Windows 10: Add, Delete, Enable, or Disable Startup Items in Windows 10

How to: Add, Delete, Enable, or Disable Startup Items in Windows 10

How to Add, Delete, Enable, or Disable Startup Items in Windows 10


Startup items are the apps, shortcuts, folders, drivers, etc... that are set to run or open automatically at startup when a user signs in to Windows. Startup items can be added by either the programs or drivers installed, or manually by you.

Starting with Windows 10 build 17025, Microsoft has updated the Advanced options under Settings > Apps & Features so that UWP apps that are configured to run at startup will now have a new option to see all available tasks specified by the app developer and their status will now have a new option to see all available tasks specified by the app developer and their status.




This tutorial will show you how to manage startup items to add, delete, enable, or disable them for your account or for all users in Windows 10.


Contents

• Option One: Enable or Disable Startup Items in Task Manager
• Option Two: Add or Delete Startup Items in "Startup" Folder
• Option Three: Delete Startup Items in Registry Editor
• Option Four: Enable, Disable, or Delete Startup Items in CCleaner
• Option Five: Turn On or Off Startup Apps in Settings
• Option Six: Run Microsoft Store Apps at Startup in Windows 10

OPTION ONE [/i] Enable or Disable Startup Items in Task Manager
The Task Manager will enable or disable the startup items in the registry keys below.

(Current User)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

(All Users)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run


1 Open Task Manager into the More details view, and click/tap on the Startup tab. (see screenshots below)


2. To Enable a Startup Item
A) Click/tap on a disabled startup item, and click/tap on the Enable button.

If the Enable button is grayed out, then it means that you must be signed in as an administrator to be able to.





3. To Disable a Startup Item
Looking at the startup impact of a startup app can be helpful in determining what to disable.

A) Click/tap on a enabled startup item, and click/tap on the Disable button.

If the Disable button is grayed out, then it means that you must be signed in as an administrator to be able to

.


4 When finished, you can close Task Manager if you like.





OPTION TWO [/i] Add or Delete Startup Items in "Startup" Folder
1 Open File Explorer, and do step 2 or step 3 below for what you would like to do.


2. To Add or Delete Startup Items for Only a "Specific User"
A) In File Explorer, navigate to the step 4 below.

You could also press Windows+R to open Run, type shell:Startup, click/tap on OK.


Code:

3. To Add or Delete Startup Items used by "All Users"
You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this step.

A) In File Explorer, navigate to the step 4 below.

You could also press Windows+R to open the Run dialog, type shell:Common Startup, and click/tap on OK.


Code:

4 You can now either add or delete shortcuts for what items you like in the Startup folder.

5 When finished, close the Startup folder.





OPTION THREE [/i] Delete Startup Items in Registry Editor
1 Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Registry Editor.

2 If prompted by step 3 or step 4 below for what you would like to do.


3. To Delete Startup Programs for Only the "Current User"
This will step only be applied to your currently signed in user account


A) In Registry Editor, navigate to the locations below one at a time, and go to step 5 below.

Code:

4. To Delete Startup Programs for "All Users"
You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do this step.


A) In Registry Editor, navigate to the locations below one at a time, and go to step 5 below.

For both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10
Code:

In Addition for Only 64-bit Windows 10
Code:

5 In the right pane of the Run, Run32, RunOnce, or StartupFolder key right click or press and hold on a listed startup item that you would like to delete, and click/tap on Delete. (see screenshot below)



6 When prompted, click/tap on Yes to confirm.

7 When finished, you can close Registry Editor if you like.





OPTION FOUR [/i] Enable, Disable, or Delete Startup Items in CCleaner
1. If you have not already, download and install the latest version of the free CCleaner program.

2. Run CCleaner, click/tap on the Tools icon on the left, then click/tap on the Startup tab. (see screenshot below)

3. From here, you can select a startup item, then either enable, disable, or delete it. (see screenshot below)



4. If you deleted an item, then click/tap on OK to confirm. (see screenshot below)



5. When finished, you can close CCleaner if you like.





OPTION FIVE [/i] Turn On or Off Startup Apps in Settings
This options is only available starting with Windows 10 build 17017.

Starting with Windows 10 build 17083, you can now choose to sort the apps listed by name, state, or startup impact.


1 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Apps icon.

2 Click/tap on Startup on the left side, and turn on or off any startup apps you want for your account. (see screenshot below)

3 When finished, you can close Settings if you like.









OPTION SIX [/i] Run Microsoft Store Apps at Startup in Windows 10
1 For how, see: How to Run Microsoft Store Apps at Startup in Windows 10

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Run Microsoft Store Apps at Startup in Windows 10
• How to Create a Startup Apps Shortcut in Windows 10
• How to See Startup Impact of Startup Apps in Windows 8 and Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Start OneDrive Automatically when you Sign in to Windows 10
• How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 10 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts
• How to Enable or Disable Startup Delay in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable the Boot Log in Windows
• How to Turn On or Off Start Magnifier Automatically at Login in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Run Speech Recognition at Startup in Windows 10

:)

 

Need help setting program into startup

Hi,

This should help :

How to Add, Delete, Enable, or Disable Startup Items in Windows 10

Add, Delete, Enable, or Disable Startup Items in Windows 10

Hope this helps.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rob Brown -
Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Experience : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

 

Startup menu

Please see:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2944-add-de...

 

Hello Greg, *Smile

Windows will not allow elevated programs to run at startup by default.

As a workaround, you could create an elevated shortcut of SpeedFan using the method in the tutorial below, then place that elevated shortcut in your Startup folder.

Elevated Program Shortcut without UAC Prompt - Create - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

Good news and somewhat interesting, but expected news. I got it working, and I discovered that, as you're probably aware, if you screw up the task, but not the shortcut, there's no need to change the shortcut when you fix the task.

 

Great tutorial!

I do have one question though

I want to script enabling a program in the task manager. After we install the program it shows as a Task Manager entry and says enabled. We disable it for our image but we want to be able to enable it with a batch or powershell script.

Do you know where the "enabled" or "disabled" setting is in the registry?

The only place I can find a line to the program in the registry for startup is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
but that only point to the location of the program, It doesn't say whether it's enabled or not.

 

Hello Arsenal, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

As a workaround, you could add (enable) or remove (disable) it from the registry at that location.

 

Thanks for the Add *Smile

I would agree with you, but what I am seeing right now is that it is that location (so would be enabled in theory) but when I check task manager it is disabled

 

Yep, you'll need to enable it in Task Manager first. Afterwards, the workaround to add/remove should work.

UPDATE:

The enable/disable startup items from Task Manager are stored in the registry keys below. You can export this registry key when you enable and disable the startup program, then edit the .reg file to only include the startup programs you want to toggle. *Smile

(Current User)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

(All Users)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run

 

Thanks Brink,

I guess we just wont be able to do what we need to do with it. We have 400+ machines already imaged. we were just hoping to be able to script the "enabled" setting without having to touch every machine first.

 

You should be able to enable it on one machine, export the key, then use a .reg, .bat, or .vbs file to add/merge the key to the others if that will work for you.

 

That's true... but there is still nothing to say whether it is enabled or disabled. Just because it exists in that registry doesn't mean that they will all be enabled.... I would be over writing the key with the same key...

They keys for computers with the programs enabled are exactly the same as the keys for the programs that are disabled.

 

The Task Manager will still show it as enabled or disabled as usual.

The binary data value for the startup item in that key should be different when enabled and disabled.

I just tested, and can verify that if you merge the .reg file that was exported when it was enabled, it will enable it again if it's currently disabled without having to restart or sign out/in.

 

I think I found what was throwing me off!!!

The programs I am working with are 32bit programs installed on a 64bit PC So the registry key to enable those on startup for all users is:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartupApproved\Run32 (instead of the Run key)

I didn't check but I would assume it would be the same path as above for single user as well!

 

I use Autoruns by Sysinternals. You can find the file download on the Microsoft website. The file doesn't say that it is or isn't compatible with Windows 10, though I found it to work wonderfully.