Microsoft Office apps will soon preload on Windows boot for faster launch

[zohaibahd]

WTF?! Microsoft is rolling out a clever tweak to help Office apps launch faster on Windows. Dubbed "Startup Boost," this new feature quietly runs in the background as soon as you log in the operating system, preloading "performance enhancements" so apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint open more quickly when you need them.

The announcement comes from the Microsoft 365 Message Center. The feature works by preloading parts of Office apps into memory after Windows startup and keeping them in a paused state until you actually launch them. If the system needs those resources back, it will automatically clear them. The goal is to shave off a few seconds of waiting when you open an Office app.

However, there are a few caveats. Startup Boost won't run on every PC – it requires at least 8GB of RAM and 5GB of free disk space to avoid slowing down your system. It also turns itself off when Energy Saver mode is enabled, so battery life won't take a hit.

If you're not a fan of background processes, Microsoft allows users to disable the feature under Options > General in Office settings.

Here's the catch, though: even if you turn it off, the next Office update will turn it back on. Microsoft confirmed that the installer will recreate the scheduled task each time it applies an update, meaning you'll have to disable it manually again if you prefer to keep it off.

Here's the catch, though: even if you turn it off, the next Office update will turn it back on.

If the feature sounds familiar, that's because Microsoft pulled a similar move with its Edge browser back in 2021. Edge's Startup Boost keeps background processes running at login to reduce launch times – a trick that apparently worked well enough to justify bringing it to Office.

"Please note that Office Installer will automatically recreate all scheduled tasks when it applies an update, so users who disable this task will need to disable it again after an Office update," the company notes.

The rollout begins in mid-May, with global availability expected by the end of the month. The feature will launch with Word first, with other Office apps to follow.

All in all, if you spend a lot of time in Office, you might notice things feeling a bit snappier – assuming your PC meets the requirements. And if not, at least Microsoft is giving you the option to opt out (even if you'll have to keep doing it after updates).

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Microsoft Office apps will soon preload on Windows boot for faster launch

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Not respecting user choices is a perfect example of why I hate Microsoft.

 

[psycros]

Which versions of Office does this apply to? That would've been nice to know. Regardless, nobody asked for this and most people wouldn't notice any difference in startup times, which means its probably just more spyware.

 

[Beerfloat]

They could've integrated this with Copilot and Edge for a trifecta of Microsoft ish noone wants but won't stop trying to beat you into submission with.

 

[The Talking Tech]

That's a bad trade off as that will make the OS to take longer to boot and Windows will potentially be running slower overall as Office consumes memory in the background.

I hope that's an option that anyone can easily turn off.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Since MS profits more from business accounts and Cloud Services, anything to speed up business productivity and streamline it means more profits for MS. Anything after is bonus (us).

 

[dangh]

Wow. Left windows few years ago and never coming back. How crazy is to not be in control of your own system...

 

[winjer]

Microsoft is dead set on making Windows worse and worse.

 

[axiomatic13]

It took me forever, but I finally got all the spreadsheets that make my company run functioning in Libre Office Calc. I am finally free of activex and form controls.

 

[hahahanoobs]

OMG my Edge browser has this!
Oh wait, I can turn it OFF. Whew!

 

[brucek]

I'm pretty sure Office had an option for this 1-2 decades ago. Maybe they removed it at some point and are re-introducing it as a "new feature".

 

[brunocasarini]

Do we really need that with blazing fast SSDs, Microsoft? I think that's an elaborate excuse to hoard more data from the user.

Less is more. I don't care how powerful a PC is, I always configure it to start up with only the essential apps the user needs. One of the reasons I hate Win11 is the removal of the toggle that turned off all background MS bloatware shipped with Windows 10.

There's got to be a team dedicated to new user annoyances at MS headquarters. They seem committed to drive people away from their products.

 

[ddferrari]

Going to set it to Manual in Services/Properties and see if it sticks as new updates roll in

 

[JohnRambo4]

Why? How long does it really take to open Word normally? 2 seconds?

 

[p51d007]

I use Libre Office...no MS BS

 

[candle86]

I use Libre Office...no MS BS

Enjoy your inferior product

 

[Liranan]

It took me forever, but I finally got all the spreadsheets that make my company run functioning in Libre Office Calc. I am finally free of activex and form controls.

I switched away from M$ when OO became the de facto standard in Linux.

Enjoy your inferior product

Must feel good to be held hostage by M$py and get milked for every penny. Us losers will never feel how good it feels to be at their whims.

 

[MarkHughes]

That loading time has to come from somewhere, So I guess slower boot time or slower loading of other stuff when you first start the OS until this background task is complete.

No free rides.

 

[MasterAce]

If the user turns it off, why turn it back on? I know it’s the microsoft style, but why? It cant possibly improve sales…

 

[disinfect8280]

If the user turns it off, why turn it back on? I know it’s the microsoft style, but why? It cant possibly improve sales…

MS gonna MS

 

[Dimitriid]

If they do they need to be investigated and fined again by anti-trust regulators, but lets hope they actually come up with sanctions that actually hurt them and greatly limit Microsoft ability to litigate the damages for years (I think into decades actually) and just call it for what it is: a disturbingly monopolistic tactic that nobody where do you line in the political spectrum you most definitively do not want: Even strictly capitalistic individuals would agree that Microsoft not having to compete with anyone is not a good thing at all.

Maybe Apple could promote the suit, kind of take a page for themselves being sued by Epic and realize they'll never dethrone Microsoft from the corporate space if they don't stop *!@# like this.

 

[p51d007]

Enjoy your inferior product

I do and have for years. I don't use "office" except for viewing documents or spreadsheets.
That's why I use a FREE version that is small, fast and not bloated.

 

[candle86]

I switched away from M$ when OO became the de facto standard in Linux.


Must feel good to be held hostage by M$py and get milked for every penny. Us losers will never feel how good it feels to be at their whims.

No it feels good to use the product that is the standard, OpenOffice, Libre Office and any others forks are just poor immitations, its like saying thunderbird is even a 10th as good as Outlook, they exist only to frustrate and annoy, and it's real obvious you use the inferior product because you keep sending in poorly formatted documents in a very poor document filetype. There is zero excuse not to use word today, stop using odt and start using Docx, word is free if you use it online, its the gold standard for a reason.

If they do they need to be investigated and fined again by anti-trust regulators, but lets hope they actually come up with sanctions that actually hurt them and greatly limit Microsoft ability to litigate the damages for years (I think into decades actually) and just call it for what it is: a disturbingly monopolistic tactic that nobody where do you line in the political spectrum you most definitively do not want: Even strictly capitalistic individuals would agree that Microsoft not having to compete with anyone is not a good thing at all.

Maybe Apple could promote the suit, kind of take a page for themselves being sued by Epic and realize they'll never dethrone Microsoft from the corporate space if they don't stop *!@# like this.

Well if anyone else could make a product of any quality, Microsoft isn't a monopoly just the only office suite that is full featured, they killed IBM Lotus Suite because they offered a better product, of course it's still for sale but any tech forced to deal with it on the enterprise level just groans and asks why anyone would still use it because its bloated and slow. Gsuite is just as bad, except now you get web apps and an even worse product lacking even more features, and then you get to the open source products which are unstable, poorly compatabile with pdx, docx, xls formats and try to force you to use the open office formats which lack security and advanced formating. It's not a monopoloy its just the gold standard, and it costs more because it's the best.

 

[Liranan]

No it feels good to use the product that is the standard, OpenOffice, Libre Office and any others forks are just poor immitations, its like saying thunderbird is even a 10th as good as Outlook, they exist only to frustrate and annoy, and it's real obvious you use the inferior product because you keep sending in poorly formatted documents in a very poor document filetype. There is zero excuse not to use word today, stop using odt and start using Docx, word is free if you use it online, its the gold standard for a reason.



Well if anyone else could make a product of any quality, Microsoft isn't a monopoly just the only office suite that is full featured, they killed IBM Lotus Suite because they offered a better product, of course it's still for sale but any tech forced to deal with it on the enterprise level just groans and asks why anyone would still use it because its bloated and slow. Gsuite is just as bad, except now you get web apps and an even worse product lacking even more features, and then you get to the open source products which are unstable, poorly compatabile with pdx, docx, xls formats and try to force you to use the open office formats which lack security and advanced formating. It's not a monopoloy its just the gold standard, and it costs more because it's the best.

They're such poor imitations that the UK has switched to LO, the Chinese use WPS and other governments have also switched from M$py to other products.

M$py do have a monopoly on the desktop and you claiming that they don't shows that you are intentionally obfuscating the truth in favour of an agenda.

 

[candle86]

They're such poor imitations that the UK has switched to LO, the Chinese use WPS and other governments have also switched from M$py to other products.

M$py do have a monopoly on the desktop and you claiming that they don't shows that you are intentionally obfuscating the truth in favour of an agenda.

no im stating facts, monopoloy means its the only option, its just the standard, and just because the UK and china prefer to use the inferior product thats on them