#superUser: Automatical launch programs on Windows system startup

If you prefer GUI, try method II.

Otherwise, method I is faster and more systematic.

I. For all software:

Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐

Basic command-line literacy is required.

1. Find the installation location of a program:

$programName = "<program_name>"
$installedPrograms = Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" `
                   -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$programName*" }

$installedProgramsWOW64 = Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" `
                         -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*$programName*" }

$installedPrograms | Select-Object DisplayName, InstallLocation
$installedProgramsWOW64 | Select-Object DisplayName, InstallLocation

Do not forget to replace <program_name>with the actual value. Since the -like operator is used, <program_name> does not have to be exact.

2. Add a new entry to Windows Registry to start the program on startup:

$programPath1 = '<program_path>'
$registryPath = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run'
New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name 'Launch<program_name>AtStartup' -Value $programPath1 -PropertyType String

Do not forget to replace <program_path> and <program_name>with the actual values. <program_name>is cosmetic so if necessary an abbreviation works.

II. For some software:

Difficulty: ⭐⭐

Basic computer literacy required. Software must be listed in the Start menu.

1. Press Windows+R to open the 'Run' dialogue.
2. Type shell:startup and press Enter to open the Startup folder.
3. Add a shortcut pointing to the program you wish to automatically launch.
   1. You can usually do this by:
   2. Open directory C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
   3. Search for the program by name
   4. Copy the found shortcut with Ctrl+C
   5. Paste it into the Startup folder with Ctrl+V