7 Best Ways to Fix Startup Programs Not Starting in Windows 10

The startup folder is a useful utility in Windows 10. It carries programs that run as soon as your computer boots up. However, you may have noticed that some of these startup programs do not start properly.

It can be annoying when startup programs don’t work as intended. The reason for this can range from a faulty program to corrupted system files, but there are some solutions you can try to fix this problem. In this article, we will review these solutions. Lets start.

1. Check the Startup Manager

If the startup program is not starting properly, the first thing to do is to check if the program is configured to start at startup. How to check is explained below.

Stage 1: Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc shortcut to launch the Task Manager. Switch to the startup tab and check if your program is in the Active state.

Step 2: If a program has a status of Disabled, select it and click the Enable button.

This much. Now restart your computer and see if the program starts as intended.

2. Run DISM

Sometimes, corrupted system files on your computer can prevent programs from starting at startup. To make sure of this, you can try running a DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan to see if it helps. The tool is designed to find and fix the relevant system on its own. Here’s how to use it.

Stage 1: Click the Windows Start button, type cmdClick it and select Run as administrator to start Command Prompt with administrative privileges.

Step 2: Now run the commands below and press Enter after each one.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth 

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Wait for them to finish and then restart your computer to see if the issue is resolved.

3. Add Programs to Startup Folder

Another way to start programs at startup is to use the Startup folder in Windows. Here’s how it works.

Stage 1: Launch File Explorer and get the EXE file of the startup program. Right click on it and select Copy.

Step 2: Now press Windows key + R to launch the Run utility. In summer shell: common start and press Enter.

Stage 3: Paste the EXE file of the program inside the Startup folder.

This much. Now that the shortcut is inside the Startup folder, Windows should launch the program as it opens.

4. Task Scheduler

With Task Scheduler you can automate almost any task on your computer. You can launch programs, execute commands, and even send an email when certain triggers and conditions match. Of course, you can also use this tool to launch programs on startups. Here’s how.

Stage 1: Open the start menu, type task Schedulerand press Enter.

Step 2: Right click on the ‘Task Scheduler Library’ folder and select New Folder. Name this folder something like ‘New Task’.

Stage 3: Now expand the ‘Task Scheduler Library’ folder and right click on the newly created folder to select the Create Task option.

Step 4: In the resulting window, under the General tab, give this task an appropriate name, such as ‘Launch PowerToys’. You can also select the user account under which the task will be run.

Step 5: Now switch to the Trigger tab and click the New button to set a trigger for the task.

Step 6: In the New Trigger window, use the dropdown to select ‘On Startup’.

Step 7: Next, switch to the Action tab and click the New button. Under program/script, use the Browse button to select the EXE file of the program you want to launch.

After completing the installation, the Task Scheduler should automatically launch programs at startup.

5. Turn off UAC

Some programs in Windows require administrator permission each time they are started. So, if the problem is with one of these programs, you can try disabling the UAC (User Account Control) feature to see if it helps. Read on to find out how.

Stage 1: Open the start menu, type User Account Controland press Enter.

Step 2: Move the slider all the way down to Never notify and click OK to save the changes.

Now restart your computer and see if the program launches at startup.

6. Create a Batch File to Start Programs

Besides the above, you can also create and run a batch file containing the file paths of all the programs you want to start, to start the programs at startup.

Stage 1: Open File Explorer and get the EXE file of the program you want to launch at startup. Now click Copy path at the top to copy the file path.

Step 2: Now right-click anywhere on the desktop and go to New > Text Document.

Step 2: Paste the command given below in the notepad window.

@echo off “" Exit

Replace it with the path of the program copied earlier in the above command.

Stage 3: Now save this file with .bat extension instead of .txt extension.

Step 4: Double-click the file to run it and the program should run at startup.

Similarly, you can also paste multiple file paths into the above file to start multiple programs on startup.

7. Adding Programs to Startup Via Registry

If the above methods do not help, you can also use the Windows Registry to start programs at startup.

NOTE: Modifying the Windows Registry without knowledge can have serious consequences. So make sure you follow the steps with precision.

Stage 1: Open the start menu, type record, and press Enter.

Step 2: Use the address bar at the top to navigate to the button below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Stage 3: On the Run key, right-click anywhere in the right pane, select New > String value. Name it exactly as the program you want to start is named.

Step 4: Right-click on the newly created string value and select Modify.

Step 5: In the value data, paste the path of the program you want to start and click OK.

Now restart your computer and now the program should run at startup.

While starting

One of the methods mentioned above should fix your problem and your apps and programs will be ready every time you log in. Let us know which solution worked for you in the comment section below.

If your computer is taking a long time to boot, check our guide to fix slow boot times in Windows 10.