One of the problems with installing new programs in Windows is that you have to watch closely to make sure the application doesn’t get added to startup. Few people bother with this nowadays, because they’re usually in a hurry to start using the thing. This means that the average Windows user doesn’t know which programs are actually on the startup list at any given time.

Windows 8.1 works in much the same way as its predecessors in this regard. Many people feel the need to remove startup entries so that the OS responds faster right after booting. That’s easily done using the MSCONFIG dialog box, and it’s a widely covered subject. But if you wanted to add an application to the group of startup items, you could do this without actually having to contact Windows support.

There’s actually a folder called Startup, where you can place the shortcut to any application so that it starts when you boot into Windows. Make sure that you don’t move the actual executable file from the program directory. Make a shortcut to the desktop, and cut and paste this file to the Startup folder.

To get the Startup folder for the current user, use the Run command. Bring up the Run command box from the Start menu, or use the Windows key + R combo. Type in shell:startup in the field, and hit OK. This will open the folder in Windows Explorer. When the window comes up, right-click in the folder and choose Paste from the context menu. This will place the shortcut file in the directory.

You can simply create a shortcut file inside this folder if the cut-and-paste operation doesn’t work for some reason. Simply right-click in the empty space and create a new shortcut. Specify the location of this as the original executable of the program, and set a name you like.

It’s also possible to create shortcut to folders instead of files, and have them open up right after booting into Windows. So the final effect is an automatically opening folder, and you can start working from there instead of wasting time with the Start Screen. This is so easy that you don’t even have to contact Windows support for the steps. You could actually work on this yourself and get it done without much effort.