How To Find Startup Items

Unfortunately, startup items can be hidden in several locations within Windows. Finding them can sometimes be a bit tricky without a utility software to help you. Here's how to do it manually, though.

1. Find Startup Item Shortcuts:

One type of startup item is the shortcut, hidden in a subfolder within each user profile. Here's where to find them.

1. Type Windows+R (or go to Start > Run).
2. Type %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and hit Enter.
3. This folder contains all startup item shortcut for the current user.
4. Check this same folder (\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) for each user profile in Documents and Settings.

2. Find Startup Item Registry Entries:

The other type of start item is the registry entry, hidden within the registry keys. Here's where to find them.

1. Type Windows+R (or go to Start > Run).
2. Type RegEdit and hit Enter.
3. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
4. Find the startup items in Run, RunAs, and RunOnce.
5. Open HKEY_Current_User\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
6. Find the startup items in Run, RunAs, and RunOnce.

Find Startup Items with MSConfig

Alternatively, you can use MSConfig to find your startup items too. Here's what to do.

1. Type Windows+R (or go to Start > Run).
2. Type MSConfig and hit Enter.
3. Click on the Startup tab to find the startup items.