Bitwarden desktop app no longer starts on Windows startup

Version 2025.1.3
SDK ‘main (28c7e29)’
Shell 33.2.1
Renderer 130.0.6723.137
Node 20.18.1
Architecture x64

Since this latest update, the Bitwarden desktop app does not start on Windows Startup. In particular, that makes it impossible to log in to the browser extension via biometrics unless you successfully log in to the desktop app.

If I startup the desktop app and log into it successfully, I can use biometrics to log into the browser app (I’m using Firefox).

Is this behavior by design? If so, we’re back to the same biometrics issue we had for several months awhile back.

Thanks for any help.

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A quick update for those watching.

Installing Bitwarden on Windows places a shortcut on the desktop. If I double click on this shortcut, Bitwarden starts up minimized to the system tray and is locked. The browser extension can be unlocked with biometrics without actually unlocking the desktop app.

The problem is the desktop app won’t run on startup “automatically”. “Start automatically on login” is checked in Settings, and Bitwarden is enabled as a startup app in the Windows task manager. It had been working properly until the latest update.

This morning, I decided to uninstall the desktop app and reinstall it, then check to see if the app started automatically on a reboot. It did not.

Again, thanks for any help.

I would suggest filing a bug report (“New Issue”) on GitHub.

Done. Thank you.

2 Likes

Another update for those watching: I received feedback from a Bitwarden tech saying that he could not replicate the problem I’m having. He asked for more information if I had any, and I advised as follows:

If I drag the (desktop) Bitwarden icon physically into the Windows startup folder, then the application starts, runs minimized, and places an icon in the system tray as appropriate. In the past, I’ve never had to physically put the icon into the startup folder.

Also, I have Bitwarden running on another Windows computer and it behaves properly. It starts on Windows startup, runs minimized, and places an icon in the system tray without any need to place anything into the startup folder.

Meanwhile, I’m testing a backup solution with a different application. It’s supposed to start and run minimized with an icon in the system tray just like Bitwarden. It stopped working properly the same time Bitwarden did, so I placed its icon in the startup folder and it runs, but not minimized, so I have to close it manually, at which point an icon is placed in the system tray.

I suspect there is a Windows issue lurking here. I have no idea what it might be and little inclination to try to figure it out. If I do a web search on “windows startup programs not starting” or similar, I get hundreds of hits.

If anyone here has any insights, I’d appreciate hearing them.

I’m thinking it may be related to Windows Security. If you have enabled “Controlled Folder Access” protection, then you might try disabling that, or setting up some exclusions.

I just checked and “controlled folder access” is turned on. It must get turned on by default, because I never turned it on.

I then checked for recent applications that were rejected by controlled folder access. Bitwarden was not among them but Firefox was. I added Firefox to the exceptions list but left controlled folder access on for now, just to see what happens. I have no idea what it does, so I’m a little concerned about turning it off, especially since Bitwarden wasn’t listed as a recent rejection.

Thanks for your feedback

Edited to correct typos

It prevents processes from writing into protected folders (which most likely includes the folders that hold information about startup items).

OK. Thanks. I went ahead and removed the programs from the Startup folder and turned off controlled folder access. Then I restarted the computer. Bitwarden did not start automatically. (Neither did the other program.)

So, I put them both physically back in the startup folder.