In this guide, I’m going to show you how to automatically start Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, NZBGet, or any other application automatically after your server reboots. This guide will be for anyone running these services on Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2019.
If you are running into an issue with Sonarr not starting with Windows and are looking for a way to auto-open on startup, then this guide is for you.
There are a couple ways to do this. You can either create batch files and place them in your Startup folder (which requires you to log into the computer), or by using a Scheduled Task (which will automatically launch at startup without you needing to login).
Let’s get started!
I have batch files at the end of this guide for Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, NZBGet, Tautulli, and Blue Iris.
Why Start Sonarr or Radarr automatically?
When you install these applications, you typically are given a couple choices: Do you want to install the program as a Windows Service (which WILL automatically start up when the computer reboots) or do you want Sonarr to place a shortcut in your Startup folder?
For most users, running Sonarr/Radarr as a service is perfectly fine and is the recommended method. However, there may be some edge cases where you don’t want it to run as a service.
For example, I have a custom script added to Sonarr that displays Windows Toast Notifications whenever Sonarr or Radarr grab a new file.
Whenever I set that up, I wasn’t able to get the script to launch when launched as a service. So, I was stuck installing Sonarr with the other method.
There’s probably a number of other reasons users can’t install it as a service, too.
Option 1: Create a Scheduled Task
Follow the steps below to create a Scheduled Task. Each heading below corresponds with the Task Scheduler tab.
General Tab
Search Windows for Task Scheduler.
Right-click Task Scheduler library > Create Task.
Give your Scheduled Task a Name and Description.
Select the radial “Run whether user is logged in or not” and check the box for “Do not store password”. Run it with highest privileges, and configure it for Windows Server 2019 (or whatever version you are running).
Triggers Tab
Click New.
In the Begin the Task dropdown, select At Startup.
Actions Tab
If you installed Sonarr in the default location, you can copy and paste the paths exactly as below.
Click New.
Action: Start a Program.
Program/Script: C:\ProgramData\Sonarr\bin\Sonarr.exe
Add Arguments: /icon
To find the path of any application, search for the program in Windows. Right-click > Open File Location. Right click the program or shortcut. In the Target field, you’ll see the path:
Conditions/Settings/History Tab
These all can be left with their default settings.
However, the one change I would recommend making is unchecking the box for “Stop the task if it runs longer than:” Otherwise, after 3 days, the task will stop and Sonarr will force close.
Click OK once complete.
Testing your Scheduled Task
To test your task, you can either:
- Reboot your computer or server
- Manually trigger the task
I have a lot of other programs and applications running, so I’m just going to run trigger the task to run manually.
To do that, open Task Manager. Scroll down and locate Sonarr (32 bit). Then, click End Task.
In Task Scheduler, right-click the task and Run it.
To verify it worked, launch Sonarr in a web browser (i.e. – http://localhost:8989).
Option 2: Create Batch File
For this option, we are going to create a simple batch file and then add the path of the batch file to a scheduled task. I prefer doing it this way. This prevents the task from being in a “running” state forever; it just launches once. And unlike the first option, if you end the task – it doesn’t force close Sonarr.
Create Batch File to Open Sonarr
Open Notepad. Paste in the Sonarr Target path:
start C:\ProgramData\Sonarr\bin\Sonarr.exe /iconFile > Save As > name it SonarrAutoStart.bat. You must save it with a .bat extension otherwise it will save it as a standard text file.
Then, move the script to a folder. I have a folder at C:\Scripts where I keep all my scripts, so I’m putting mine there.
Create Scheduled Task That Launches Sonarr Batch File
Next, create a scheduled task like above. Under Actions, point to the location of your batch file:
Then, close Sonarr if it’s open and right-click the task and run it. It should open Sonarr successfully!
Adding additional Software to the batch file
If you would like to autostart several applications, you can do that too. You would just add start and the path to those apps inside the batch file, like this. (Keep in mind, if your application has spaces – like Program Files – you will want quotes around the entire path!)
start C:\ProgramData\Sonarr\bin\Sonarr.exe /iconstart C:\ProgramData\Radarr\bin\Radarr.exe /iconIf some applications are located on different storage arrays and have different letters, you can create a batch file like below. This batch file is launching my DizqueTV server, where:
M:\is the driver lettercd dizquetv(changing directories to my ‘dizquetv’ folder where the dizquetv .exe is located)- and then starting the application
M:cd dizquetvstart dizquetv-win-x64.exe --port 8000 --database .dizquetvCreate Multiple Batch Files & Run them from 1 Scheduled Task
Alternatively, you can create multiple batch files and call each individually from 1 scheduled task.
In the Task Scheduler “Actions” tab, click New and point to the location of any other batch files. This will start each of them individually.
Batch File to Start Tautulli at Startup
This will automatically launch Tautulli without requiring you to login into your server after a reboot. Click this link if you’d like to access Tautulli remotely from your phone or another computer in your home.
Open Notepad.
First, search Windows for “Python > Open File Location. Right-click Python 3.8 (64-bit) > Properties. Under target you’ll find the path.
Second, find the path to your Tautulli.py file (probably located at C:\Tautulli\Tautulli.py)
Start C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38\python.exe C:\Tautulli\Tautulli.pySave it as AutoStartTautulli.bat and then add it to your scheduled task above.
Batch File to Start NZBGet At Startup
This will automatically launch NZBGet without requiring you to login into your server after a reboot. Add this to your scheduled task just like the others above.
c:cd "C:\Program Files\NZBGet\"start nzbget.exeBatch File to Start Blue Iris at Startup
This will automatically launch Blue Iris NVR without requiring you to login into your server after a reboot. Add this to your scheduled task just like the others above.
start C:\"Program Files"\"Blue Iris 5"\BlueIrisAdmin.exe"Batch File to Start Plex at Startup
This will automatically launch Plex without needing you to signin into your media server after it reboots. Add this to your scheduled task just like the others above.
start C:\"Program Files (x86)"\Plex\"Plex Media Server"\"Plex Media Server.exe"Batch File to start Sonarr at Startup
start C:\ProgramData\Sonarr\bin\Sonarr.exe /iconBatch File to Start Radarr at Startup
start C:\ProgramData\Radarr\bin\Radarr.exe /iconWrapping Up
Hopefully this guide helps you autostart some applications that you normally have to start manually after a restart!
This same method works with any application – Blue Iris, Prowlarr, Tautulli, NZBGet. I would urge you to look through the application options (or click the Taskbar item), as most of these have a button that says “Start with Windows” or something similar.
But, if they don’t have that option, a good ol’ batch file will do the trick. Let me know if you have any other selfhosted/ *arr apps you can’t get to autostart and I’ll add them to this guide.
