How to Add Programs to Windows Start-up Folder

This is from the Windows Help file - “Run a program automatically when Windows starts.

If you always open the same programs after starting your computer, such as a web browser or an e‑mail program, you might find it convenient to have them start automatically when you start Windows.

Programs or shortcuts placed in the Startup folder will run whenever Windows starts.

  • Click the Start button, click All Programs, right-click the Startup folder, and then click Open.
  • Open the location that contains the item you want to create a shortcut to.
  • Right-click the item, and then click Create Shortcut. The new shortcut appears in the same location as the original item.
  • Drag the shortcut into the Startup folder.

The next time you start Windows, the program will run automatically.

Note: You can also make an individual file, such as a word-processing document, open automatically by dragging a shortcut of the file into the Startup folder.

Amit Agarwal

Amit Agarwal

Google Developer Expert, Google Cloud Champion

Amit Agarwal is a Google Developer Expert in Google Workspace and Google Apps Script. He holds an engineering degree in Computer Science (I.I.T.) and is the first professional blogger in India.

Amit has developed several popular Google add-ons including Mail Merge for Gmail and Document Studio. Read more on Lifehacker and YourStory

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