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All about Shift Launch and On-Startup settings

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To provide an optimized workflow, Shift allows you to customize how the application initiates. You can configure whether the browser loads automatically when you boot up your computer (Launch Settings), as well as what custom tabs display the moment you open a new browser window (On-Startup Settings).

1. Launch Settings (Operating System Boot)

Launch settings dictate whether the Shift desktop application boots up automatically in the background the moment you turn on your machine or log into your user account. By default, this setting is set to ON.

Method A: Change Launch Preferences Directly Inside Shift (Recommended)

This is the easiest path and works identically on both Windows and Mac:

  1. Open Shift and click the gear icon in the upper-right corner to open Quick Settings.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the panel and click Advanced Settings.

  3. Select Appearance from the left-hand sidebar menu.

  4. Scroll down the page and find the "Maximize on Launch" setting:

    • Toggle this setting OFF or ON according to your preference. 

Method B: Change Launch Preferences via Windows Settings

If you are running a Windows operating system, you can also manage this behavior through your system framework:

  1. Open your computer's native Settings panel (Win + I).

  2. Click on Apps from the sidebar menu.

  3. Select Startup.

  4. Locate Shift in your application roster and toggle the switch to Off.

The GIF above goes through the steps above to change your launch settings on Windows.

2. On-Startup Settings (Browser Tab Configuration)

On-Startup settings allow you to choose exactly what workspace environment or collection of URLs greets you the moment you open a fresh window. You can choose between three distinct settings:

  • Open the New Tab page: Launches a clean, factory-default empty tab page.

  • Continue where you left off: Restores your exact previous browsing state, reloading any loose tabs or website instances that were open when you last closed the application.

  • Open a specific page or set of pages: Automatically launches a predetermined list of corporate homepages or custom URLs.

The GIF above goes through the steps above to change your on-startup settings through the Shift settings.

How to Change Your On-Startup Tab Behavior:

  1. Open Shift and click the gear icon in the upper-right corner to open Quick Settings.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the panel and click Advanced Settings.

  3. From the category options on the left-hand sidebar, click On Startup.

  4. Select your preferred radio button choice from the menu list. If choosing specific pages, enter your targeted web URLs in the fields provided and click save.

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