How to add auto startup applications in Ubuntu 16.04

I usually add some applications like email, Skype, etc. to startup list so that these will auto-start during login. It is a time saver tweak for commonly used applications on a daily basis. Of course, some programs do have preference settings within them to auto-run, but many won’t.

STEP 1: Find out the command line for launching an application

To add a application to the startup list, you need to know the exact command line of the application. By default settings, Ubuntu stores all the applications shortcuts in /usr/share/applications/. So, navigate to the path and search for the program name in the search box.

Right-click on the application and select ‘Properties’. Copy the ‘Command’. This is the actual terminal command that launches the program.

Finding the Command line of an Application

STEP 2: Configure Startup Applications

Launch ‘Startup Applications’ from the Dash menu.

Click ‘Add’ and paste the copied command in the ‘Command’ section. You can give ‘Name’ and ‘Comment’ whatever you want. Click ‘Add’.

Startup Applications - Add Program — Startup Applications – Add Program

The program will get added in the Startup Applications.

Next time you restart Ubuntu, you should see the program start automatically.

7 Comments on "How to add auto startup applications in Ubuntu 16.04"

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Dan

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HI, thank you

any idea wyhy sometimes I cannot change the startup applications in 16.04? I add one and remove the SSH Keyring, save it, close it…on reopen its back to SSH Keyring only, my entry is lost…

Any idea how to amend that and is there a workaround?

Thx
Dan

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Ingo

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Mabye the autostart client doesn’t accept ~/… paths. f.e. to mount the google drive ocamlfuse I need to add: “google-drive-ocamlfuse start /home/IngosLaptop/googledrive”

instead of “google-drive-ocamlfuse start ~/googledrive”

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Miquel

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Hi Dan, for me it was the same. Finally I had to manually create a file to do the job (which is what the startup applications tool should do). Just search for ‘manually create .desktop file ubuntu’ or something similar and you will find posts like this one: https://askubuntu.com/questions/281293/creating-a-desktop-file-for-a-new-application

It is actually easy. I didn’t even write half of the lines in the file (i.e. the one for the icon) and it works fine. I think the most important line is the one starting with “Exect=” where you have to add the same path described in this article.

Best