Windows 10 Startup Folder Not Working – Fix Guide

“Windows 10 startup folder not working” is a common problem. However, it’s important to know that it’s not the same error as “Windows 10 start button not working.” Luckily, we have a few solutions to fix this problem for you.

When it comes to Windows 10, “How do I fix the startup folder?” is a burning question. Many users face issues when trying to open this particular folder. This guide teaches you how to fix this problem for good.

What Does the Windows 10 Startup Folder Do?

We first saw the startup folder with Windows 95. It contains a list of programs that run automatically when you power on your Windows PC.

Your startup folder is where all the shortcuts to programs are stored that run with your OS. For example, you will have shortcuts to your antivirus and firewall in this folder.

You can edit this folder and make changes to the Windows 10 startup.

Types of Startup folders in Window 10

Windows 10 uses two different startup folders to manage user preferences for Windows startup.

1. The first folder is at the system level and applies to all users
2. The second folder is a user-specific folder that holds the applications specific to that particular user

So if you have a program (say Chrome) in the startup folder for all users, the program will start no matter who logs on to that computer.

On the other hand, if you have Chrome in the startup folder for user A, it will only start for that user. When you log in to the same PC as some other user, Chrome won’t load at startup.

How Does Windows 10 Prioritize Programs in the Startup Folder?

It’s important to understand that programs in the startup folder don’t launch straight away after you boot your system. In fact, Windows has a predefined launch order.

1. Windows first launches the critical system process
2. This is followed by important system tasks and services (ones you see in the Task Manager)
3. Finally, Windows looks into your startup folder and launches programs found there

It doesn’t take your OS any time to launch all these services, tasks, and startup programs. However, having too many applications in your startup folder will slow things down.

Where is the Windows 10 Startup Folder Located?

You may have to find this folder to make changes to the programs that start up when your OS boots. To locate this folder for “all users,” follow the simple steps below.

Method 1: The easy way out

1. Go to File Manager in your Windows OS
2. Open C:\ All Users \ AppData \ Roaming \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Start Menu \ Programs \ Startup
   
3. Once you have accessed this folder, you can see the programs that start with your OS

Method 2: Using the shell command

Alternatively, you can open this system folder using these commands. You will need to use Command Prompt (Shell) for this method to work.

1. Click on the Windows Start button located on the bottom left of your PC screen
2. Alternatively, press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu
3. You will see a search box
4. Type “Run” and hit Enter
5. Once “Run” shows a dialogue box, type the following command:
   shell:common startup
6. Finally, hit Enter and the startup folder will pop up

How to access the startup folder for the logged-in user

If you are logged in as a user and want to access your startup folder instead of a folder for all users, it’s easy.

Use the steps below.

1. Press the Windows Key and R key together
2. Alternatively, click on the Start button and type “Run”
3. A dialogue box will appear where you can type commands
4. Type the following command:
   “shell:startup”
   
5. Now you should be able to see the Windows 10 startup folder for the logged-in user

How to Add New Applications to Your Startup Folder

Once you have accessed this folder, you may want to make changes to what programs start with your OS.

Here is how to do it in a few simple steps.

1. Open the startup folder using Windows File Manager or the “shell” method above
2. Once you have the folder opened, simply delete any program shortcut from the folder that you don’t want to start with your OS
3. To add programs, simply drag a program file from the Program Files folder into the Windows driver (usually C)
4. A shortcut will automatically be created for the program you drag to this folder

That’s it. I hope you found it easy to edit your Windows startup folder. Now let’s look at some errors related to this folder.

Windows 10 Startup Folder Not Working

Many Windows 10 users report two common errors:

1. Windows 10 start button not working
2. Windows 10 startup folder not working

It’s important to realize that these errors are different and they may show up on your OS for different reasons.

To fix the “start button” error, we will write another detailed guide. For the startup folder error, you will find some solutions below.

Check Windows startup manager

One of the easiest ways to fix this error is to find the corrupt program that’s stopping the folder from loading.

Follow the instructions below to fix this error.

1. Open Task Manager by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys together
2. From Task Manager, open the startup tab
3. Select all your programs and disable them
4. Now enable programs one by one, opening the startup folder after enabling each program
5. When you can’t open the folder, identify the program that you just enabled
6. Remove that program from your startup folder

Sometimes, you want to keep a program in the startup folder even when it’s the culprit. In that case, simply reinstall the program. It should work fine now.

Create a batch file manually

If you can’t add a program to the Windows 10 startup folder, you can try creating a batch file instead.

Once you have created a batch file, the programs in the file will start every time your OS starts.

Follow the steps below to create a batch file manually.

1. Create and open a new text document in your Windows
2. Now copy the line below and paste into that document
   @echo off “C:\ Program Files \ DAEMON Tools \ DTLauncher.exe” exit
3. Replace “DAEMON Tools” and the path with the program you want to add to the startup folder
4. Now save the file
5. After saving it, change its extension from .txt to .bat
6. Close the document and double-click on this batch file

That’s it. This file will run every time along with the program you added in it when you start your system.

Use Task Scheduler to add a program to startup

When nothing solves the “Windows 10 startup folder not working” problem, the easiest solution is to create a scheduled task. This way, you can schedule a program to run every time your system starts.

Here is how to schedule a task in Windows 10:

1. Open Windows File Manager
2. Locate the search bar towards the right top corner and type “taskchd”
3. Task Scheduler will launch in a few seconds
4. Find Create Task (located towards the bottom)
5. Once you have the wizard open to create a task, click on the General tab
6. Give your program/task a name
7. Check the “run with highest privileges” box
8. Now go to the Actions tab
9. Click on New
10. You will see a drop-down menu
11. Select Start a Program from that dropdown
12. Now open the program that you want to start with the OS every time

That’s it. This method should give you an easy way to overcome the “Windows 10 startup folder not working” error.

Disable UAC

You can also disable User Account Control (UAC) to make your startup folder work for you. Here is how to do it in quick and easy steps.

1. Open the Windows search by clicking the Start button
2. Type “UAC” and hit Enter to open UAC control settings
3. Scroll down and disable UAC
4. Now click on “confirm changes”

It should disable UAC and user-specific settings along with it. If you had a corrupt program in your startup folder, it should be fixed now.

Make changes to the Windows 10 registry

For an easy way to solve the “Windows 10 startup folder not working” error, here is another quick method. Follow the steps below.

1. Open the Windows search bar and type “regedit”
2. Alternatively, press CTRL+R to bring up the Run dialogue box and type “regedit”
3. Hit Enter to open Registry Editor for Windows 10
4. Make sure you create a backup of the registry at this stage using the options found in the registry manager
5. Now follow this path to make changes to the certain registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run
6. Right-click and select New > String Value
7. Enter the path of the .EXE (executable) for the program that you want to run

Now save the changes and restart your computer for the edited registry value to take effect.

Conclusion

“Windows 10 start button not working” and “Windows 10 startup folder not working” are two entirely different errors. This guide helps you fix problems with the startup folder.

We hope you have learned to add new programs and delete existing startup programs. We also helped you with various common bugs found in the startup folder in Windows 10.