3 Ways to Disable Scheduled Tasks in Windows

Quick Tips

• To disable scheduled tasks on Windows using the Task Scheduler, open Task Scheduler > click Task Scheduler Library > find and right-click the task you want to disable > select Disable.
• You can also disable a scheduled task using Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.

Method 1: Disable Scheduled Task Using Task Scheduler

The steps to disable tasks on the Task Scheduler are similar to enabling them. Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Open the Start menu > type Task Scheduler in the search bar > hit Enter.

Step 2: In the Task Scheduler window, click Task Scheduler Library on the left sidebar.

Step 3: On the right side, find the task you want to disable. Right-click on that task and select Disable.

Method 2: Disable Scheduled Task Using Command Prompt 

The Command Prompt is another option for disabling tasks on Windows 10 and 11. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: In the Windows Start menu, type Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2: If the task is in the root folder of the Task Scheduler Library, type the following command in the elevated Command Prompt window and press Enter.

schtasks /Change /TN "<task name>" /Disable

Note: Replace <task name> in the command with the actual name of the task.

Step 3: If the task is in a folder other than the root folder, type the following command in the elevated Command Prompt window and press Enter.

schtasks /Change /TN "<folder location>\<task name>" /Disable

Note: Replace <folder location> in the command with the actual folder path and <task name> with the actual name of the task.

Method 3: Disable Scheduled Task Using Windows PowerShell

Like Command Prompt, you can use Windows Powershell to disable scheduled tasks on your Windows computer. Here’s how: 

Step 1: Open the Windows Start menu, type Windows PowerShell, and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2: If the task is in the root folder of the Task Scheduler Library, type the following command in the elevated PowerShell window and press Enter.

Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskName "<task name>"

Note: Replace <task name> in the command with the actual name of the task.

Step 3: If the task is in a folder other than the root folder, type the following command in the elevated PowerShell window and press Enter.

Disable-ScheduledTask -TaskPath "<folder location>\" -TaskName "<task name>"

Note: Replace <folder location> in the command with the actual folder path and <task name> with the actual name of the task.

Also Read: How to fix Task Scheduler not working on Windows