If you’ve recently purchased a new HP laptop or Desktop computer you will probably have noticed one of the preloaded programs waiting for you on your new device: HP JumpStart. Many people wonder what this program is, whether it is safe to use and if they should delete it from their system. We answer all your HP JumpStart questions in this guide.

What is HP JumpStart?

HP JumpStart is a preloaded setup program available on a variety of HP products. It helps new users get started with their new hardware. Some experienced PC users will find the software rudimentary and can forgo using it entirely, but many inexperienced computer users who are just learning the ropes can really benefit from running through it at least once.

What does HP JumpStart do?

You begin your JumpStart experience by completing product registration for your new HP device. This guarantees you the smoothest experience with HP Support and allows you to download updates and receive new information about products or services. Please note that HP JumpStart does not download or manage your computer’s regular hardware or software updates for you.

A JumpStart installation also lets you customize more features than a standard manual initialization routine. It gives you the power to customize your desktop and enables free services like Dropbox and McAfee, plus you can pre-install your favorite applications. Although JumpStart contains several steps and a variety of options to choose from, each page is quick and easy to navigate, with simple instructions that take things one step at a time.

Is HP JumpStart Bloatware?

Some people would consider JumpStart to be bloatware simply because it comes preinstalled on their system without their consent. We wouldn’t call JumpStart Bloatware, because it’s not a free trial or meant to entice you into spending more money on software (although it will give you the option to install some trial software if you choose to).

Thankfully, whether you plan to use it or not, HP JumpStart is a relatively light program, only taking up less than 15MB of drive space. Of course, if you never plan to use it, you might decide to go ahead and delete it anyway, especially since some users report an annoying JumpStart popup every time they restart their computer.

How to Disable HP JumpStart

There are only a few simple steps to follow if you want to disable the HP JumpStart Launch.

  • Click The windows start button and type Run into the search bar
  • Type msconfig in the box that opens and click OK.
  • This will open the system configuration page.
  • Select the services tab and check the “Hide all Microsoft services” box.
  • Next search for “HP JumpStart Launch” and uncheck that box.
  • Finally, click on “apply” and then on “ok”.
  • You will need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

How to Delete HP JumpStart Permanently

You can uninstall HP JumpStart App from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window’s Control Panel.

  • Click the Windows Start button and type remove programs into the search bar.
  • Select the first option in the resulting list: “add and remove programs”
  • Find the HP JumpStart Application(s) in this list, highlight them one by one, and hit uninstall.
  • You’ll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

How do I remove HP JumpStart Bridge?

Along with HP JumpStart, you might also notice a few related programs in your list of installed software. HP JumpStart Bridge is a process that connects JumpStart with the HP servers and provides the latest info to the program. If you’re deleting the core HP JumpStart program, you might as well delete the HP JumpStart Bridge as well.

You can uninstall HP JumpStart Bridge from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window’s Control Panel.

  • Click the Windows Start button and type remove programs into the search bar.
  • Select the first option in the resulting list: “add and remove programs”
  • Find the HP JumpStart Bridge application in this list, highlight it, and hit uninstall.
  • You’ll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

You should now have a better understanding of what the preinstalled software on your HP computer is, when and how to use it, and how to delete it from your system when you’re done with it. Keeping your computer free of unused software is a great habit to keep things running smoothly and quickly. Enjoy your HP computer!