Ubuntu 25.10 no longer includes the “Startup Applications” utility! Here’s a beginner guide shows how to run apps, custom scripts or commands automatically at login through an alternative method.

Ubuntu has a “Startup Applications” tool, allowing to easily add, remove, and edit items run at user login. Due to upstream (meaning GNOME) changes, it has finally been dropped in 25.10.

Startup Applications tool no longer available in 25.10

The new way to auto start apps, is using GNOME Control Center (aka Settings) by navigating to ‘Apps’ setting page, choose an app, and turn on the “Autostart” toggle switch. While, Gnome Tweaks also provides similar function to do the job.

Autostart apps in Ubuntu 25.10 (GNOME 49)

But, what if you want to auto-start app with custom options, or auto-run custom commands/scripts at login?

As you may know, all the app icons you see in Gnome app grid, dock, or other app launchers in most Linux are handled by .desktop files under /usr/share/applications, .local/share/applications, etc directories.

Similarly, auto-start apps are handled by the .desktop files in either /etc/xdg/autostart or .config/autostart directories.

And, when you turn on “Autostart” toggle switch for an application in Settings (Gnome Control Center), it will automatically create a file under .config/autostart linked to the .desktop file for that app icon.

If you want to auto-run custom commands or scripts at login, then just create .desktop files in that directory with following steps.

Auto-run custom command or script at login

NOTE: for those hate Linux commands, open file manager and press Ctrl+H to show hidden files/folders, then do following steps accordingly.

1. Create the directory. The ~/.config/autostart directory does not exist out-of-the-box. You may either enable an auto-start app via Settings to auto-create it, or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command below to create:

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart

2. Create & edit custom .desktop file. Next, run command to create a .desktop file, “firefox-private.desktop” for example, and edit via nano command line text editor:

nano ~/.config/autostart/firefox-private.desktop

When file opens, write following content and edit accordingly:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=sh -c "sleep 30; firefox --private-window https://www.google.com"
Hidden=false
Name=Firefox Private Mode
Comment=Open google.com automatically in Firefox private window.

In the case, it will auto-launch Firefox in private mode and open Google.com automatically, with 30 seconds delay after login.

According what you want to run, you need to replace the command for “Exec“, and edit the ‘Name’ and ‘Comment’ as you want. For example, use:

• Exec=/home/ji/Documents/myscript to run my script under user Documents directory.
• Exec=sh -c "$HOME/Documents/myscript" to run the same script, but here “sh -c” command interpreter is required for $HOME.
• Exec=update-manager --install-all to auto-launch Software Updater and install all available updates.

Tips:

• It’s better to first run the custom command or script in terminal to make sure it works.
• The X-GNOME-Autostart-Delay parameter does not work in Wayland, use sleep in command to add time delay in seconds.
• You may change Hidden=false to Hidden=true to disable that .desktop file, just like it’s deleted.
• Add Terminal=true if the command need to run in a terminal.
• For more about the desktop entry keys, see the doc in freedesktop.org.

After created and edited the file, press Ctrl+S to save and Ctrl+X to exit, and verify if it works by logging out and back in.