by Martin Brinkmann on October 12, 2015 in Windows - 11 comments
Minimize the number of shortcuts to programs in the folder Startup. The programs with a shortcut in the folder Startup (in the subfolder All Programs of the Start menu) will start automatically with Windows. Make sure the programs which are not used (any more) are removed from this folder.
Some Windows programs don't need to open their program windows at all on launch. This is for instance the case when they run in the background or if you don't use the interface at all to interact with them or need to access information they display in it.
A prime example is the screenshot taking tool SnagIt which I run minimized on start as I control its functionality solely through keyboard shortcuts.
You may run other programs regularly that you don't need to interact with directly on start, for instance an email client, a backup program that runs automated tasks or a file transfer client.
The following tip works in all recent and not-so recent versions of the Windows operating system.
Veteran Windows users know all about it probably but if you are new or have never looked it up, it may be useful to you as you can control how programs start on your system.
Good news is that you don't need to download and run third-party software for it as the functionality is baked in.
Control program window states in Windows on start
Here is what you need to do:
- First thing you need to know is that the following works with shortcuts only. This means that it works on all program shortcuts in the Start Menu, Windows Taskbar and desktop. You can right-click on any executable file in Windows to create a new shortcut for it.
- Right-click the shortcut, for instance on the Windows Taskbar, and select properties from the context menu that opens up. Depending on the version of Windows that you are using, you may right-click again on the program name instead before properties appears in the context menu.
- The Shortcut tab of the program's properties window highlights the window state under run. A click on the menu there enables you to set it to 'normal window', 'minimized' or 'maximized'.
- Select minimized from the selection and click on ok afterwards.
I suggest you test the change right away to make sure that it is indeed running in minimized state when you execute it.
You may revert the change at any time by following the instructions again and changing the state of the run preference to 'normal window' which is the default window state.
![Putty Putty](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126368613/155840537.png)
Tip: If you need more control over a program, you may want to check out the excellent AdvancedRun by Nirsoft. It allows you to change the window state on launch but also window position and size among many, many other things.
How to start Windows program minimized
Description
Find out how to run any Window program in minimized state on start so that its window is not displayed on the screen when you execute it,
Author
Advertisement In previous versions of Windows I could minimize Outlook to the Notification Area (or System Tray) and then either re-launch it again via an Outlook shortcut I had in the Quick Launch section or by double clicking the Outlook icon in the Notification Area.
Now, whenever I use the Outlook icon on the Taskbar to re-launch Outlook, it actually creates a new Outlook window instead of reusing the Outlook window that was already running. To actually close Outlook then, I have to close all the additionally opened windows as well.
How can I stop this and make it reuse the original Outlook window?
The difference in behavior is because since Windows 7 (and continued in Windows 8 and Windows 10) the Quick Launch portion and the running applications portion of the Taskbar of Windows are combined.
Aside from training yourself to use the Notification Area icon when it’s there, there are also some other ways around it.
Pinned to the Taskbar
If you have pinned Outlook to the Taskbar and have also set the Outlook option “Hide When Minimized” then the pinned Outlook shortcut will launch a new Outlook window when clicked again.
In this case, it might be wise to simply disable the “Hide When Minimized” option completely. After all, if you have pinned Outlook to the Taskbar, minimizing it to the Notification Area will not free up any space on the Taskbar anyway.
To disable this option, click on the Outlook icon in the Notification Area and disable “Hide When Minimized”.
Disable “Hide When Minimized” for Outlook in 3 clicks.
![Windows 7 Auto Start Program Minimized Windows 7 Auto Start Program Minimized](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126368613/362207189.png)
Not pinned to the Taskbar
If you do not have Outlook pinned to the Taskbar but for instance to the Start Menu or have a shortcut to Outlook on your Desktop, make sure your shortcut holds the /recycle switch. The default Outlook shortcut does not hold this switch and cannot be added to include it. You’ll have to create a new Outlook shortcut for this;
- Right click on an empty space on your Desktop and choose New-> Shortcut
- Type the path to outlook.exe between quotes or browse to its location via the Browse… button.
- Type a space behind the path and then add:
/recycle
- The entire line should now look like this (example is for a 32-bit version of Outlook 2010 on a 64-bit version of Windows);
'C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office (x86)Office14OUTLOOK.EXE' /recycle
- Click Next.
- Name your shortcut for instance: Microsoft Office Outlook.
- Click Finish.
Creating a custom Outlook shortcut with the “recycle” command line switch.
(click on image to enlarge)
Note: The downside of using a custom shortcut for Outlook 2010 or later is that it will not include the Tasks option when right clicking on the Outlook icon in the Taskbar (to reveal the Jump List).