The Startup folder is a valuable feature of the Windows operating system that allows you to automatically execute a specific collection of programs when the system starts. If there are any programs installed on the system that should run automatically on boot-up, they should be saved in this folder as a shortcut. However, a few users recently pointed out that their Windows 11 startup folder is empty, and they are worried about it.
If you noticed that your Startup folder is empty, it does not mean that no apps are loading when you boot Windows. There might be different reasons for the same issue and few solutions available there to deal with it. Anyway, do not worry if there are no startup items to display on Windows; in this article, we have listed some solutions to deal with the same problem quickly.
Fix 1: Check Both Startup Folders
The Windows system has two startup folders. One works for individual users and the other at the system level. So, you’re likely to have added the app to one and searched for it in the second, and the Windows 11 startup folder seems to be empty. In this situation, you need to check both folders.
- Firstly press Windows + R altogether to open the RUN dialog box, type “shell:startup” in the text box, and press OK.
- In the newly opened user-specific startup folder, check your app is listed there. If not, then you can move to the below-given steps.
- Again open the RUN dialog box; this time, type “shell:common startup” to open the common startup folder.
- Then check whether the app is located in this folder or not. (If you have previously added the app manually). Anyway, if the app is missing, you can move to the next solution.
Note: Now you know the Windows 11 startup folder location, so adding and removing apps will no longer be an issue.
Fix 2: Verify Startup Apps Configured Via Task Manager
Another solution to overcome the Empty Startup Folder on Windows 11 is verifying the Startup apps have been configured through the Task Manager. To do so,
- Firstly, open the Task Manager window and click over the Startup tab.
- On the new screen, locate the app you are looking for in the list and check if it is Enabled or not.
- If not, then select the specific app and click on the Enable button from the bottom of the screen.
- Once done, see still your Startup folder is empty or not.
Fix 3: Run SFC Scan
In case any Windows system files get corrupted or missing, then also you will encounter similar issues. In this case, you need to run the SFC scan to repair those corrupted files and get rid of the issue easily. To do so,
- Firstly, open the Command Prompt screen by typing “cmd” in your search box.
- Then type or paste the following command into the new screen and press Enter,
Sfc /scannow
- Then again, type or paste the following command on the same screen and press Enter,
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Once all the commands have been executed, exit from the screen and see the result.
Fix 4: Add the App
None of the above solutions help you, then you need to add the app again to the startup folder. To do so,
- Firstly, open the Windows Explorer window, and in the address bar, paste the following path address,
For user-specific startup folder,
C:\Users\kazim\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
For common startup folder,
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
- Once you have reached the desired destination, right-click on the empty space and select the New->Shortcut.
- On the newly opened screen, click on the Browse button.
- Then navigate to the location where your app shortcut is stored. Once found, select it and click on OK.
- In the Create Shortcut window, click on the Next and Finish button from the new screen.
- Once done, your Windows 11 startup folder will no longer get noticed as empty.
These are all the easy fixes for the Empty Startup Folder on Windows 11. If you have any queries or concerns regarding this article, you can leave a comment in the comment box below.