Open file automatically at startup: Here’s how

If you want to open any file automatically when the system starts, you can do so in just a few steps. To do this, you need to integrate it into the startup.

Open file automatically at startup: Add to Windows startup

To ensure that files open automatically when the system starts, they must be integrated into the startup folder.

• Click on the “Start button” or the “Windows icon” at the bottom left.

• Now click on “All Programs”.

• Once you are in the program overview, look for the ‘Startup’ folder. Right-click on it and then click on “Open”.

• You are now in the Startup folder. All shortcuts located here are automatically executed when Windows starts. To add a shortcut, right-click on the desired file and select “Create shortcut.”

• Now drag this shortcut to the Startup folder. To do this, right-click on the file and then click “Cut.” In the Startup folder, paste this file by right-clicking and selecting “Paste.”

• To delete a file from the startup folder, remove the shortcut from the startup folder.

Find the Autostart folder in different versions of Windows

Here are the typical locations of the Autostart folder in different versions of Windows, especially for Windows 10 and Windows 11:

• User-specific startup folder (for the currently logged in user): Also accessible via the Run command: C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup or shell:startup

• Public startup folder (for all users): Accessible via the Run command: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup or shell:common startup

• How to open the startup folder: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run window. For the user-specific startup folder, enter: shell:startup and for the startup folder for all users: shell:common startup.

• The folder is hidden by default. To see it, you must enable the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option in File Explorer under “View.”

• Only shortcuts to programs should be placed in the startup folder, not the program files themselves.

• In addition, there are also autostart entries in the Windows registry, both for the current user (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) and for all users (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run).

• These requirements and paths apply primarily to Windows 10 and Windows 11. Older versions of Windows (such as Windows 7 or XP) used to have the autostart folder directly in the Start menu under “All Programs” ☻ “Autostart”, but the path was similar.

Tips for troubleshooting if the file does not start as desired

The steps below will help in most cases if a file or program does not open automatically as desired when the system starts.

• Place the shortcut correctly in the Autostart folder: Create a shortcut to the file and place it in the Autostart folder. Open the Autostart folder, e.g. with “Windows key + R” and the command “shell:startup”. Insert the shortcut there. If the file does not start, check whether the shortcut is correct and functional.

• Check Autostart in Task Manager: Open the Task Manager (e.g. with “CTRL + SHIFT + ESC”) and switch to the “Startup” tab. Make sure that the program or file is enabled there. If it is disabled, enable it and restart the PC.

• Check for missing or incorrect paths: If Windows tries to open a file that does not exist or is incorrectly linked when it starts, this will cause errors. Check the path in the shortcut or in Autostart. Remove incorrect entries with tools such as “Autoruns” from Microsoft, if necessary.

• Fix Autostart folder and Explorer problems: Make sure that the Autostart folder has not been deleted or damaged. If the Autostart folder is not displayed, it may help to restart File Explorer or recreate the folder (default path: “C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup”).

• Specific to Excel: Files in the “XLStart” folder are automatically opened when Excel starts. Make sure that the option “Open all files in” is set correctly or deactivated in the Excel options menu under “Advanced.” Invalid files or files stored on a slow network drive can delay or prevent startup.

• Remove or add programs from startup: If you cannot delete or add startup entries, check the access rights and whether the error was caused by a recent update. Restarting your computer or manually copying program shortcuts to the startup folder may also help.