Some programs start automatically when you turn on your PC. This ensures that the most important applications are running as soon as the operating system is booted up and you’re ready to use your computer. This feature also prevents you from having to start your favorite programs manually every time you turn on your PC. On the other hand, some programs automatically add themselves to the startup folder when you install them. That isn’t always desirable, especially if don’t use these applications that often. You can change the startup folder to meet your needs. That way you can get to work faster and your computer will perform better. We’ll show you how to change startup programs in Windows 8. Contents
- What are the benefits of changing the Windows 8 startup folder?
- How do you open the Windows 8 startup folder?
- Windows 8 startup folder: Adding and removing programs
What are the benefits of changing the Windows 8 startup folder?
It can be very useful to add some applications to your Windows 8 startup folder. Thanks to the startup folder, you don’t have to open frequently used programs on your own. This saves time and simplifies your work routine. At the same time, you can easily remove unwanted programs from your startup folder. This frees up resources on your computer and allows it to boot faster. One thing that can really slow down the startup process is annoying malware, which tends to run from the startup folder. But there are other applications that you should always have in your startup folder. These include important system programs for your operating system, for example. Your anti-virus software should also run automatically when you boot up to make sure your computer is protected as soon as possible.
How do you open the Windows 8 startup folder?
The startup folder is located in the Users directory. The easiest way to find the folder is to use the Run dialog. You can do this in two short steps:
- Use the keyboard shortcut [Windows] + [R] to open the dialog box.
- Type in the following command in the dialog box: shell:startup

Windows 8 startup folder: Adding and removing programs
There are several ways to add new programs to the startup folder or to remove unwanted programs.
- The first step is always to open the startup folder, as shown above.
- Next, right-click and select New and Shortcut.
- In the directory structure that appears, select the program for which you want to create a shortcut. Note: You must choose a file with the .exe extension.
- Choose a name for the shortcut and then click Finish. The new shortcut has now been saved to the startup folder.
- If you want to remove programs from the Windows 8 startup folder, you simply delete the shortcuts for these programs. To do this, right-click the shortcut you want, then click Delete.
You can also use the Task Manager to change the programs in the startup folder. You can open it by pressing [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Delete]. The Startup tab lists all programs that run when the computer is started. Unlike the startup folder above, the “Startup” tab in the Task Manager mainly lists system programs. You can remove a program from the startup list by clicking on the program and choosing the Disable button.
Open the Startup Apps Control Panel
Open the windows startup menu, then type «MSCONFIG«. When you press enter, the system configuration console is opened. Then click the «Startup» tab which will display some programs that can be enabled or disabled for startup.
Disable/Enable Startup App
The checkboxes beside the applications indicate the status. If checked, it is enabled for startup, otherwise, it is disabled. To disable an enabled app, simply uncheck the checkbox and click apply. To enable a disabled app, check the checkbox and click apply. These two processes require the system to be restarted before the changes are applied on the applications.
Add Startup App
To add an app, you’ll need to explore the Startup Folder. To do this, try any of the following methods;
- Open the start menu and type «Startup» (to search for it). When found, right-click and select Explore to open the folder.
- Open the start menu, select «All Programs» and scroll down the list until you find the Startup Folder. When found, Explore it.
Create a shortcut of your desired program, then copy it and paste it in this folder. After this, the program will automatically be added to the panel with a status of «enabled«.
In Windows 8
Open the Startup Apps Control Panel
To open the panel, try any of the following;
- Open «Task Manager» and select the «Startup» tab
- Open windows startup menu, and type «Startup» to search for the program. Then select any of the options provided.
Disable/Enable Startup App
To disable a startup app which is enabled, right-click on the app and select «Disable«. To enable a startup app which is disabled, right-click on the app and select «Enable«.
Add Startup App
Press the window and letter R key to open the Run dialog. Then enter %AppData%. This will open a roaming folder. Navigate to \Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup. In this folder, paste the shortcut of your desired app. This will make it a startup application with a status of «enabled».
In Windows 10
Open the Startup Apps Control Panel
- Open the start menu, type «Startup Apps» (to search for it) and click any of the results.
- Open «Task Manager«, then select the «Startup» tab
Disable/Enable Startup Apps
To disable a startup app, right-click on any app in the list with a status of «enabled» and select «disable«. To enable a startup app in the list which is disabled, right-click on the app and select «enable«.
Add Startup App
Hold the windows and letter R key on the keyboard. In the run dialog, enter «shell:startup«. In the folder, you can add any application of your choice which you’d want to run at startup. They’ll be added to the list so when you access your Startup Apps, you can disable or enable them.
Wrap Up
If there’s any application which you always run when you boot up your system, it is good practice to make it a startup program. When your system becomes slow to boot, it’s most likely because startup programs are responsible. Now you know how to disable or reduce them. Learn to code for free. freeCodeCamp’s open source curriculum has helped more than 40,000 people get jobs as developers. Get started [ This Article is posted in www.elmajdal.net :
http://elmajdal.net/Win8/How_To_Enable_Disable_Startup_Programs_in_Windows_8.aspx ]
Some programs automatically add themselves into the Startup of the operating system when installed. So when you boot your PC or log into your account they will be launched and can operate in the background. You might start to feel that your computer is slow,
or is not behaving as it used to. It is a good practice to check what’s running in the background and check the Startup programs list to disable any program that you do not wish to run on startup. With previous Windows Operating systems, we used to enable/disable startup programs using the System Configuration, which we used to access by hitting the Windows Key + R buttons together, and then using RUN, type
msconfig and hit OK, under the Startup Tab we used to uncheck unwanted programs. However, with Windows 8, this is changed, if you followed the same previous steps, you will notice that using msconfig, there are no programs listed under the Startup Tab. It clearly tells us to configure Startup programs using Task Manager. To Disable/Enable Startup Items follow the below steps :
- You can access Startup using three different methods:
- Hit the CTRL + ALT +
DEL keys together and then click Task Manager then click
Startup Tab - Using the Start Screen, type Task manager and then click it
- Right-click the Taskbar and click Task Manager
- The new Task Manager opens. Click the Startup tab to see the items set to run when you boot your system. The new Task Manager includes a lot more details than the previous one did. It tells you if a program is enabled or disabled during
startup, and its startup impact. The impact of a program ranges from High, Minimum, Low, and None.Task Manager in Windows 8 makes it easier to identify a program by displaying its icon. Another helpful feature is the ability to open the program in its location on your system, look up its properties, or search for it online. - Right- click any program to Disable.
- The program will still appear on the list, but the Status will change to
Disabled.If you decided to enable it again, then open then at anytime, you can right-click on the program you disabled and select
Enable to have it run during startup
Open Startup Folder Beside the Startup items which run with the computer boot up, its a good practice to check the Startup Folder, which is specific to each user. In previous versions of Windows, you could easily add them to the
Startup folder in the Start menu which is no longer visible. To open the Startup folder in Windows 8, follow the below steps :
- Open Run and type inside it: shell:startup
- The Startup Folder will open. Add to it any application you want to run once you are logged into your profile. If you do not want the items located inside this folder to run on the next login, then simply delete its shortcut.
In the above command, we have accessed the startup folder for a the currently logged in user which is Tarek Majdalani, if you want to access the Startup Folder for ALL Users, then run the command:
shell:Common Startup
Summary Using Startup to enable and disable programs that run once the computer is booted is a good practice to remove unwanted programs which can affected computer performance. Startup programs/files can be located for each user as well, and this
can be checked by accessing the Startup Folder.
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