Outlook is one of the most popular email clients out there. Especially, in professional and business environments. It makes managing multiple email accounts a breeze.
For those who use rely on Outlook, having access to it as soon as you turn on your PC is pretty important. It saves you from having to open it manually. On Windows 11, you can configure Outlook to open on Startup automatically in four ways. Here’s how.
Before You Begin
The group policy and registry methods require administrative privileges.
4 Ways to Open Outlook on Startup in Windows 11
While Outlook doesn’t have a native option, you configure Windows 11 to open Outlook on startup in four ways. I will show all four of them. Depending on your use case, follow the one you need.
1. Add Outlook Shortcut to Startup Folder
Adding the Outlook shortcut to the startup folder is one of the easiest ways to open it when you log into your Windows 11 PC. Here’s how to do it.
1. First, open the Start menu, search for Outlook, and click on Open File Location.
2. In the File Explorer window, select and copy the Outlook shortcut. To copy, you can press Ctrl + C or right-click on the shortcut and click on the Copy icon.
3. Next, press the Windows key + R shortcut to open the Run dialog.
4. Enter shell:startup in the Run field and click OK.
Note: If you want to open Outlook on startup for all users, enter shell: common startup instead.
5. In the startup folder, press Ctrl + V to paste the copied shortcut.
6. Close the File Explorer window.
That’s it. From now on, as soon as you log into your Windows 11 PC, Outlook opens automatically.
2. Schedule Outlook to Open on Startup Using Task Scheduler
You can use Task Scheduler’s “When I log on” trigger to open Outlook on startup. The advantage of this method compared to all others is that you can open Outlook on startup with a delay. That way, it will not crowd Windows startup and slow it down.
2.1. Copy Outlook’s Executable Path
1. First, open the Start menu, search for Outlook, and click on Open File Location.
2. Right-click on the Outlook shortcut and select Open File Location.
3. Right-click on the Outlook.exe file and select Copy File Path.
2.2. Configure Task Scheduler to Open Outlook on Startup
4. First, open the Start menu, search for Task Scheduler, and click Open.
5. Click on Create Basic Task on the right sidebar of the Task Scheduler window.
6. Enter a name in the ‘Name’ field and click Next.
7. Select the When I log on option and click Next.
8. Select Start a Program and click Next.
9. Paste the copied path in the ‘Program/Script’ field and click Next.
Example: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE”
Note: You can click ‘Browse’ and manually select the Outlook.exe file.
10. Click Finish.
2.3. Add Delay to Outlook Startup (Optional Steps)
11. In the main window, right-click on the scheduled task and select Properties.
12. Go to the Triggers tab, select the trigger, and click Edit.
13. Select the Delay task for checkbox, select the delay duration from the dropdown menu, and click OK.
14. Click OK in the main window.
That’s it. From now on, the scheduled task will execute as soon as you log in and open the Outlook application. If you added a delay by following the optional steps, Outlook will start automatically with a delay.
3. Use Group Policy to Open Outlook on Startup
System administrators managing multiple computers, such as in business and professional environments, can add a script to Group Policy to open Outlook on startup in Windows 11. The best thing about this method is that this is perfect for enforcing the rule and stopping users from changing Outlook’s startup behavior.
3.1. Copy Outlook’s Executable Path
1. First, open the Start menu, search for Outlook, and click on Open File Location.
2. Right-click on the Outlook shortcut and select Open File Location.
3. Right-click on the Outlook.exe file and select Copy File Path.
3.2. Create the Batch File
4. Open the Start menu, search for Notepad, and click Open.
5. Type the following in Notepad and replace the dummy path with the actual Outlook executable path.
start "" "C:\Path\To\OUTLOOK.EXE"
Example: start "" "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\OUTLOOK.EXE"
6. Press Ctrl + S to save the file.
7. Select a folder, enter “StartOutlook.bat” (without quotes) in the ‘File Name’ field, select All Files from the ‘File Type’ dropdown, and click Save.
3.3. Configure Group Policy to Open Outlook on Startup
8. Open the Start menu, search for Edit Group Policy, and click Open.
9. Go to the User Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts (Logon/Logoff) folder and double-click on the Logon option.
10. Click Add.
11. Click Browse.
12. Select the batch file you created in the earlier section and click Open.
13. Click OK to save changes.
14. Click OK.
15. Close the Group Policy Editor and restart Windows.
That’s it. From now on, all computer and users in the domain will have their Outlook application open on startup.
4. Use Registry Editor to Open Outlook on Startup
As an alternative method, you can also use the Registry Editor to open Outlook on startup in Windows 11. This method is a bit cumbersome but just as easy as other methods. Before proceeding, backup the registry.
3.1. Copy Outlook’s Executable Path
1. First, open the Start menu, search for Outlook, and click on Open File Location.
2. Right-click on the Outlook shortcut and select Open File Location.
3. Right-click on the Outlook.exe file and select Copy File Path.
4.2 Configure Registry to Open Outlook on Startup
4. Open the Start menu, search for Registry Editor, and click Open.
5. Go to the following folder in the Registry Editor.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
6. Right-click on the Run folder, select New, and then String Value.
7. Name the new value as Outlook.
8. Right-click on the Outlook value and select Modify.
9. Paste the copied Outlook path in the ‘Value Data’ field and click OK.
10. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows 11.
After restarting, Outlook will open as soon as you log into your Windows 11 PC.
Wrapping Up – Open Outlook at System Startup
As you can see, there are multiple ways to open Outlook on startup. If you want the simplest way possible then follow the first method where you add the Outlook shortcut to the startup folder. If you don’t want to crowd out your startup or decrease startup performance, use the task scheduler and create a delayed startup task. If you are a system administrator managing multiple computers, follow the Group Policy method as it allows all the computers in your domain at once and even enforces the rule.
Whichever method you choose, Outlook will pop up as soon as you log into your Windows 11 PC.
If you have any questions, comment below and I will answer.
