Windows 10 & 8.1: How to find the Autostart folder

How do I add a program to the Autostart folder of Windows 10 or Windows 8.1? Some readers might ask this question and seek advice. Because with the move from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, users have to adjust to many changes. The classic start menu was gone with Windows 8 and the tile interface (formerly Metro design) should close this gap, with Windows 10 came a new development of the popular menu. However, there is also the autostart folder, where users could simply place shortcuts that they would not want to run manually at startup.


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Is the Autostart folder completely lost in Windows 8.1 or Windows 10? Is an autostart only reserved for programs that offer appropriate settings in the options? Not at all! If you are on the Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 interface, use the keyboard shortcut "Start" + "R" to enter the usual "Run" input field.


Enter the string "startup" (without quotes) and confirm with "Enter". Then a folder opens, in which you can place shortcuts as usual. If you now restart the computer, selected tools are called automatically.


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Take a look at the following picture gallery!


A further hint: The system start by the tool "msconfig" there is likewise no more. You can now access the corresponding functions via a new tab in the task manager of the new operating system.


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There you can also stop programs from automatic start after booting when you do not need them. Right-clicking on the corresponding program, followed by clicking on "Disable", gives you the desired effect.


Windows 8 was released in October 2012 in the versions Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise. With the update to Windows 8.1 in October 2013, the start menu button came back, but there is still no autostart folder in the old sense. This also applies to Windows 10, which was released on 29 July 2017. Therefore, you can proceed as described above to configure automatic program starts.


If you want to learn more about Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, then click on the linked articles in this mini-guide.


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