You boot up your PC, grab a coffee, and wait for your desktop to load. But before you can even open your browser— pop —Hotspot Shield is already running in your system tray.

Have another app that’s stubborn about auto-starting? Let us know in the comments below!

For some users, that’s great. For others? It’s just annoying. It drains battery life, slows down startup times, and gets in the way if you only use a VPN occasionally.

If you only use it for streaming or occasional privacy, then go ahead—disable auto-start and free up those system resources. Your computer should work for you, not the other way around.