Get notified when a program adds itself to the Startup list in Windows 11

In this tutorial, we will show you how to get a notification when an app is added to the Startup Apps in Windows 11. This can be done using the native Startup App Notification feature of Windows 11. It can be very helpful when some app or program adds itself to the Windows Startup list, and you are not aware of that. Whenever the system recognizes a new startup application (a Microsoft Store app or third-party program like a browser), you will get a notification banner or desktop notification on the bottom right corner, just like in the image added below.

Startup App Notification feature in Windows 11

In case you missed or didn’t notice the notification banner, you can also see Startup App Notification items in the Notification Center (Win+N) of Windows 11 as we receive notifications for other apps in that panel. In addition, you will also be able to manage the Start App Notification settings as per your requirements. This tutorial covers both sections separately with a step-by-step guide.

Get notification when an app is added to Startup Apps in Windows 11

Using the Startup App Notification feature, you can make Windows 11 display a notification when an app is added to Startup Apps

To get a notification when an app is added to the Startup Apps list on your Windows 11 computer, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app of Windows 11 using Win+I hotkey
2. Click on the Notifications option present in the right section of the System category
3. Scroll down the Notifications page
4. Turn on the Startup App Notification button available under the Notification from apps and other senders option.

That’s it! Now the system will do the work and you will get notified whenever some application is configured to run when you log in.

Once you find that, you can access the Startup page present in the Apps category of the Settings app and then stop apps from opening or running at startup. Or else, click on the notification banner itself to open the Startup page directly and take the necessary action.

Turn off Startup App Notification in Windows 11

In case you don’t want to receive such notifications, then you can simply turn off the Startup App Notification feature on your Windows 11 system. The steps are:

1. Use Win+I hotkey to open the Settings app
2. Press the Notifications option
3. Scroll down the page
4. Press the Startup App Notification button to turn off this feature.

Related: How to enable or disable Notifications from apps and other senders in Windows 11/10.

Manage Startup App Notification settings in Windows 11

Once you have turned on the Startup App Notification button, click on the Startup App Notification option. This will provide a separate section to manage the Startup App Notification settings or options. Available settings are:

• Show/hide notification banners
• Play a sound when a notification arrives
• Show/hide notifications in the notification center
• Set the priority of notifications in the notification center to:
  • Top
  • High: This lets you show startup app notifications above the normal priority notifications
  • Normal: It will show the startup app notifications below the high-priority notifications
• Hide content when notifications are on the lock screen.

This Startup App Notification feature is indeed useful for users who don’t realize that they have or some app has added itself to the startup items list. However, it helps only when an app is added to the main startup list (the one that we see on the Startup page of the Settings app and the Startup tab of Task Manager) and not the other startup locations.

To remove programs added in the other startup locations, you can either try other ways to disable startup programs (like Group Policy, Task Scheduler, etc.) or take the help of startup manager tools.

I hope it helps.

Where are Startup app notifications?

If you want to receive notifications when some apps are added to the startup apps list on your Windows 11 system, then you need to turn on the Startup App Notification feature for that. You can check the steps for that in this post above. You will also be able to manage settings related to startup app notifications.

How do I add an app to notifications in Windows 11?

To receive notifications for an app in Windows 11, first, access the Notifications page in the Settings app. After this, scroll down the list available under the Notifications from apps and other senders section. Toggle the button available for an app or program for which you want to get notifications.

How do I see startup programs in Windows 11?

Startup programs and apps are stored in different locations in Windows 11. But, if you want to check which startup programs are added to the main startup list, then for this:

1. Open the Startup page (in the Apps category) of the Windows 11/10 Settings app. It will show third-party programs as well as Microsoft Store apps
2. Open the Task Manager and switch to the Startup tab
3. Type shell:startup in the address bar of File Explorer and press the Enter key. It will show the list of startup programs and you will also see the entire location of the Startup folder of the current user.

Read next: How to always show all the Icons in the Notifications area of Windows 11/10.