Please update "startup folder" docs for Windows 11

[Davideesk (David Benepe)]

The options no_console and no_browser do not work with Windows Terminal (see: Win 10 and 11 updates breaks --no-console). As far as I understand it the legacy console was removed in Windows 11, so that is no longer a workaround. The option is grayed out for me.

The Task Scheduler method did work for me, but I did have to check the “Do not store password” option under “Run whether the user is logged in or not”. This is due to Windows 11 requiring using a Microsoft account instead of a local password. Maybe there is a way to get a password to work with Task Scheduler, but I could not figure it out.

[dwids (David)]

I can confirm and fine-tune this a bit. I’ve been on Windows 11 for some time now and no_console worked as expected. That’s the only command-line option I used. This week I put on the latest Windows 11 updates (24H2) and no_console no longer works.

I found a few posts, but ended up getting to that same screen that tells me that ‘legacy console is not installed’ I can’t find a current set of instructions to install/activate it.

Update: I just found this Deprecated features in the Windows client | Microsoft Learn which says:

[billstewart]

Alternatively: Install using Syncthing Windows Setup.

[tomasz86]

@Davideesk

This is due to Windows 11 requiring using a Microsoft account instead of a local password. Maybe there is a way to get a password to work with Task Scheduler, but I could not figure it out.

There are simple ways not to use a Microsoft account in Windows 11, either during the installation process already, or even after the installation simply by converting the Microsoft account to a local one (or creating a new, local-only account, and removing the old one).

However, it is true that the current guide in the Docs at https://docs.syncthing.net/users/autostart#windows was written a few years ago and is currently based on Windows 10, which at that time didn’t have all those Terminal-related issues (as the legacy console was still the default one).

@Davideesk

no_browser

What issues have you experienced with the -no-browser option specifically? This one should work fine in Windows 11 too.

[Davideesk (David Benepe)]

@tomasz86

There are simple ways not to use a Microsoft account in Windows 11, either during the installation process already, or even after the installation simply by converting the Microsoft account to a local one (or creating a new, local-only account, and removing the old one).

I don’t mind using a Microsoft account personally. I was hoping that Task Scheduler would recognize that I was using one, but I guess Microsoft has better things to do than to update it.

@tomasz86

What issues have you experienced with the -no-browser option specifically? This one should work fine in Windows 11 too.

Oh, I kept seeing the console pop up and guess I thought it was an issue passing in the args. Looking back on it, the no_browser option did work. My apologizes.