How to Access and Use Startup Folder on Windows 11

The Startup folder in Windows is a location on your computer’s hard drive where you can place shortcuts to programs, files, or folders you want to run when you automatically start up your computer.

When you add an item to the Startup folder, Windows will automatically launch that item every time you start your computer, which can be helpful for programs or scripts that you frequently use.

In this short post, we will quickly explore the various methods and techniques you can use to quickly access the Windows Startup Folder.

Access Startup Folder Using Run Command

The easiest and most common method of accessing the startup folder in Windows is using the Run utility.

Press the WIN + R keys to open the Run utility.

Next, type the command shell:startup in the Open box.

This should open the Startup folder on your Windows system.

You can also use the full path as shown:

%AppData%\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Access Windows Startup Folder From File Explorer

To access the Startup folder in Windows, you can follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Type shell:startup in the address bar and press Enter.
3. This will take you directly to the Startup folder.

How to Add Program to Windows Startup Folder.

To add a program to the Startup folder in Windows, you can follow these steps:

1. Find the program you want to add to the Startup folder in the Start menu or on the desktop.
2. Right-click the shortcut and select “Cut.”
3. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
4. Type shell:startup and press Enter. This will open the Startup folder.
5. Right-click inside the folder and select Paste. This will add the shortcut to the program to the Startup folder.
6. Close the Startup folder and restart your computer.

Right-click the program and select “Create shortcut.”

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how you can quickly access the startup folder on your Windows system. You also learned how to create a startup item using Windows shortcuts.