To see exactly how many seconds these apps are adding to your life, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and go to the tab. Look for the "Last BIOS time" in the top right—this is the definitive measurement of your hardware's efficiency before Windows even starts loading. If you'd like to optimize further, I can help you: Identify which "High Impact" apps are safe to disable. Create a script to launch apps with a specific time delay. Troubleshoot a program that refuses to start automatically. Which of these would be most helpful for your workflow ?
The Settings interface now allows you to items that have already registered themselves. For new additions, use the Startup Folder method below.
Microsoft has refined the startup ecosystem with Windows 11’s 2024 and 2025 cumulative updates, introducing new security features and deprecating some older methods. This guide walks you through every verified, updated method—from the modern Settings app to the classic File Explorer trick—so you can take full control.
Press Windows + X > > Windows Logs > Application . Look for errors with source "Application Error" or "Windows Error Reporting" at the time of login.
To add programs to startup in Windows 11 as of April 2026, you can use the built-in menu for modern apps or the Startup folder for traditional desktop programs Method 1: Using Windows Settings (Easiest)
shell:startup
To see exactly how many seconds these apps are adding to your life, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and go to the tab. Look for the "Last BIOS time" in the top right—this is the definitive measurement of your hardware's efficiency before Windows even starts loading. If you'd like to optimize further, I can help you: Identify which "High Impact" apps are safe to disable. Create a script to launch apps with a specific time delay. Troubleshoot a program that refuses to start automatically. Which of these would be most helpful for your workflow ?
The Settings interface now allows you to items that have already registered themselves. For new additions, use the Startup Folder method below.
Microsoft has refined the startup ecosystem with Windows 11’s 2024 and 2025 cumulative updates, introducing new security features and deprecating some older methods. This guide walks you through every verified, updated method—from the modern Settings app to the classic File Explorer trick—so you can take full control.
Press Windows + X > > Windows Logs > Application . Look for errors with source "Application Error" or "Windows Error Reporting" at the time of login.
To add programs to startup in Windows 11 as of April 2026, you can use the built-in menu for modern apps or the Startup folder for traditional desktop programs Method 1: Using Windows Settings (Easiest)
shell:startup