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Windows 11 app put in the Startup folder won't start

Anonymous
2025-02-28T00:21:28+00:00

None of the apps that I put in the startup folder are starting automatically. I have used Windows+R -> shell:startup and copied a few shortcuts into the Folder from my Desktop that work fine when I start them manually, but they just won't automatically start with Windows.

I stumbled across this thread

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-11-not-restarting-and-startup-apps-not/eaf8c603-6e57-4582-b5b0-440ad69aa58f and I read Martin's answer that states:

Startup applications not launching: It seems like your selected startup applications are not starting despite being added to the startup folder. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as the applications being disabled or encountering errors during startup. Here's what you can try:

  • Check the Task Manager's Startup tab to see if the startup applications are listed and enabled. You can access Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager.
  • Ensure that the shortcuts you've added to the startup folder are valid and pointing to the correct executable files of the applications.
  • Try manually launching the applications to see if they work outside of the startup sequence. If they don't, there may be underlying issues with the applications themselves that need to be addressed.

* I have checked in Task Manager Startup tab and all the applications are there and are set to Enabled.

* I have ensured that the shortcuts that I've added to the startup folder are valid and point to the working executable files of the applications.

* When I manually launch the applications they work fine and without any errors or issues.

Please tell me how to fix this problem.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Rodrigo Queiroz 77,500 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-02-28T04:11:09+00:00

    Hi,

    I'm Rodrigo and I'll help you.

    Some applications don't start from the startup folder, I'm not sure why but this workaround works for those applications:

    Create a shortcut to launch a Command Prompt that will launch the application.

    Right click in a blank area of the desktop > New > Shortcut > Paste the command below on the location box:

    C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "" "Path"

    Change Path with the application path, for example:

    C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

    Next > Name the shortcut > Finish > Test the shortcut, if it works as expected, copy to the shell:startup folder.

    6 people found this answer helpful.
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