Within the applications that make up the operating system, we will find some that have their own option from which we can indicate that we want them to run automatically once we turn on and start our computer. Others, on the contrary, do not have this function, so it is something that we must activate within the Windows configuration settings and in this way get them to run automatically.
Open programs at Windows startup
When configuring our operating system so that it is in charge of running certain applications at the same time that Windows starts, we have several ways to do it. Either by adding a program in question to the Startup folder, or by using the Task Scheduler or Windows Task Manager. Next, we are going to review these options, so that we can add any application to run automatically every time we start Windows.
Activate the automatic launch of the application from Settings
We can activate an application to start automatically at system startup, configuring it from the Windows Configuration menu. The process is similar for both Windows 10 and Windows 11, but by changing the interface a bit we will show it individually for each system.
In Windows 11
We open the Settings menu by pressing the keyboard shortcut Windows + I. Later we click on the Applications section that we find in the left column. Then in the right column, at the bottom, click on the Start section. In the new window that appears, we will see all the available applications, so we only have to click on its switch to activate those that we want to start at system startup. Once you complete the steps, the app will launch when you sign in to the account automatically.
In Windows 10
The first thing is to access the Settings menu by pressing the keyboard shortcut Windows + I. Later we click on the Applications tab. In the new window that appears, click on Start in the left column. Now we only have to click on the switch corresponding to each application that we want to start at the same time as the operating system, so that it is marked as Activated.
Use the program’s own option
There are many programs that directly offer us the possibility of starting when the operating system boots. This can work in several ways. For example, many of the programs with this option run completely at the start of Windows so that, from the first moment, we have it ready to use. Others, on the other hand, such as Chrome, allow us to load certain processes in memory, but without actually opening the program. This way, when we run it by hand, it takes much less time to boot. Ultimately, some programs only open background processes, which are responsible for controlling, for example, system updates.
The location of where the option for the program to run automatically when starting the PC is located may vary from one program to another. But the most common thing is that we can find it within the preferences, or settings, menu of the program.
If we have it activated, the program will open automatically when we log in to the PC. Otherwise, it will remain closed until we execute it.
Add the program to the Startup folder
The first thing we must do is show hidden folders. To do this, we open the file explorer and click on the “View” tab. Later we mark the option of “Hidden elements”.
Next, we must access the Programs folder at the start of Windows. To access it, click on the “This computer” icon and then on our “C Drive”. Here we will select “ProgramData”, then we access “Microsoft”, and then “Windows”. Now we will enter the “Start Menu” folder, later in “Programs”, and, finally, in “Start”. We can also access directly by copying the path in the address bar of the file explorer:
C:/ ProgramData / Microsoft / Windows / Start / Menu “Programs / StartUp
Once we have accessed the folder, we must enter in it the shortcut of each application that we want it to start automatically when Windows is turned on. To do this, we can directly drag the shortcut to the “Startup” folder. Another option would be to right-click on the shortcut, select “Copy” and then “Paste” in the “Startup” folder.
Configure any application from the Run window
Another way that we have to configure that any application opens when Windows starts through the Run window. From this window we must open on the one hand the folder where all the shortcuts of the programs that we want to start with Windows are located. On the other hand, we must open the folder where all the shortcuts of all the installed programs are stored.
To do this, we are going to press the Win+R keyboard shortcut to open the Run window. Once open we must write and execute the command Shell:startup and then the command Shell:AppsFolder.
Once we have both folders open, we must select from the “AppsFolder” folder the applications that we want to run automatically when Windows starts. Now we select only we must drag her to the “Startup” folder. Once we have created the shortcut in the “Start” folder, the program would start by default when Windows starts. Also, not only will we be able to insert any program, but We can also enter direct access to a website so that it also always opens when starting our computer.
Using an executable file from CMD
An interesting option to take into account when opening certain applications every time we start our computer, goes through create an executable .bat filewhere we will include all the applications that we want to open and place it inside the Startup folder so that, once we log in to Windows, it will automatically run the file and run all the applications that we have included inside.
To create an executable file with a .bat extension, we can use any text editor that we have installed on our computer. In fact, the Notepad application is more than enough. Once we have opened Notepad, we will write the address of our computer where they are stored. For example, if we want to run Chrome, OneNote and Photoshop, we will write the following text
C:Program FilesGoogleChromeApplicationchrome.exe C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficerootOffice16ONENOTE.EXE C:Program FilesAdobeAdobe Photoshop 2022photoshop.exe
The address where the file is located can be obtained from the Windows Startup folder that we can access with the command from the Run window (Win + R)
Shell:AppsFolder
Next, we select the application from which we want to obtain the address, and click with the right mouse button to access the properties. The location of the application on our computer is the one found in the field Destination. We just have to select it with the mouse and copy it to finally paste it into the .bat file that we are creating with Notepad.
Finally, click on Save As and write the name of the file with the .bat extension and save it in the Startup folder, which we can access using the following command from the Run window (Win + R)
Shell:Startup
If we want to remove some of these applications from the Windows startup, we just have to edit the file with the notepad and delete the one corresponding to the application.
Use Windows Task Scheduler
Another option that we have available to set an application to run automatically when starting our computer is through the Windows Task Scheduler. To do this, from the “Start menu” we will write task scheduler and select it.
Next, click on the “Action” tab located at the top of the window and select “Create Basic Tasks”. A new window will appear where we must indicate a “Name” and a “Description” to the action that we are going to carry out. Click on “Next” and in the “Trigger” section, select “When logging in”which will be at the time the task we are scheduling is executed.
Click on “Next” and go to the “Action” section. Here we choose the option “Start a program” and click on “Next” again. Finally, we must specify the path where the executable file of the program is located that we are programming Once this is done, click on “Next” and “Finish” so that our task is scheduled. In this way, each program that we add will be executed automatically when Windows starts.
From the Task Manager
It is also possible to use the Task Manager Windows to enable or disable the applications that we want to start automatically with Windows. The easiest way to access Task Manager is by pressing the “CTRL + ALT + DEL” key combination and choosing Task Manager. You can also access it from the “Start menu”, by typing task manager.
Once inside, click on the “Start” tab, from where we can enable or disable the applications that we need. Of course, unlike the previous options, from here we can only configure those with which we have automatically logged in with Windows at some time, not being able to add new applications.
Delay the execution of programs when starting Windows
If we cannot live without certain applications and we want them to always be available in the background, even if we sacrifice our performance, we can still reduce the time it takes for the PC to boot up and be ready to work by delaying the execution of startup applications a few seconds or minutes in order to reduce the initial workload of the processor.
One of the most complete applications to intentionally delay the execution of applications at startup is Startup Delayer. As its name indicates, with this application we can delay the time we want the execution of the applications that we want to start when turning on the computer, to reduce the initial consumption of resources and that the applications necessary for Windows to work correctly do so without external interference. .
Startup Delayer allows us to set a delay time manually or to set a percentage of processor use so that when it reaches a certain percentage, it automatically runs the applications that we set. This application, unlike other alternatives, is completely translated into Spanish, so it does not…
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