To make Chrome open when your computer starts, add Chrome to your operating system’s startup list. On Windows 10 and 11, turn Chrome on under Settings > Apps > Startup. On a Mac, add Google Chrome under Login Items. On Ubuntu, add a login command in Startup Applications. Chrome’s own On startup setting does something different: it decides which pages appear after Chrome is already open, and it cannot make the browser launch at sign-in.
Two settings that both get called “startup”
Most confusion on this topic comes from the word “startup” being used for two separate controls. The first is the operating system’s login list, which decides whether Chrome launches when you sign in. The second is Chrome’s own startup page setting, which decides what Chrome shows once it is running. Changing the second does not change the first. Google’s help center defines Chrome’s version this way: “Your startup page is the one that shows when you first launch Chrome on your device.” That definition covers pages and sessions only, so the steps below use the operating system’s controls.
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Quick reference by operating system
| Platform | Where to set it | What it controls | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 and 11 | Settings > Apps > Startup, or a shortcut in the Startup folder | Launches listed apps when you sign in | Microsoft Support |
| macOS | System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, under Open at Login | Opens the app automatically when you log in | Apple Support |
| Ubuntu Linux | Startup Applications, using Add and a login command | Runs the command you enter at login; the example in the guide uses Firefox | Ubuntu Help |
| Chrome web apps (any OS) | chrome://apps, right-click the app, Launch at startup | Opens an installed web app at sign-in, not the browser itself | Google Chrome Help |
Windows 10 and Windows 11
Turn Chrome on in the Startup list
- Open Start > Settings > Apps > Startup.
- Find Google Chrome in the list and switch it On.
Apps in this list start automatically when you sign in. If Chrome is not listed, use the shortcut method below.
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- Press Windows + R, type
shell:startup, and press Enter. This opens the Startup folder for your user account. - Create a shortcut to Chrome. Microsoft’s documented method is to create the shortcut from the installed-apps list and drag it into the Startup folder.
- Sign out and back in, or restart, to confirm Chrome opens.
The folder opened by shell:startup applies only to your user account. To add an item that starts for every user on the device, Microsoft documents shell:common startup. Adding a shortcut to the all-users folder normally requires administrator rights.
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Check what starts with Windows
Task Manager’s Startup apps tab lists registered startup applications, shows each item’s startup impact, and lets you enable or disable it. Microsoft advises against editing the registry for a basic setup, because registry changes can have unintended consequences, so the Settings page and Task Manager are the safer places to manage this.
macOS
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select General > Login Items & Extensions.
- Under Open at Login, click the add control, select Google Chrome, and add it.
Apple describes login items as apps that open automatically whenever you log in. If an app keeps opening after you have removed it from this list, Apple’s guidance is that other software may be responsible, so check other apps and their own settings rather than assuming Chrome is the cause.
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Ubuntu Linux
Ubuntu’s help guide says to open Startup Applications, click Add, and enter the command to run at login. The guide’s example uses Firefox and notes that applications are typically located in /usr/bin. It does not give a Chrome-specific command. The command that starts Chrome depends on how Chrome was installed on your system, so enter the command that launches Chrome on your installation. Steps for other Linux desktop environments may differ from Ubuntu’s Startup Applications tool.
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If Chrome already opens when you sign in and the problem is what appears, open Chrome and go to Settings > On startup. Chrome offers three choices: open the New Tab page, continue where you left off, or open a specific page or set of pages. Choosing any of these only changes the content of the window. To control whether Chrome launches at all, use the operating-system steps above.
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Launching a Chrome web app at sign-in
An installed Chrome web app can have its own launch option. Open chrome://apps, right-click the app, and select Launch at startup. Google documents this for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and you turn it off by clearing the same option. This controls the web app only. If you want Chrome itself to open, use the platform steps above.
If Chrome still does not open, or opens unexpectedly
- Chrome is not in the Windows Startup list: add a shortcut to
shell:startupas described above. - Chrome opens but the wrong tabs appear: this is a Chrome setting, so change it under Settings > On startup.
- Chrome is listed as a login item on macOS but still does not open: confirm the entry is enabled under Open at Login, then restart.
- Chrome keeps opening after you removed it: check the Startup apps tab in Task Manager on Windows, or other login items on macOS, because another app may be starting it.
Platform menus change between operating system releases. Ubuntu and Apple labels in this guide reflect the sources as of October 2026, so if a menu name differs on your version, search the official help for your system’s startup or login items.
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