How to add a program to startup in Windows 10 or 11

Some Windows apps configure themselves to start automatically when Windows boots up. However, you can make any app, file, or folder start with Windows by adding it to the Windows startup folder.

Some apps already have a built-in setting for this, but if they don’t, this method is what you want. You can also open any file or folder when Windows starts – just in case you use something regularly. All you have to do is create a shortcut to what you want to start in a special “startup” folder – one of Windows’ hidden system folders. This technique works with almost every version of Windows from Vista to Windows 7, 8, 10 or even 11.

However, also note that the more programs you start at boot time, the longer the startup process seems to take. If there are apps you don’t want to start at boot time, you can also disable specific startup programs.

Step one: Open the Windows startup folder

“Startup” is a hidden system folder that you can navigate to in File Explorer (assuming you show hidden files). Technically it is in %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startupbut you don’t have to open File Explorer and start browsing — there’s a much easier way to get there.

You can open many of Windows’ hidden and special folders directly with the “Shell” command if you know the names of the folders. And you can launch the Shell command directly from the Run dialog box.

For an easy way to open the Startup folder, just press Windows + R to open the Run box, type “shell:startup” and then press Enter.

This will open a file explorer window right in the Startup folder.

Go ahead and leave this window open, because we’ll be working with it in the next section.

Step Two: Create a shortcut in the “Startup” folder

To start an app, file, or folder with Windows, all you have to do is create a shortcut to the item in the Startup folder. We’ll be using a handy little app called Sizer as an example, but this technique applies no matter what you’re shortcutting for.

First find the item you want to link to. Just open a second file explorer window and locate the executable, file, or folder you want to launch on boot. There are several ways to create shortcuts in Windows, but we’re fans of the super-fast right-click dragging method: hold down the right mouse button and drag the item you want to create the shortcut for into the Startup folder “. When you release the button, a pop-up menu will appear with a few options. Click Create Shortcut Here.

That’s all you have to do. You will now see a shortcut to your item in the Startup folder.

The next time you start Windows, your app, file, or folder will start right away with it. This method even works for launching Windows Store apps at startup.

How to make startup programs load faster

If you’re using Windows 10 or 11, there’s a delay before your startup programs actually start, which likely helps make everything feel like it’s working earlier in the startup process, allowing all internal Windows functions to get fully up and running . But if you have a really fast PC, you might not have to worry about this lag.

You can remove the delay by opening the registry editor and navigating to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\

Create a key there called Serialize and then create a new 32-bit DWORD called StartupDelayInMSec below with the value 0.

Or you can just head over to our article on how to remove Windows 10 startup delay and grab the registry hack files that will automate them for you. Up to you!

Alternative method for power users: Use Task Scheduler for more control

While we’d definitely recommend just using the Shell:startup trick, you can also use Task Scheduler to run processes at system startup, when you log in, during idle times, or even when you’re locking or unlocking your screen. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for advanced users who want to automate their computer to do things like create system restore points at startup or wake up automatically at a specific time.

To start a program with Task Scheduler at startup, you can open Task Scheduler from the Start menu search box, go to Action, then Create basic task and follow the instructions. You should actually use the “Login” option when trying to run a normal program.

For more information, check out our in-depth guide on using Task Scheduler to launch processes later.