How-To

How to Make Windows 11 Open Sticky Notes on Startup

By Brian Burgess

Published May 29, 2023

If you’re a regular Sticky Notes user on Windows 11, you might want to make it open automatically on start up. Here’s how.

Are you someone who uses Sticky Notes on Windows 11? Sticky Notes allows you to create quick notes that you can pin on screen. If you’re a regular user, you might also want to make Windows 11 open Sticky Notes on Startup.

Like making other apps launch during startup, you can do the same for Sticky Notes using different built-in methods. The good thing is you won’t need to install any third-party software or use a complicated utility to do so.

If you want Windows 11 to open Sticky Notes on startup, this guide will show you how to do it.

Keep Sticky Note Open During Shutdown

Sticky Notes has been part of Windows for several versions and has improved and is built into Windows 11.

One of the more straightforward ways to ensure Sticky Notes opens when you turn on your PC is to keep the app open before you shut down or restart Windows 11.

Windows will remember Sticky Notes was open, and when your sign back into your PC, the notes will appear on your screen.

Add Sticky Notes to Startup Folder

If the above option isn’t working or you close Sticky Notes before rebooting, you can add the app to the Startup Folder.

To add Sticky Notes to the Startup folder:

1. Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box.
2. Type shell:startup and click OK or press Enter.
3. With the Startup folder open, launch the Start menu, locate Sticky Notes, and drag it to the Startup folder.
   Note: Manually find Sticky Notes because if you search, it won’t allow you to drag it over. So, for example, find the app by the first letter and drag it to Startup.
4. Once you have Sticky Notes in the Startup folder, the app will launch during startup the next time you restart Windows 11 and sign into your PC.

Use Task Scheduler

If you are looking for a more in-depth method to make Sticky Notes open during startup, you can use Task Scheduler.

To configure Task Scheduler:

1. Press the Windows key, search for task scheduler, and choose the top result.
2. Under the Actions section on the right, click Create Basic Task.
3. Type in a name for the task that’s easy to identify and click Next.
4. For the Task Trigger, set the option to When I log on and click Next.
5. Choose the Start a program option from the Action list and click Next.
6. Under the Program/Script field, enter the following:

   C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe

7. On the same page, enter the following in the Add Arguments field:

   /c start shell:appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App

8. Click Next.
9. If everything looks correct, click the Finish button.

Once you complete the steps, the launch Sticky Notes task will run each time you log into your account. For example, if you sign into your PC with a Microsoft account, your Sticky Notes will sync with other PCs like Edge bookmarks.

Note that if you use Sticky notes a lot, you might be interested in how to backup, restore, and migrate sticky notes in Windows.

Making Apps Launch on Startup

Sticky Notes is a built-in app that allows you to remember daily tasks with multi-colored cards that you can add as you go. If you don’t have them for some reason, you can download Sticky Notes from the Microsoft Store on your PC.

While it’s generally a good idea to disable startup apps on Windows to improve boot times, sticky notes are light and not resource intensive. And if this is your note-keeping app of choice, it’s nice to have them at the ready.

If you are not on Windows 11 yet, no worries. Learn about making apps or files launch during startup on Windows 10.