How to Receive Notifications for Startup Apps on Windows 11

Every time you boot your Windows PC, certain apps and services launch automatically at startup. These are called startup apps, but not all of them need to launch at boot. Many times, an app that you installed will add itself to the startup list without your permission or input. Today, we will learn how to enable startup app notifications so you know when an app gets added to the startup app list and how to remove apps from startup.

Startup Apps and Their Pros and Cons

Apps that automatically launch at startup or when you restart or boot your Windows computer are known as startup apps.

Pros:

  • Essential apps like the ones you use daily can be added to save time launching them manually.
  • Windows 11 now allows you to enable a setting where you can set it so that every time an app adds itself to the startup app list automatically, you will get notified.
  • You can manage the startup app list manually to add/remove programs on Windows.

Cons:

  • The more startup apps Windows has to launch at boot, the more time it takes to boot.
  • Too many apps launching at startup and running in the background can affect performance and speed.
  • Too many startup apps may consume RAM, CPU, and cache memory straining your computer resources resulting in lags and hangs.

Turn On Startup App Notification Service on Windows 11

Now that you know what startup apps are and how they work, let us see how you can receive notifications every time a new app registers itself to launch at startup automatically without manual input.

  1. Press Windows+I to open the Settings app. Then click on System in the left sidebar.

windows system settings

  1. Click on Notifications in the right window pane.

windows notifications settings menu

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Startup App Notification option. Toggle it on.

startup app list notification settings in windows settings

How to Customize Startup App Notification on Windows 11

You can also customize the startup app notification setting to your liking. Here's how:

  1. Go back to Windows Settings > System > Notifications and now click on the Startup App Notification menu itself to open it.

  2. You can now enable banner and/or action center notifications for when an app is added to the startup app list.

startup app list notification settings in windows settings

  1. You can choose to hide the contents of the notification when the computer is locked. You can also choose to allow Windows to send important notifications if the PC is in DND mode if that's something that you use.

hide notification content on lock screen or allow in DND mode on windows

  1. Finally, you can choose to hear a sound when the startup app list notification arrives and also set the priority level of the notification.

startup app notification priority level on windows

Note that you can come back and change these startup app notification settings on Windows 11 any time you want based on your preference and experience.

How to Enable/Disable Apps in Startup Apps List

If you receive a notification about an app being added to the startup app list, here's how you can enable or disable it:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys on the keyboard to open the Task Manager. Select Startup apps from the sidebar to find a list of all the apps that you can enable or disable to launch at boot.

startup apps in task manager in windows 11

  1. You can check whether the app is set to launch at startup under the Status column. Select an app, right-click, and select Disable to turn off the startup app launch.

disable startup apps in the task manager on windows 11

You can only enable or disable apps in the Startup Apps list from the Taskbar. You cannot add or remove apps from the list.

New Startup Launched

Receiving notifications for startup apps is a helpful feature to manage the apps that automatically launch at startup. By customizing the notification settings, you can stay in control of your computer's performance and resources.