How to Add or Remove Program to Startup on Windows 11

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There are several ways to configure automatic program startup in Windows.

In this article, we’ll show how to add, disable, or remove programs from Startup items on Windows 11.

Use Task Manager to manage startup

The Task Manager is the most commonly used tool to manage startup.

1. To open Task Manager, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or run the taskmgr.exe command;
2. Go to the Startup Apps tab;
3. This is a list of apps that start automatically when the user logs on to Windows;
4. The Status property indicates whether the startup rule is currently active for a particular application;
5. The Disable and Enable buttons allow the user to disable or enable autorun for a specific app.

The Settings pane has a similar list of apps added to Startup. Press Win+I and navigate to Settings > Apps > Startup Apps. In this list, you can use the toggle to enable or disable the Startup for an app.

Add New Application to Startup

However, both of these tools only allow to enable or disable autorun for a predefined list of software. There are no settings for adding new program to Startup.

To add a new application to Startup, copy the shortcut to the app executable (or batch file) to one of the following locations:

• Add a program to startup for the current user: C:\ Users\ %user%\ AppData\ Roaming\ Microsoft\ Windows\ Start Menu\ Programs\ Startup. To quickly navigate to this folder, press Win+R and run:
  

  shell:Startup

• Automatically run the program for all users: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp. Quick access command:
  

  shell:Common Startup

For example, to run the Wireguard VPN Client when the user logs in, copy the application shortcut to the Startup folder.

After this, the new application item will appear in the Startup Apps list in Task Manager and you can enable or disable autorun for it.

Deleting Program via Startup Folder

1. Press Win+R and run:
   For the current user:
   

   shell:Startup

   For all users:

   shell:Common Startup

2. Find the application shortcut and delete it.

Specify path in registry keys

Windows 11 also automatically runs the applications whose paths are specified in the following registry keys:

Current User startup:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

All users startup (requires admin rights):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

One-time startup (RunOnce registry keys):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Keep in mind that Windows also stores the enabled/disabled state of startup entries in the StartupApproved registry keys. In case you disabled an application with Task Manager, its corresponding Run entry may still exist (but Windows will prevent it from starting automatically).

Adding program to registry startup

1. Press Win+R and run:
   

   regedit

2. Now go to the desired registry key (e.g. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run)
3. Right-click in the right pane > New > String Value (REG_SZ)
4. Give value any name (for example, Zoom_App)
5. Now click twice the new value and set the data to the full path of the executable:
   

   "C:\Program Files\My App\myapp.exe"

Add Startup Entry with PowerShell

You can also add and remove startup entry using PowerShell console.

To add a startup entry, run the command:

New-ItemProperty `
-Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" `
-Name "MyApp" `
-Value "C:\Program Files\My App\myapp.exe" `
-PropertyType String

To remove startup entry, use the following:

Remove-ItemProperty `
-Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" `
-Name "MyApp"

Deleting a Program via Registry

1. Press Win+R and run the command:
   

   regedit

2. Go to the registry key where the value was added
3. Here right-click the value, and then press Delete

Using Autoruns

Autoruns is a free tool from Sysinternals. This tool displays many startup locations that are not visible in Task Manager (including scheduled tasks, services, browser extensions, shell extensions, drivers, Winlogon entries, AppInit DLLs, and other persistence mechanisms).

So, at first you need to download Autoruns from the official Microsoft page.

• When launched, the tool shows all autorun entries grouped by type.
• If you want to disable entry, uncheck the checkbox next to it.
• To delete it permanently, right-click it and select Delete.
  Note. You should be careful when you delete entries in Autoruns. Among items there are system-critical (drivers, services, or security components). We recommend you to disable system-critical entries first before deleting permanently.

Note. Autoruns requires admin rights to show and manage all system-wide entries.

Using Autorunsc (Command-Line Version)

Sysinternals Autoruns also includes a command-line version called autorunsc.exe. This one provides the same visibility into startup locations as the GUI tool, but is designed for automation and large-scale analysis.

Unlike the graphical version, you can use Autorunsc in scripts to:

• export startup entries to CSV/XML
• audit multiple machines remotely/via management tools (ConfigMgr, Intune, PowerShell)
• perform unattended compliance checks across environments

Here is an example on how to use the tool:

autorunsc.exe -a * -accepteula -c

You can use Autorunsc as a key tool for enterprise-level startup auditing where manual GUI inspection is not practical.

How to Use Task Scheduler for Advanced Scenarios

When using the methods described above (the Startup folder and registry), the programs run only after a user logs in. If you need to perform more advanced scenarios, you can use Task Scheduler:

1. You can run an application with admin rights at startup (without UAC prompt; note that this can lead to security risks in case it’s misconfigured).
2. You can run a program at system startup before any user signs in.
3. You can also run application on a schedule or triggered by some event.
4. You can delay app startup (it will reduce logon-time performance impact and avoid launching multiple apps simultaneously after Windows startup).

Adding an application to startup through Task Scheduler

1. Press Win+R and run:
   

    taskschd.msc

2. Click on Create Basic Task in the right pane.
3. Now you need to give a name to the task, then click Next.
4. In the next step, select trigger When the computer starts, click Next.
5. Now select Start a program, then click Next.
6. Enter the full path to the executable. Click Next.
7. Now click Finish.

Note. In case you need to run an application with admin rights, open the task properties after creating it > General tab > check Run with highest privileges.

How to Delay App Startup

Task Scheduler also allows you to delay app startup. In the task Trigger settings, you can config such options:

• At startup → Delay task for: 30 seconds
• At logon → Delay task for: 1 minute

Note that delaying startup can improve logon performance and reduce system resource usage when multiple apps start automatically.

Security Considerations for Startup Config

When configuring startup apps on Windows, you should follow the principle of least privilege (PoLP). You should allow to run automatically only those apps that are required for business operations, security tools, or system functionality.

Note that in case you have uncontrolled startup entries, you can face security risks, including:

• persistence mechanisms for malware
• unauthorized privilege escalation
• performance degradation and system instability
• hidden execution of unverified software

In enterprise environments, you should centrally manage startup configs using Group Policy, Intune, or endpoint management solutions (rather than manual user-level changes).

You should regularly audit startup locations, including:

• Startup folders
• Registry Run and RunOnce keys
• Scheduled Tasks
• Autoruns entries (including hidden persistence points)

Note that you need to review and remove any unauthorized/unnecessary startup entry as part of regular security hygiene.

Keep in mind that Sysinternals Autoruns and Autorunsc are among the most commonly used tools when you need to audit startup locations and detect unauthorized persistence mechanisms.

Compare Startup Config and Management Methods

Method	Per User	All Users	Run Before Login	Easy to Manage
Startup Folder	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Run Registry Key	Yes	Yes	No	Medium
Task Scheduler	Yes	Yes	Yes	Advanced
Autoruns	Management Tool	Management Tool	Yes (if configured)	Advanced