What are Restartable Apps in Windows 11 and How to Enable or Disable it

 Does your Windows 11 PC relaunch your apps - such as browser tabs, documents, or media players - where you left off after a restart? This is because of the Restartable apps feature. This feature has both advantages and disadvantages. Here is how to enable or disable it in Windows 11.

 

 The Restartable apps feature works like this: Windows 11 keeps a memory of your active app states before a restart. When you sign back in, it automatically relaunches those apps and restores your previous session, saving you the hassle of reopening every window manually.

This is a productivity feature, as it can easily save your time and sometimes effort from having to reopen everything manually, but at the same time it can also slow down your PC’s startup time.

FYI, please don't confuse Restartable apps with Startup apps. While both launch apps automatically after booting, startup apps do not reopen in their previous state.

How to Enable/Disable Restartable Apps Feature in Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app by pressing the Win + I key.

2. Select Accounts option from the left-hand menu.

3. Click on Sign-in options.

4. Scroll down to the Additional settings section.

5. Turn on the option “Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in” to open apps after a restart.

6. Turn off it to disable the Restartable apps feature in Windows 11.

Now let us know how to register an app as restartble in Windows 11. Not all apps are registered as restartable by default in Windows 11. You need to do it manually. 

How to Register an app as Restartable in Windows 11

1. Go to Windows 11 Start menu list, right-click on the app you want to make restartable and select “Open file location” option.

 

2. Next, right click the app file and select “Properties” 

 

3. Select the “Compatibility” tab 

4. Under Settings, check “Register this program for restart” option 

5. Click “Apply” and then “OK” buttons to save your changes.

Hereafter, the app will automatically launch with its previous state whenever a system reboot happens. Though this feature is useful, not all apps support this. In that case, you will not find the register option in compatibility tab.