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To stop Windows 11 from reopening restartable apps when you sign in, open Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, find Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign in (or the nearly identical wording ending in “sign back in”), and switch it off. Microsoft specifically documents this change as the way to stop Microsoft Edge from starting automatically at sign-in.
Where Windows 11 keeps the automatic app restart control
The setting is part of your Windows sign-in configuration, not a separate Edge menu or a physical device setting. Use this exact path:
- Open Start.
- Select Settings.
- Choose Accounts.
- Open Sign-in options.
Scroll through the sign-in settings until you reach the restartable-app option. On current Windows 11 installations, the wording normally begins Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign in. Microsoft also uses a version ending in when I sign back in. The difference is only the displayed wording; look for the toggle that contains save my restartable apps and restart them.
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- In Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, locate the restartable-app toggle.
- Select the switch so it is in the Off position.
- Close Settings. The change is a Windows configuration change and does not require installing a utility or connecting any hardware.
Microsoft’s Edge startup guidance uses this switch for people who do not want Edge to start when they sign in to Windows. After it is off, Windows will no longer use this restartable-app setting as the reason to launch Edge at sign-in.
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What the two versions of the label mean
Microsoft pages do not display the label identically. The normal sign-in wording and the accessibility wording are shown below so you can match the text on your own computer.
| Where you may encounter it | Displayed wording | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 Settings or Microsoft Edge guidance | Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign in | Switch this option off. |
| Microsoft accessibility instructions | Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in | Switch the same restartable-app option off; “sign back in” is a wording variation. |
If your text differs slightly, do not choose a different sign-in control merely because the sentence is not identical. The identifying phrases are restartable apps and restart them.
Use the keyboard or a screen reader
Microsoft’s accessibility instructions say to move focus to the restartable-app toggle and press Spacebar to change it. The Spacebar action works for either turning the option on or turning it off. A screen-reader user can therefore navigate to the switch in Accounts > Sign-in options, confirm that focus is on the restartable-app control, and press Spacebar once. Confirm the announced state before leaving Settings.
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What turning it off actually changes
The documented purpose is to prevent Windows from automatically saving and restarting supported apps as part of the sign-in experience. Microsoft gives Edge as the concrete example: if you do not want Edge to start when you sign in, turn off this restartable-app option.
That documentation does not establish that the switch is a universal control for every kind of application startup. Windows has other ways an app might open, and the reviewed Microsoft guidance does not classify all of those mechanisms or say that this one toggle overrides them. Treat the switch as the control for Windows’ restartable-app behavior, not as a promise that no program can ever launch after sign-in.
Why an app can still open after you changed the setting
If Edge or another window appears after you believe the switch is off, check the state of the toggle first. A setting that was left on, changed on a different Windows account, or not actually selected will not alter the sign-in behavior for the account you are using.
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For an app other than Edge, avoid assuming that its continued launch proves the Windows setting failed. Microsoft’s published material specifically connects this toggle with Edge and does not establish identical behavior for every application. The correct conclusion is narrower: the restartable-app switch is off, but the source of another app’s launch has not been identified by this setting alone.
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Use this troubleshooting sequence without changing unrelated startup controls:
- Return to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Find the sentence containing save my restartable apps and restart them.
- Verify that its switch visibly reads or appears as Off.
- Sign out and sign in again to check the behavior under the same Windows account.
- If the remaining app is not Edge, record that the documented Edge-specific guidance does not prove that this toggle governs that app. Investigate only controls that are separately documented for that application rather than treating this switch as a universal startup master switch.
How File Explorer fits into the setting
Microsoft’s Windows 11 release notes dated January 29, 2025 describe a related File Explorer interaction. For the specified releases, enabling the restartable-app option turns on particular File Explorer settings. The same notes separately describe File Explorer restoring previously open tabs when Restore previous folder windows at logon is enabled.
These notes concern File Explorer behavior and should not be generalized to every application. They also have a defined version scope:
| Release covered by the notes | Edition scope stated by Microsoft | Documented interaction |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 version 22H2 | Enterprise and Education | The restartable-app option is associated with specific File Explorer settings; restoration of previous folder windows is described separately. |
| Windows 11 version 23H2 | All editions | The same File Explorer-related behavior is described in the January 29, 2025 notes. |
The release notes do not say that every program restores an identical workspace, nor do they turn the restartable-app control into a general-purpose session manager. If your concern is File Explorer, check the separate Restore previous folder windows at logon setting as well as the restartable-app option, because Microsoft documents them as related but distinct settings.
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Sign-in, restart, and app restoration are not the same question
The wording of the control refers to what Windows does when you sign in or sign back in. That is the event to use when verifying the change. Closing and reopening an app during an existing session does not test this setting, because you have not created a new sign-in event.
Likewise, the presence of the toggle does not establish that an app will restore every tab, document, or window exactly as it was. Microsoft’s specific release-note example concerns File Explorer and separately named folder-window behavior. For other applications, the available documentation here does not promise a particular amount of state restoration.
A concise decision guide
- You want Edge not to open at Windows sign-in: turn off the restartable-app toggle under Accounts > Sign-in options.
- You see “sign back in” instead of “sign in”: use the same toggle; the label varies between Microsoft pages.
- You use a screen reader: move to the restartable-app switch and press Spacebar to change it.
- You are troubleshooting File Explorer: account for the separately named Restore previous folder windows at logon option and the version scope in Microsoft’s January 29, 2025 notes.
- A different app still launches: do not infer that this Windows switch controls every startup path; the documented evidence specifically establishes the Edge example, not a universal rule.
What you do not need
This change is made entirely in Windows 11 Settings. The documented procedure does not require a registry edit, a downloaded cleaner, a third-party startup manager, or a physical accessory. If a guide asks you to install software simply to reach this toggle, it is not following Microsoft’s documented path for the setting.
Restore the previous behavior
If you decide that reopening supported apps is useful, return to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and switch the restartable-app option back on. The same control handles both states. For keyboard or screen-reader navigation, focus the switch and press Spacebar again.
Quick Recap
Final checklist
- Open Settings from Start.
- Go to Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Locate the toggle mentioning restartable apps.
- Set it to Off to stop the documented Edge sign-in launch behavior.
- Test by signing out and signing back in with the same account.
- For File Explorer, remember that Restore previous folder windows at logon is a separate setting described in Microsoft’s version-scoped release notes.
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