Microsoft Autoruns Exposes 7 Hidden Slack Processes on Windows Startup
Updated
Updated · How-To Geek · Aug 15
Microsoft Autoruns Exposes 7 Hidden Slack Processes on Windows Startup
1 articles · Updated · How-To Geek · Aug 15
Summary
Microsoft's free Autoruns utility surfaced startup entries that Windows Settings did not show, including packaged-app tasks that launched programs automatically at sign-in.
Seven slack.exe processes using about 380MB of memory disappeared after the Slack startup entry was disabled in Autoruns and the PC was rebooted; Microsoft 365 Copilot also stopped auto-loading after its entry was turned off.
Teams proved harder to trace: removing its Run registry entry did not stop two background processes, and the startup value reappeared after reboot.
Autoruns helped identify the second trigger—TeamsTfwStartupTask plus Teams' own 'Runs at login' setting—showing that one app can use multiple Windows startup mechanisms.
The test suggests Autoruns complements Settings and Task Manager by exposing a broader startup map, but unfamiliar entries should be investigated rather than disabled blindly.