Andrew Mercer
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Windows

Windows launches every shortcut in your Startup folder when you sign in.

1. Copy a shortcut to the app

  1. Press the Windows key and type the app's name.
  2. Right-click the result and choose Open file location. This opens the Start menu shortcut in File Explorer.
  3. Right-click the shortcut and choose Copy.

If Open file location isn't offered (most Microsoft Store apps), open shell:AppsFolder from the Run dialog instead. Drag the app from there onto the desktop to create a shortcut, then copy that.

2. Paste it into the Startup folder

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Enter shell:startup and press Enter. This opens your user's Startup folder (%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).
  3. Paste the shortcut.

To start the app for every user on the machine, use shell:common startup instead. That needs administrator rights.

Check or disable startup apps

Task Manager → Startup apps (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) lists everything that launches at sign-in, including Startup-folder entries. Use it to disable an entry without deleting the shortcut. Settings → Apps → Startup shows the same list.

Linux (GNOME, KDE, and other XDG desktops)

Desktop environments that follow the XDG Autostart spec launch any .desktop file in ~/.config/autostart/ at login.

Copy the app's existing launcher:

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
cp /usr/share/applications/<app>.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

Flatpak launchers are in /var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications/ (system install) or ~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share/applications/ (user install).

Or write one from scratch:

cat <<EOF > ~/.config/autostart/myapp.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=My App
Exec=/usr/bin/myapp
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
EOF

To stop it, delete the file or add Hidden=true. On GNOME, the Tweaks app (Startup Applications) and Settings → Apps offer the same thing through a GUI. On KDE, use System Settings → Autostart.