[SOLVED] Auto-launching only in Tray with the Start Everything On System Startup option set to OFF

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Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 825
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

[SOLVED] Auto-launching only in Tray with the Start Everything On System Startup option set to OFF

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

I need to be able to launch Everything automatically after each logon, but with the following requirements:

A] without showing its window
B] without showing its icon on Taskbar
C] with adding its icon to Tray
D] using some external file as launcher

I have tried many settings and workaround, but all failed. I believe the following Everything configuration should achieve the above alone

Tools > Options... > General > Start Everything on system startup > OFF
Tools > Options... > General > Start Everything on system startup > Everything Service > ON

Tools > Options... > General > UI > Run in background > ON
Tools > Options... > General > UI > Show tray icon > ON
Tools > Options... > General > UI > Single click tray > ON

Tools > Options... > Advanced > minimize_on_execute > true
Tools > Options... > Advanced > minimize_on_execute > minimize_to_tray > true

and yet it does not. Also despite using a combo of the above and of inserting an LNK to the

C:\Users\YOUR-USER-NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\

system folder that points to either a BAT with code

Code: Select all

set path_to_the_program="C:\QQ\Everything"
set name_of_EXE="Everything.exe"

cd %path_to_the_program%
start "" /b %name_of_EXE% -startup
or PS1 with

Code: Select all

Start-Process "C:\QQ\Everything\Everything.exe" -WindowStyle Hidden
Everything still launches in form of a window and icon on Taskbar instead of silently showing up in Tray only


The option of

Tools > Options... > General > Start Everything on system startup > ON

does work A-OK when used - but this goes against the caveat "D" i.e. I need to toggle auto-start of Everything at logon with presence of LNK in Windows Startup folder or by launching a script file via my master startup script controlling various launch processes


I am using Everything 1.5.0.1400a x64 Portable on Windows 10 IOT Enterprise LTSC 21H2 x64 [19044.6575]
Last edited by Thy Grand Voidinesss on Fri Dec 19, 2025 7:50 am, edited 4 times in total.
Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 825
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

Re: Unable to auto-start with Tray presence only

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

It seems that although different versions of PS1 script still fail, that BAT one does work as intended. (I most likely had some stranded code in its initial test version, made by coping a script dealing with my other programs) Its pivotal part is the intrinsic
-startup
parameter

The BAT works now even if I revert to default settings of

Tools > Options... > Advanced > minimize_on_execute > false
Tools > Options... > Advanced > minimize_on_execute > minimize_to_tray > false

(And so I renamed the title of this topic from "Unable to auto-start with Tray presence only" to "Auto-launching only in Tray with the Start Everything On System Startup option set to OFF")


It seems also that I can even change my modus operandi entirely - to using Everything being pinned to Taskbar while choosing

Tools > Options... > General > UI > Show tray icon > OFF

This setup results with saving of precious space in Tray, while still having quick access to the already initialized program - which now is shown with a dormant presence i.e. with the icon on Taskbar not being highlighted / activated

And it either setups there is not flashing of Everything's icon on Taskbar, which is another win


All in all, case closed
Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 825
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

Re: Auto-launching only in Tray with the Start Everything On System Startup option set to OFF

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

One more piece of info


Thinking that the BAT could be replaced with a simplest solution of putting in the

C:\Users\YOUR-USER-NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\

system folder of an LNK file with its Target set to e.g.

Code: Select all

C:\QQ\Everything\Everything.exe -startup
I noticed a peculiar behavior:
surprisingly this only works fully when LNK (thus Everything) is re-executed manually after system boot up - i.e. both the main program and Everything Service are opened. Because when the very same LNK is executed automatically at logon from the Startup system folder, then only the auxiliary Service is opened - and thus when I bring focus to Everything main program for the first time, it is only then that the database is loaded to RAM, resulting with a delay in access


And so the BAT stays as the fully working solution
Last edited by Thy Grand Voidinesss on Fri Dec 19, 2025 7:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
void
Developer
Posts: 19839
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:31 pm

Re: Auto-launching only in Tray with the Start Everything On System Startup option set to OFF

Post by void »

A] without showing its window
Everything.exe -startup



B] without showing its icon on Taskbar
Tools -> Options -> UI -> Show tray icon
-or-
Everything.exe -config-value show_tray_icon=0

C] with adding its icon to Tray
Tools -> Options -> UI -> Show tray icon
-or-
Everything.exe -config-value show_tray_icon=1



D] using some external file
Not sure what you mean.
To search for a specific file:
Everything.exe "c:\path\to\file.txt"



Thinking that the BAT could be replaced with a simplest solution of putting in the

C:\Users\YOUR-USER-NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\
This should work too.
This is what I do to launch multiple instances.
shell:startup
is the short path for this location.
Please make sure you link to the correct target:
C:\QQ\Everything\Everything.exe
Thy Grand Voidinesss
Posts: 825
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:01 pm

Re: Auto-launching only in Tray with the Start Everything On System Startup option set to OFF

Post by Thy Grand Voidinesss »

void wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 3:29 am [...]
D] using some external file
Not sure what you mean.
[...]
An outside launcher, a third party mean to activate Everything. I have just appended the initial post

All in all I already have managed to get what I wanted; using that BAT and inserting LNK pointing to it to Startup folder, because LNK launching directly the EXE was running at logon only the Service. But thank you for evaluating this topic


But this
Thy Grand Voidinesss wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 10:15 am [...]
C:\Users\YOUR-USER-NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\

system folder
[...]
void wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 3:29 am
shell:startup
is the short path for this location
[...]
I did not know, so thank you
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