Windows 8 Bible

Starting Programs Automatically

If you always use a certain program when you start your computer, you can configure Windows to start that program automatically. For example, maybe you use Microsoft Outlook 2010 all the time for your e-mail and want it to open as soon as you log in to the computer so that you don’t have to start it yourself.

Caution

Be aware that some programs provide an option during the program setup wizard to turn on or off auto start features. For many programs that rely on constant network and/or Internet connectivity, you can almost bet that the program will need to auto start each time Windows starts. You may not need other programs, such as graphics tools, to start every time Windows launches, so consider de-selecting the option to have the program start when Windows starts.

Using the Startup folder

You have a couple of ways to make programs start automatically when you log in. In previous versions of Windows, you could access the Start menu from the Start button and All Programs menu (for example in Windows 7). Windows 8 does not provide this type of access to it. Similarly, you cannot use Search to directly find it.

Fortunately, you can pin the Startup folder to the Start screen so you can quickly add or remove programs from it. To do that, use these steps:

1. Display the desktop.

2. Press Windows+X and then click Run.

3. Type shell:startup and click OK. File Explorer opens so you can see the contents of the Startup folder. Click the Programs ...