How to make an Application auto run on Windows startup in C#

By FoxLearn 7/16/2024 9:07:18 AM   17.5K
To run a C# application at Windows startup, you can achieve this by creating a registry entry or adding a shortcut to the Startup folder.

Open your Visual Studio, then click New Project, then select Visual C# on the left, then Windows and then select Windows Forms Application. Name your project "AutorunStartup" and then click OK button.

How to make an Application auto run on Windows startup in C#

To make an application automatically run on Windows startup in C#, you can add an entry to the Windows registry.

Here's a basic example of how you can do this.

Drag and drop Button controls from Visual Studio onto your form designer, then design your form as shown below

c# autorun windows startup

Add a click event handler to the Setup button that allows you to set value to your registry

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    //Open the registry key for startup programs, create a registry key, then save your program path
    RegistryKey reg = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey("SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run", true);
    // Specify the name and path of your application executable, add the application to the startup
    reg.SetValue("My application", Application.ExecutablePath.ToString());
    MessageBox.Show("You have been successfully saved.", "Message", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information);
}

This code will add a registry entry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. When Windows starts up, it will look at this registry location and automatically launch any applications listed there.

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