How to find the Windows 11 startup folder location
Windows 11 has a new UI, a new Start Menu, and various other changes in design. It still works similar to Windows 10 in many ways. Windows 11 still has a Start Menu, and it still allows users to run apps or open files at boot. In order to run apps at boot, they have to be added to the Startup folder.
Windows 11 Startup folder location
Windows 11 has two Startup folders. It has a public or all users Startup folder. The items added to this folder will open for all users that are configured on the system. the second Startup folder is specific for a user. Each user configured on a Windows 11 system will have their own Startup folder and the items added to it will open at boot only for that user.
Windows 11 startup folder location – All users
The Windows 11 startup folder for all users is located at the address below.
C>ProgramData>Microsoft>Windows>Start Menu>Programs>StartUp
The ProgramData folder is hidden folder so make sure you’ve enabled view hidden files on Windows 11 before you go looking for it.
Windows 11 startup folder location – User folder
To access the Windows 11 startup folder for the current user, follow these steps.
- Tap the Win+R keyboard shortcut to open the run box.
- In the run box, enter
%AppData%and tap the Enter key. - In the folder that opens, go to
Microsoft>Windows>Start Menu>Programs>Startup.
Or, you can use this path but replace Username with your username.
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Add app to Windows 11 Startup folder
Adding an app, script, or file to the Startup folder is easy once you have the folder open. Use this method only if the app doesn’t have an option to run at startup built-in.
- Create a shortcut to the app’s EXE.
- Open the Startup folder.
- Paste the shortcut to the app in this folder.
- The next time you boot the system, the app will open automatically.
Managing startup items
Adding apps and files to the Startup folder is easy and it is convenient to have your important apps open automatically. That said, you should always try to keep the number of items in the startup folder small. Too many items will delay how long it takes for your system to start. Windows 11 does not prioritise the items by startup impact. You may end up waiting several minutes before your system is done booting.
Conclusion
Windows 11 looks different from Windows 10 but the changes so far appear to be cosmetic. Some settings have moved, and some have been removed but you will find that the OS still works more or less the same as Windows 10.
