Autoruns

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called autoruns64, sysinternals autoruns

Microsoft CorporationSystem

Shows every logon hook. It is more complete than Settings > Startup. The 64-bit process is Autoruns64.exe. It is not Task Manager Startup.

What you need to know

Autoruns lists every logon hook. Task Manager Startup is a short subset.

Sysinternals Autoruns shows Run keys, tasks, services, and more. Get it from Microsoft Learn. It is more complete than Settings > Startup or Task Manager > Startup. It is not Process Explorer.

What is it?: A complete autostart list
Same as Task Manager Startup?: No. Autoruns shows far more hooks
Does uncheck uninstall?: No. It only disables the hook

Feex says

If Startup Settings looks clean and something still launches, I would open Autoruns and hide Microsoft entries. I would uncheck one row at a time. I would not treat this as Task Manager.

What is Autoruns?

Autoruns enumerates Run keys, scheduled tasks, services, Explorer extensions, and more. Autoruns64.exe is the GUI. Settings > Apps > Startup and Task Manager > Startup show a subset.

If you have never used it

If Settings > Startup looks empty but something still runs at logon, Autoruns is the Sysinternals list of almost every autostart location. Download it from Microsoft Learn. Hide Microsoft entries if you only want third-party rows. It is not Task Manager's Startup tab, not Process Explorer, and not a cleaner that deletes files for you.

What is it used for?

See every logon hook

Services, tasks, and Run keys appear here. Task Manager Startup hides most of that.

Uncheck a third-party row as a test

Unchecking disables the hook. It does not uninstall the app. Process Explorer will not persist that disable.

Compare against a known-good save

File > Save a comparison baseline. That is Autoruns, not CCleaner's startup list.

Who is it for?

People with a mystery program at logon
Admins cleaning a PC after many installs
Anyone who found Task Manager Startup too short

Current status

Autoruns (2004) is a current autostart inspector from Microsoft Corporation. The vendor still points Windows users at https://learn.microsoft.com/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns.

How old is it?

Autoruns launched in 2004. Task Manager Startup is a shorter in-box list that arrived later. Microsoft still publishes Autoruns with the rest of Sysinternals.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Autoruns64.exe

autorunsc.exe

Sysinternals Suite zip

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Microsoft Sysinternals
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: A short scan when you refresh
RAM demand: Low for a list window

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Autoruns64.exe	Autostart list window
autorunsc.exe	Command-line Autoruns

Startup components

Autoruns itself should not start with Windows. It is the tool that lists what does.

File locations

Common Autoruns locations
Typical install	Wherever you unpacked Sysinternals

File formats

ARN saved comparisons

Common problems

Unchecking a Microsoft row by accident

Use Hide Microsoft Entries first. Disabling a shell extension can break Explorer. Task Manager Startup never showed that row.

People delete files from Autoruns

The tool disables registration. Uninstall the app from Settings if you want the files gone.

Getting unstuck

Download Autoruns from Microsoft Learn

A random Autoruns.exe in Downloads from a forum is the wrong file. Task Manager > Startup is the in-box subset.

Options > Hide Microsoft Entries, then look at the Logon tab

That is the usual third-party hunt. Process Monitor is the wrong first tool for "what starts at logon".

Uncheck one row, reboot, and test

Do not disable a page of services at once. Autoruns can put them back by checking the box again.

Alternatives

Task Manager > Startup for a short list. Open-Shell and StartAllBack change the Start menu, not this inventory.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	learn.microsoft.com/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns Official installer or vendor page
Help	learn.microsoft.com/sysinternals/ Vendor support
Official site	learn.microsoft.com/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

Autoruns reads registration locations. It does not bench hardware.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Autoruns official site · Vendor product page
Autoruns help · Vendor support
Autoruns · Microsoft documentation
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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