If you start every single workday by opening the exact same “Current Projects” folder or your centralized network drive, navigating through File Explorer every morning becomes incredibly repetitive. To save time and streamline your workflow, you can configure Windows 11 to automatically launch any specific folder on your hard drive the moment you log into your account.
How to Add a Folder to the Startup Menu
We can achieve this by placing a shortcut to the folder inside the hidden Windows Startup directory.
- First, create a shortcut to your folder. Right-click the folder you want to open automatically, and select Show more options > Create shortcut. (The shortcut will appear in the same directory).
- Now, open the hidden Startup folder. Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type
shell:startupinto the Run box and press Enter. A special File Explorer window will open. - Click and drag the folder shortcut you created in Step 1, and drop it directly into this Startup folder.
That’s all it takes! The next time you turn on your PC or restart Windows 11, File Explorer will automatically launch and immediately display the contents of your chosen folder on the screen.