[Solved Now] Reasons why your computer starts automatically on Windows 10 and how to solve it

Are you having trouble with the phenomenon of your computer starting up by itself even though you thought you had shut it down?

There are several reasons why your computer may start up by itself.

This time, we will explain the reasons why Windows 10 starts automatically after shutting down and the countermeasures.

We also explain phenomena such as the screen turning on automatically even though the computer is not shut down but in sleep/hibernation mode, or applications starting automatically, so please refer to it.

Reasons why Windows 10 starts automatically after shutting down

There are several reasons why your computer may restart automatically after shutting down in Windows 10.

• Fast startup is enabled
• Wakes up with wake timer
• "Automatically restart" is enabled
• Starts to perform automatic maintenance
• Launched by scheduled update
• Boots with BIOS settings

Fast startup is enabled

If you have Fast Startup enabled, Windows 10 may start automatically.

Fast startup speeds up your PC's startup by saving some information such as connected devices when shutting down.

However, it seems that there are cases where problems occur during startup due to this fast startup.

Wakes up with wake timer

If the wake timer is set, Windows 10 may start automatically.

It is a timer that wakes up when a program such as Windows update runs.

Disabling this timer setting may resolve the issue.

"Automatically restart" is enabled

If you have checked "Automatically restart", which is a setting to restart when a system error occurs, disabling it will prevent the restart from occurring in that situation.

Starts to perform automatic maintenance

There may be cases where you feel that your computer starts up on its own due to Windows' automatic maintenance.

Automatic maintenance is performed to update software and maintain the system when Windows 10 is not in use.

Automatic maintenance basically does not occur while the computer is in use or shut down.

However, depending on the automatic maintenance settings, the computer may wake up to perform maintenance during sleep.

Therefore, you may feel that your computer has started up on its own because maintenance was performed while it was in sleep mode.

Starts with scheduled updates

If your computer starts up automatically when updating Windows 10, your scheduled update settings may be affected.

Your computer may be starting up by itself because this is enabled.

Boots with BIOS (UEFI) settings

If your computer starts up on its own, it may be due to the power settings in the BIOS.

BIOS is a system that starts up before the Windows OS when you start up your computer and manages the CPU, mouse, and keyboard.

If this BIOS setting allows you to turn on the power using a switch other than the switch, it is possible that the computer will start up by itself even though the switch is not pressed.

Solution to start automatically after shutting down Windows 10

So, what should I do if my computer starts up automatically after I shut it down?

Here are some solutions.

• Disable fast startup
• Change sleep timer settings
• Disable "Automatically restart"
• Disable automatic maintenance
• Disable scheduled updates
• Change BIOS settings

Disable fast startup

As mentioned earlier, if your PC starts up automatically due to the effect of fast startup, it is a good idea to disable it and see what happens.

[Steps to disable fast startup]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Settings"
3. Select "Power & Sleep"
4. Select "Additional power settings"
5. Select "Choose what the power button does"
6. Select "Change settings that are currently unavailable"
7. Uncheck "Enable fast startup"
8. Select "Save Changes"

Change sleep timer settings

By changing the sleep timer settings, you may be able to resolve the problem of your computer starting up on its own.

[How to change sleep timer settings]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Settings"
3. Select "System"
4. Select "Power & Sleep"
5. Select "Additional power settings"
6. Select “Change plan settings”
7. Select "Change advanced power settings"
8. Select "Sleep"
9. Select "Allow sleep timer"
10. Enabling/disabling the "Connect to power" item

Disable "Automatically restart"

Disabling "Automatically restart" may solve the problem of your computer starting up on its own.

[How to disable "Automatically restart"]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Settings"
3. Select "System"
4. Select "Advanced settings"
5. Select "Advanced system settings"
6. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab
7. Select “Settings” under “Startup and Recovery”
8. Uncheck "Automatically restart" under "System errors"
9. Select "OK"
10. Return to "System Properties"
11. Select "OK"

Disable automatic maintenance

Disabling automatic maintenance may resolve the problem of your computer starting up on its own.

All methods for disabling automatic maintenance in Windows 10 require a few steps, and some require the use of an application.

Some people may find it troublesome to install new applications, so here we will introduce a method using the registry.

[How to disable automatic maintenance in the registry]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Windows System Tools"
3. Select "Run"
4. Type "regedit"
5. Select “Maintenance” and right click
6. Select "New"
7. Select "DWORD (32-bit) value"
8. Create a registry value named "MaintenanceDisabled"
9. Set the value of "MaintenanceDisabled" to 1

Disable scheduled updates

By setting the active time,

Scheduled updates may solve the problem of your computer starting on its own.

Active time is the amount of time you normally use your computer. If you set this, an automatic restart will not occur during that time.

[How to set active hours to control scheduled update times]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Settings"
3. Select "Update & Security"
4. Select "Change active hours"
5. If you want to automatically determine active time, turn on "Automatically adjust this device's active time based on activity"
6. If you want to set it yourself, select "Change"
7. On the active time setting screen, set the time when you do not want the restart to occur automatically.
8. Select "Save"

Change BIOS (UEFI) settings

By changing the power settings in the BIOS, you may be able to resolve the problem of your computer starting up by itself even when it is not turned on.

Additionally, the key for starting the BIOS differs depending on the computer, so we recommend checking with each manufacturer.

[How to change BIOS settings]

1. Start your computer
2. While the logo appears, press the key to start the BIOS repeatedly.
3. Switch to "Advanced"
4. Select "Power Management"
5. Change "Wake on Keyboard" to "Disabled"
6. After saving the settings, restart your computer

Causes and solutions for Windows 10 to start automatically after sleep or hibernation

The causes of Windows 10 starting up automatically even when it is in sleep/hibernation mode are as follows.

• Mouse and keyboard settings
• Task scheduler settings

In this article, we will explain the above two issues along with solutions.

Change mouse and keyboard settings

Normally, using the mouse or keyboard will wake the computer from sleep mode.

By changing the Windows 10 settings, the above behavior will no longer wake the computer from sleep mode.

[How to change mouse and keyboard settings]

1. Right click "Start"
2. Select "Device Manager"
3. Expand the tree for the relevant device (mouse or keyboard)
4. Right click on the relevant device
5. Open "Properties"
6. Select the “Power Management” tab
7. Uncheck "Allow this device to wake the computer from standby"
8. Select "OK"

Changing Task Scheduler settings

If a task is set, there is a possibility that the computer will wake up during the task execution time.

Here, we will show you how to set it so that it does not wake up even when a task is running.

[Change task scheduler settings]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Windows Administrative Tools"
3. Select "Task Scheduler"
4. Select "Task Scheduler Library"
5. Select the task you want to change
6. Select the “Conditions” tab
7. Uncheck "Wake to perform tasks"
8. Select "OK"

Is my Windows 10 computer starting up by itself due to a virus?

Some viruses seem to cause problems such as the computer starting up on its own.

For example, if your computer is infected with a virus called "MSBLAST.A", your computer may restart repeatedly.

Causes and solutions for apps starting automatically on Windows 10

The reasons why apps start automatically on Windows 10 are as follows.

• Startup settings
• Task scheduler settings

This section also explains the solution.

Startup settings

If an app starts automatically when you start your computer, it may be due to startup settings.

Some applications prompt you to configure settings during installation, so you may have configured startup settings without realizing it.

If you are having trouble with unnecessary applications starting up automatically, changing the settings below may resolve the issue.

[How to change startup settings ①]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Settings"
3. Select "App"
4. Select "Startup"
5. Turn off the app

[How to change startup settings ②]

1. Start "Task Manager" (Ctrl key + Shift key + Esc key)
2. Select the “Startup” tab
3. Select the application in question and select "Disable"

Task scheduler settings

Task Scheduler allows you to create tasks that are executed based on conditions such as date and time.

For example, you can set a specific application to open at 3:00 p.m.

When such a task is configured, the application may seem to launch suddenly.

There are the following methods to change unnecessary Task Scheduler settings.

[How to change task scheduler settings]

1. Select "Start"
2. Select "Windows Administrative Tools"
3. Select "Task Scheduler"
4. Select "Task Scheduler Library"
5. 該当のタスクを選択
6. 「無効化」や「削除」など、希望の設定に変更する

Summary of causes and solutions for Windows 10 to start automatically

今回はWindows10でパソコンが勝手に起動してしまう現象の原因と解決策を解説しました。

設定の影響やシステムのアップデートなどの影響で勝手に再起動してしまうことが多いようですが、気になるようであればそれらの設定を変更すると良いでしょう。

その他にも、スリープ状態から起動してしまうケースや、アプリケーションが勝手に起動してしまうケースについての解決法も紹介しましたので、参考にしていただけたらと思います。