A lot of us a bunch of programs to add utility to our systems as we work along. These programs start simultaneously as Windows and then keep running in the background until we need them.

Now while quite a lot of programs that expect themselves to be used since boot have an option built-in that lets users decide whether or not the program should start with Windows, a few of them don’t.

In such cases, you can create a shortcut for them in the Windows boot folder to start automatically at boot. The startup folder in Windows is a folder that contains shortcuts to all the programs that start alongside Windows. 

In this article, we’re going to talk about how you can access the startup folder in Windows 10. 

Also read: How to change the font in Windows 10?

How to find Windows startup folder?

Before we set out digging the startup folder, we need to know which one are we looking for. There are two types of startup folders:

• A local folder for the current user
• A global folder for the overall Windows installation

You’re going to have to choose between the two folders based on whether you want an app to start for just you or for all users across the installation.

Finding the local startup folder

FInding the folder is rather easy. Just follow these steps

Step 1: Press Windows Key + R to open the run prompt.

Step 2: Type in shell:startup and hit enter.

Alternatively, you can also navigate to the following path in Windows Explorer.

C:\Users\[Your username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Finding the Global startup folder

Finding the global folder is quite easy as well. 

Step 1: Press Windows Key + R to open the run prompt.

Step 2: Type in shell:common startup and hit enter.

Alternatively, you can also navigate to the following path in Windows Explorer.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp

Do keep in mind that if you’re manually navigating to these folders using Windows Explorer, you may have to unhide some folders. Check out this guide for more info.

Also read: How to fix ‘Realtek HD Audio Manager Missing’ in Windows 10?

How to use Windows Startup folder?

Now in order to make programs start with Windows, you’re going to have to create a shortcut to them in whichever startup folder you desire. Here’s how.

Step 1:  Right click in the startup folder, hover over New and select Shortcut.

Step 2: Click on Browse and navigate to the executable file of whichever program you want. Click Next when you’re done.

Step 3: Now type in a name for your shortcut and click Finish.

And that’s all. The next time you boot Windows, whatever program you just made a shortcut to will automatically start.

Note that the startup folder isn’t the only place where Windows shows what all programs run at startup. You can head over to the Startup tab in the Task Manager to keep an eye on startup programs as well. 

Also read: How to change date and time in Windows 10?