- Windows 11 It offers several ways to configure programs that run automatically when the system starts, from Settings and the Task Manager up to the Startup folder and the Task Scheduler.
- Controlling the impact of startup applications is key to maintaining good performance, as too many programs loaded at startup can slow down the computer and consume excessive resources.
- The combination of native methods of Windows And the application's own settings allow you to fully customize which software opens automatically when you turn on your computer and which ones you should disable.
If every time you turn on your computer you always do the same thing — open the browser, the email, Spotify in the background or a VPN—, makes perfect sense Automate the startup of your programs in Windows 11 to save you clicks and time. The system offers several ways to achieve this, some very simple and others more advanced, but all accessible to any user.
Throughout this guide you will see All the practical ways to make a program run automatically when Windows 11 startsfrom the quickest options (Task Manager or Settings) to Tricks You'll learn about classic tools like the Startup folder and Task Scheduler. You'll also see how to manage the performance impact and what to watch out for to prevent your PC from taking forever to boot up.
What are startup programs and why might they interest you?
In Windows 11, all those programs are called startup programs. Applications, services, scripts, or shortcuts that load automatically when you start the system or you log in with your username. They're not just... apps “visible”: there are also background processes that are set in motion at that moment.
The great benefit is the convenience and time savingIf you use an email client, collaboration tool, messaging app, or cloud synchronization service daily, it's very practical to... open automatically after logging into Windows and you don't have to go looking for them every time in the Start menu or on the Desktop.
For example, many people appreciate that the browser, WhatsApp, Spotify, Google Drive or your VPN Favorite They start automatically when they reach the desktopThat way, when you sit down at your PC, your entire "work environment" or leisure space is ready to use.
The downside is that if you add too many things to the Boot, you can notice a clear slowdown in There how long it takes for the equipment to become operationalEach additional application consumes CPU, memory, disk... and that, especially on somewhat limited computers, is very noticeable.
Therefore, in addition to learning how to activate automatic startup, it is important that Regularly review and clean the programs that run when Windows starts.disabling everything that is not essential for your daily life.
Manage startup applications with Task Manager
One of the most useful tools in Windows 11 for controlling what starts with the system is the Task Manager, which includes a specific tab for startup applicationsHere you'll see quite clearly which programs are set to start automatically and the impact they have on performance.
To open Task Manager, you have several options, all valid and very fast. You can Right-click the Start button on the taskbar and choose “Task Manager”Use the classic key combination Control + Alt + Delete and select the Administrator, or type taskmgr in the Run dialog box (Win + R) or in the system search box.
Once inside, in the most recent versions of Windows 11 you will see a section called “Startup applications” or “Startup” (depending on build and language). From there you can Enable or disable with one click the applications that run at startupSimply select the app you want and tap "Enable" or "Disable".
This screen also displays a column with the impact on the startup of each applicationThis is very useful for pinpointing what's most impacting your startup time. Windows typically labels this impact as "None," "Not Measured," "Low," "Medium," or "High."
- NoneThe startup application is disabled and does not affect booting.
- Not measuredWindows does not yet have enough data to calculate its impact, even though the app is enabled.
- Low impact: total CPU usage during startup is less than about 300 milliseconds and disk access does not exceed a few hundred kilobytes.
- Average impactCPU usage during startup ranges between 300 milliseconds and 1 second, or disk access is in an intermediate range.
- High impactThe app takes more than 1 second of CPU time to start or reads/writes several megabytes to disk at startup.
With this information, you can better decide what to keep and what to remove. If you notice that your PC is taking too long to boot up, Start by disabling applications with a "High" or "Medium" impact that are not critical for you. and see if the startup improves and check how to optimize startup.
Control automatic startup from Windows 11 Settings
In addition to Task Manager, Windows 11 includes a dedicated panel in the Settings app that allows control which applications can run automatically at startupThe functionality is very similar, but you may find it more user-friendly if you are already accustomed to using Settings for everything.
To access it, open the Start menu, enter the application Configuration and go to the section "Applications"Inside you will find a section called "Start" where you'll see a list of programs that can participate in system startup. If you wish, you can also customize and organize the Start menu to better organize your access points.
In that list, each application appears with a switch, so that You simply need to activate or deactivate the switch to allow or prevent automatic execution. When you log in. As with Task Manager, information about the impact this change will have on startup is usually also displayed.
Not all installed apps appear here, because Only those that have registered their ability to start automatically in the system are listed.In other words, you'll see the typical synchronization utilities, messaging apps, audio managers, or tools that have explicitly declared that feature.
If the program you're interested in isn't listed on this screen, you'll have to resort to other more manual methods to add it to the beginning, such as the Startup folder or a scheduled task, which we will see in detail in the following sections.
Enable automatic startup from the settings of each application
Many modern programs include a checkbox in their internal options for decide whether they run automatically when Windows startsIt is very common in messaging clients, music players in streamingcloud backup services, VPN, etc.
This option is usually found in menus such as “Settings”, “Preferences”, “Adjustments”, “General” or “Advanced”Depending on the program, these are usually texts like "Start with Windows", "Run at login" or "Open automatically when the system starts".
For example, apps like Spotify include a section within their settings panel where you can Decide if you want it to open automatically when you log into Windows 11Something very similar happens in tools like WhatsApp for desktop or some VPNs, which have a specific switch for this behavior.
When you check this box, the program itself takes care of successfully register in the system as a startup applicationso it will usually appear later in both the Task Manager and the Settings Start panel.
The advantage of using the app's internal settings, whenever they exist, is that You don't have to touch paths, special folders, or the registry.It's the most direct and least error-prone way to get that specific program to start up with your PC.
Use Task Scheduler to automate the starting of programs
If you need even finer control over when and how an application starts, you can resort to Windows Task Scheduler, a more advanced but very powerful toolWith it you can tell the system to run a program when the computer starts, when logging in, only for a specific user, with additional parameters, etc.
To open Task Scheduler, press Win + R, type taskschd.msc and press EnterOr, search for "Task Scheduler" in the Start menu. You'll see a console with a tree-like panel on the left, a central area with the tasks, and an actions panel on the right.
In the right-hand column, a simple way to get started is to use the option “Create basic task…”This step-by-step wizard allows you to quickly define that a specific program runs based on a trigger, such as “When starting the team” o “Upon logging in”.
The wizard will ask you to assign a name to the task, choose the time when it should be activated (for example, “When the computer starts” or “When the user logs in”) and, in the actions section, that you select “Start a program”There you will need to find the executable file of the application you want to automate.
In the program field or script you will need to indicate the full path to the .exe file that you want to start. In some cases, you can also add additional parameters in the argument box. For example, with Outlook, the modifier is often used. /recycle so that it starts minimized or by reusing the already open window, depending on the version.
When you finish the wizard and click on “Finish”, the task will be created and Windows will run it automatically following the conditions you have definedThis method is very useful for programs that do not appear in the standard startup lists, for scripts, or if you need more customized behavior.
Make a program open at startup using the Startup folder
There is a classic and very effective method, valid for virtually any application, file, or even URL: Use the special "Startup" folder from the Windows Start menuAnything you place there as a shortcut will run automatically when you log in.
First of all, you need Create a shortcut on the Desktop for the program you want to load at startup.If you already have it, perfect; if not, locate the application's .exe file, right-click and choose "Send to > Desktop (create shortcut)" or right-click and drag, selecting the option to create the icon.
The Home folder is somewhat hidden, as it's located within a system tree. To access it, open File Explorer and Navigate to the ProgramData path that Windows uses for the Start menu.A quick way is to paste something like this into the address bar:
C: \ ProgramData \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Start Menu \ Programs \ Startup
You can also get there manually by following something like This team > Local Disk (C:) > ProgramData > Microsoft > Windows > Start Menu > Programs > StartupNote that the ProgramData folder is usually hidden, so you may first need to... enable the display of hidden items in the Explorer.
To view these items, in the Explorer's top bar, click on “View” > “Show” > “Hidden Items”Once this option is selected, folders that you didn't see before will appear, including ProgramData.
Once you have the Home folder open, simply Drag the desktop shortcut of the program you want to run automatically into the shortcut.Windows may ask for administrator permissions to leave the shortcut in that location; accept with the "Continue" button if necessary.
Since then, Every time you log in to Windows 11, everything referenced by the shortcuts in that folder will open.Not only applications, you can also put links to documents, scripts or web addresses there, which will be launched with the default program.
Add shortcuts to startup using the shell:startup command
If you don't want to struggle with long paths in Explorer, there's a very convenient shortcut to get to your user's home folder: use the special command shell:startupThis command directly opens the Home folder of the profile you are logged in with.
To use it, press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, writes shell: startup and confirm with Enter. An Explorer window will instantly open in your current user's home folder, which is where you should Leave the shortcuts you want to run at startup for that account..
Here you can drag and drop a shortcut to any program, document, or even a website. For example, you could create a shortcut with the URL of an online tool you use every day and Place it in this folder so that it always opens in your default browser when you log in..
This method works very well in conjunction with manually creating shortcuts. From the Desktop or any folder, right-click on an empty space, choose “New > Shortcut” and type the path to the program, file, or web address you want. Then, Move that new shortcut to the open home folder.
If your goal is something as specific as launching Outlook on every startup, for example, you can also create a shortcut with parameters, such as "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\root\\OfficeXX\\OUTLOOK.EXE" /recycleand save it in the Startup folder to adjust exactly how the program opens.
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