11 — Add Application To Startup Windows

Now go ahead—take control of your Windows 11 login experience. Happy booting

Every second counts when you boot up your PC. Wouldn’t it be great if your essential tools—your email client, browser, or project management software—opened automatically the moment you log in? In Windows 11, managing startup applications is the key to a seamless, productive workflow.

Open the Startup folder using shell:startup (as shown in Method 1). add application to startup windows 11

shell:startup A File Explorer window will pop open. This is the special "Startup" folder for your user account. Any shortcut placed here will run when you log into Windows.

That’s it! The next time you restart your PC, the application will launch automatically. Need the app to run with administrator privileges, with a delay, or before you log in? The Task Scheduler is your powerhouse tool. Now go ahead—take control of your Windows 11

Press Windows + S , type "Task Scheduler," and click to open it.

Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Type the following command and hit Enter: In Windows 11, managing startup applications is the

While Windows 11 offers a built-in "Startup Apps" panel to disable bloatware, adding your own applications to that list requires a slightly different approach. Here are the three most effective methods to make any app launch at startup. This is the simplest method, relying on a hidden system folder you’ve probably never used.