How To Add A Program To Startup In Surface Pro 4

The Startup folder in Surface Pro 4 is very much appreciated. This feature allows users to set whatever programs they want to automatically launch the moment they start their computers. Configuring this folder is a mix of selecting the right programs, discovering their default locations, and adding them in the startup folder. Below we’ll explain how to add a program to startup in Surface Pro 4.

The process to make a program run on Startup in Surface Pro 4 is simple and, even though we only mentioned the programs so far, you can actually also place apps, documents or URLs in this startup folder. One difference that we are going to make in this guide is between simply adding a program to the startup folder location and adding an app that should be available for all the users of the device!

Do not worry; we are going to walk you through all these processes. Moreover, by the end of this article, we are going to show you an alternative method that only takes 3 steps to add programs to startup in Surface Pro 4.

But let us take things one at a time on the Windows startup program process:

How to add a program in Surface Pro 4 startup folder

When moving shortcuts from one place to another, you need to know the copy path and the paste path. In this case, the paste path is the place where you are planning to bring that program, app, or whatever it is that you are copying.

The user startup folder can be found at the following location:

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Here are the steps you need to follow when you go to add program to startup in Surface Pro 4:

Launch the Run dialog box by simultaneously pressing the Windows key and the R key from your keyboard;
In the Open: field type down shell:startup;
Press the Enter key or click on the OK button to run the open command;
Follow the copy path, going to the folder where you have the shortcut of the program/document you want to move;
Right-click on the shortcut and, from the context menu, select Copy;
Go back to the location of the user startup folder;
Right-click on an empty spot and, from the context menu, select Paste shortcut.

The shortcut of the program/app/document that you copied should instantly show in the user startup folder right after that.

How to add a program to startup in Surface Pro 4 FOR ALL USERS

When following the steps from above, the shortcuts you bring to the Startup folder will only be accessible if logging into the account where you copied them. Would you like them to be accessible in all the user accounts created on that PC? You will need to move the shortcuts to the common startup folder.

The common startup folder can be found at the following location:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp

The steps you’ll have to follow now are very similar to everything from above:

Access the Run dialog box through the fast command Win+R;
In the newly opened window type shell:Common Startup;
Hit Enter or OK to activate the command;
Copy the document or the executive files you want to access from the common startup folder;
Paste them into the common startup folder by using either the Paste or the Paste shortcut functions, depending on whether you’re copying a document or a shortcut of an executable file.

Just like on the previous method, the shortcut should appear immediately after you set Surface Pro 4 add program to startup. From now on, all users that log in with their own accounts on that device will have access to these same startup shortcuts.

The alternative way to create shortcuts

You probably already noticed the small inconvenient of the methods from above: you need to juggle with different paths and locations.

The alternative we suggest you is all about operating these changes straight from the user/common startup folder:

Within that folder, you right-click on an empty spot and from the context menu you select New / Shortcut.
You’ll see a Create Shortcut window opening, where you can either type down the URL of that program/app/document or you can use the Browse button and navigate its way.
After selecting the right path to the right program, you hit Next, type a name for your future shortcut, and hit Finish.

It really can’t get any simpler than that, right? You should now know how to add a program to startup in Surface Pro 4.