EXE/STEAM taking 20-30 seconds to open

Question

EXE/STEAM taking 20-30 seconds to open

lokv 0

i got a pc and for some reason steam was preinstalled but was busted, so i reinstalled steam and its working but everytime i either launch it or open when its running in the background it takes 20 seconds atleast.
the only time it open fast is when i launch it after boot with admin, only for the first boot

when i try to open steam from search it just hangs, never seen windows search hang for 20 seconds till the app opens

i contacted steam support and they couldnt help me, not even claude helped me

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Answer 1

Emma1-N 13,780 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Welcome lokv,

Thank you for the details. Since you have already reinstalled Steam and Steam Support has checked the Steam side, let’s focus on Windows, especially because Windows Search also becomes unresponsive while the app is opening.

Please try the step below to troubleshoot the issue:

Check what is causing the delay in Task Manager

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
Select Processes
Leave Task Manager open and launch Steam normally
During the 20–30 second delay, check the CPU, Memory, and Disk columns
Note whether Steam or another process suddenly shows unusually high usage

Restart Windows Search

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
Select Details
Find SearchHost.exe
Right-select SearchHost.exe and select End task
Open Windows Search again. Windows will automatically start the Search process again
Search for Steam and test launching it again

Check Windows Update

Open Settings
Select Windows Update
Select Check for updates
Install any available updates
Restart the PC and test again

Looking forward to your update.

lokv 0 Reputation points

2026-10-15T20:00:40.7133333+00:00

cpu utilization only jumped by 8 percent after the 20-30 seconds wait when steam popped up.
tried resetting search and nothing happened
and i already updated

forgot to say that i already did sfc scan
Emma1-N 13,780 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-16T03:41:06.92+00:00
Hello lokv,

Thank you for your response. Please check the step:

Restart the PC and sign in normally.

Without opening Steam, launch a few other desktop applications, such as Notepad, File Explorer, and another .exe program you have installed.

Check whether any of them also take around 20–30 seconds to appear.

Then launch Steam normally, without Run as administrator, and note whether the same delay occurs.
lokv 0 Reputation points

2026-10-16T05:39:47.0766667+00:00

tried it and only steam seems to have this issue unfortunately