes of social networks and instant messengers, then notifications of new messages will stop coming. Most apps and services that start with "Google" shouldn't be closed either. Here are the most important Google processes:

• Google Search
• Google Play Services
• Google Contacts Sync
• Google Keyboard
• Google Play Store

How to turn off background apps on Android

You can either disable the background process or force the app to close entirely.

• To disable a background process, you need to select the required process in the "Process Statistics" menu and click "Stop"
• To forcibly stop the application, you need to select the necessary one in the "Application Manager" menu and click "Stop"

Some applications themselves automatically run in the background even after closing. You can use Greenify to put them to sleep. This utility prevents applications from starting automatically. If you have ROOT rights on your device, you can completely remove unnecessary applications from startup. You can read how to get ROOT rights in our other.

Answers on questions

What to do if you have disabled background applications on Android that you need?

If you accidentally disabled system or background processes that you simply need, just enable them again or reboot the device - the system will turn on everything you need to work.