It seems like ages ago when Windows 95 came with the all-important Windows Startup Folder. Then, the startup-folder was a special folder where you could find via Start Menu. But since then, the Task Manager under Windows 10 comes with a Startup tab. Using the task manager, users can easily disable start software.
Under Windows 10 Task Manager, there are no options for the user to add on programs to the startup. You will, therefore, not find startup settings on software windows to add a new program here. The good thing with Windows 10 is that one can add programs or files though the Startup Folder. All programs and software found in this folder will run automatically whenever you fire up your PC’s Windows. This folder is located deep among a series of subfolders.
Where is windows startup folder?
For a majority of Windows users, the Windows startup folder can be found by following this route;
C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\StartMenu\Programs\Startup
A second way to find the startup folder is by following this route;
C:\Program\Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
A quick way to access the universal Startup Folder in Windows 10 is to open the Run dialogue box. Simply press (Windows Key + R). Type in “shell:common startup” and then click OK. The File Explorer window will open and display the universal Start Folder.
The transitioning journey of Windows start menu
Windows 8 was introduced in 2012 and with the new version of Windows came some controversial changes. This is the time the Start Menu was eliminated. With these changes, users found it harder to reach everything. According to Microsoft, these changes were necessary to help people move to a different way of scheduling programs for automatic execution. However, there was a lot of resistance and Microsoft rolled out the Windows 10 version where the Start Menu was quietly returned.
How to access the Windows 10 Startup folder
As stated above, there are two Startup Folder locations in Windows 10. One of the folders works at the system level, which means it’s shared by all user accounts of the computer. On the other hand, there is a different folder that operates at the user level and is customized to suit the needs of each user of the system. If you have a Windows 10 PC with several users, a unique Startup Folder is assigned to each of these accounts. This is in addition to the universal Startup Folder that is used by all users. With Windows 10, different users can access common programs if they are included in the universal Startup Folder. But it also means that certain users will not be able to enjoy some programs if their Startup Menu doesn’t have them or if they don’t have authorized access.
Adding software to Startup Folder
Windows 10 Startup Folder allows you to now add new program shortcuts on to the system startup. You can also add file shortcuts in the folder. This means that your added files in the Startup Folder typically opens with the default software.
• Start by simply “right-click” on an empty space within the Startup Folder and selects “New>Shortcut”.
• Select the program or file that you want to include in the Startup and press “OK”. Press “Next”.
• On the next window, press “Finish” after which the Startup Folder will now include the selected software or file.
• Your software will open once you restart the Windows.
Removing
software from Startup Folder
You can remove a program from the Startup Folder by simply deleting it. You can
do this by selecting the program in the folder and then clicking on
“Delete”. This should erase the shortcut to the Recycle Bin.
Another way to remove a program is to press “Ctrl + A” on the keyboard. This selects all the shortcuts located on the Startup Folder. By pressing “delete”, you will erase all the selected programs. The advantage with Windows 10 is that the Task Manager Startup tab includes a list of programs that users have added to the Startup Folder.
Disabling a program will require you to right-click the taskbar and select the Task Manager. Through the Startup tab, you can select the program you intend to disable.
Conclusion
It is important to note that Windows 10 first loads the essential system processes and items in the Task Manager’s Startup Folder before launching the user Startup Folder. The appearance of your startup on the screen should take a few seconds. However, if you have a lot of user programs, then your user Startup Folder may take a while.