Thio's Background App Notifier
A lightweight Windows tool that notifies you about new auto-starting background services and scheduled tasks, which Windows does not tell you about.
It does not run continuously, it's not a hypocrite. But you can set it to quietly run once at each Windows startup, and it will show a message box if any new auto running items are found since last check. If not, it just closes.
> [!NOTE]
> This is not meant for security purposes or detecting apps actively trying to hide, nor does it determine whether an app is "good" or "bad". It just makes you more aware than before.
Screenshots
How to Download
- Go to the Releases page.
- For the latest release, look under
Assets and grab either:
- Installer: The
.msi — installs per-user or for all users. This will also allow it to be updated via winget later.
- Portable: The standalone
Thio-Background-App-Notifier_*.exe -- just run it, no install needed.
What It Does (And Why?)
Many programs set themselves to launch at startup or daily without ever showing up in the normal Startup apps list. They register a Windows Service or a Scheduled Task instead, which run silently in the background and are easy to miss.
The first time you run it, it records a baseline of:
- Scheduled tasks that run at login
- Scheduled tasks that run daily
- Windows Services set to start Automatically
After that, whenever you open it (or let it check at logon), it tells you what's new since you last looked and highlights it.
It is fully portable (just one exe), but there is an optional .msi installer, so you can keep it up to date via winget.
What It Does NOT Track (On Purpose)
It does not track "regular" startup apps, like ones that add themselves to your Startup folder or the Run registry keys. Because:
Settings ▸ System ▸ Notifications ▸ Startup app notifications
- This app focuses on the categories Windows doesn't warn you about, so the two complement each other.
- However, this app can show you whether that Windows setting is currently On, and can even turn it on for you.
It's Not a Background Process
It only scans when you open it, and exits when you close it.
If you want automatic checks, there's an optional "Re-check on each Windows Startup" toggle.
It scans silently and only pops up a notification if something new actually appeared, otherwise you never see it.
How to Use
- Run it once to set your baseline. The first launch just records everything currently set to auto-start — nothing is flagged as new yet.
- Open it again whenever you want to check. It rescans and shows any auto-run Services or Scheduled Tasks that appeared since last time, highlighted in the list.
- Double-click any row for full details (executable path, service start type, task triggers, when it was first detected, etc.).
- Use "All Startup Services" or "All Startup Tasks" to browse everything currently set to run, not just the new stuff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does it run constantly in the background?
A: No. It only scans when you open it. The optional "Re-check at startup" does a single silent check at logon and then exits if there's nothing new.
Q: Why doesn't it list my normal startup programs?
A: Because Windows already warns you about "normal" startup apps via its built-in "Startup app notifications." This tool covers the categories Windows doesn't (background Services and Scheduled Tasks). There may be other categories added in the future, but these are the big ones.
Q: Why not just use Sysinternals Autoruns?
A: The point of this app is the notifications it gives. If you just want to see a complete list of all of them, Autoruns is still more complete.
Q: Does it need administrator rights?
A: Not for normal scanning or the detection log. Some items you lack permission to read are simply skipped.
Q: Does it change or remove any of my startup items?
A: No. It's read-only — it only reports what it finds. The only thing it writes is its own detection log and (optionally) its own startup shortcut.
Q: Will this detect malware?
A: Possibly, but it's mainly intended for legitimate software with annoying startup practices. There are lots of other ways malware can hide that this app wouldn't catch.
Building From Source
Expand for details
Requirements:
- Visual Studio (with the .NET desktop workload)
- .NET Framework 4.8 and 4.8.1 developer pack
Instructions:
- Open
src/New-Startup-App-Notifier.slnx in Visual Studio.
- Select your build configuration (
Debug or Release).
- Build and run.
The installer is built with WiX; the installer definition lives in the Build/ folder.