Top 3 Ways to Open a Web Page at Startup in Windows 10 and 11

In a world where automation is becoming increasingly prevalent, it can seem tedious to manually open the same set of web pages every time you start your computer. However, the good news is that setting up your Windows 10 or 11 PC to automatically open a set of web pages at startup is a simple process and doesn’t require much effort.

In this guide, we’ll show a few different ways to set up Windows 10 or 11 to open specific web pages upon startup. You’ll have a tough time picking your favorite method, as all of them are pretty straightforward. So, without wasting any time, let’s get right into it.

1. Use the Startup Folder

The Startup folder on Windows is designed to launch programs when your computer boots up. Aside from its primary function of launching apps and scripts, the startup folder can also help you automatically open a web page. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open any web browser on your PC and navigate to the website you wish to launch upon boot. Copy the website’s URL from the address bar at the top.

Step 2: Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type shell:startup in the box and press Enter.

Step 3: Click the New option at the top right corner and select Shortcut from the list. Alternatively, right-click anywhere within the Startup folder, go to New, and select Shortcut.

Step 4: In the Create Shortcut window, paste the website’s URL in the box and click Next.

Step 5: Enter a suitable name for the shortcut and click Finish.

Now that you’ve created a shortcut for the website in the Startup folder, Windows will automatically load the website at startup. Similarly, you can add more shortcuts in the Startup folder to launch multiple websites upon boot.

2. Run a Batch File

Adding a batch file to the Startup folder is another way to make a specific web page open at boot. This approach can be especially handy if you plan to launch multiple websites upon startup.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to launch the Run dialog, type in shell:startup in the box, and press Enter.

Step 2: Click the New option at the top right corner and select Text Document from the list. Alternatively, right-click anywhere within the Startup folder, go to New, and select Text Document.

Step 3: Open your newly created text document and paste the command given below.

start [Website URL]

Replace [Website URL] in the above command with the actual site address of the web page you wish to launch.

Similarly, to open multiple web pages at startup, you can add more launch commands in your document.

Step 4: Press the Ctrl + Shift + S keyboard shortcut and save the file with the .bat extension.

Windows will now execute this batch file containing URLs for all your favorite websites every time it boots up.

3. Use Task Scheduler

Task Scheduler is a useful utility on Windows that lets you automate almost any task on your computer. With it, you can launch programs, execute commands, or even schedule your PC to shut down when certain triggers and conditions are met. You can also use this tool to launch websites at startup. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open any web browser on your PC and navigate to the website you wish to launch at startup. Click the lock icon to the left of its URL in the address bar, and drag it on the desktop.

Step 2: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type in task scheduler, and press Enter.

Step 3: In the Actions pane on your right, click the Create Basic Task option.

Step 4: In the Create Basic Task Wizard, enter a suitable name for the task. Optionally, you can also write a brief description of the task. Then, click Next.

Step 5: Under Trigger, select the ‘When the computer starts’ option from the list and click Next.

Step 6: In the Action tab, select Start a program and hit Next.

Step 7: Under Program/script, browse the website shortcut created earlier.

If you want to launch multiple websites at startup, you can create a batch file and paste its file path in the Program/script field.

Step 8: Verify the task details and click Finish.

Once you complete the steps above, Task Scheduler will run the website shortcut or the batch file every time your PC starts.

Getting Things Ready

Having a set of web pages automatically open every time your PC boots up can save a significant amount of time. It also eliminates the need to repeat the same steps every day. Aside from web pages, you can use the methods mentioned above to automatically open apps and programs as well.