Set up startup from a stable folder
- Place the DeskLatch EXE in the folder where you intend to keep it.
- Open General, enable Start with Windows and click Save.
- Choose independently whether Restart the app if it stops responding should be enabled.
- Configure any required locked profile or automatic enabling on its own tab, then save again.
Start with Windows is off by default. It launches quietly in the tray after your user signs in; it does not automatically turn normal monitoring red. Saved inactivity, screensaver and locked-session settings still apply. If you move the EXE later, run it from the new location and save the startup option again.
What recovery restores
With heartbeat recovery enabled, a hidden companion watches the app. A crash or an unresponsive UI lasting approximately twelve seconds can prompt a restart. Recovery of an enabled state first requests a Windows lock and restores monitoring without a new arming countdown. Recovery of a disabled state stays grey.
Choosing Exit deliberately stops supervision instead of fighting your decision. Recovery attempts are limited to avoid endless crash loops. The companion is another ordinary user process, not a protected system service or defense against an administrator terminating both copies.
Verify the everyday setup
After saving and closing your work, use a normal sign-out and sign-in to check that the tray app returns from the intended folder. Confirm your preferences in Settings. Windows startup controls can disable or delay startup applications; the app does not override them.
You do not need to deliberately crash a production monitoring session to check its settings. If you investigate recovery, use a whole-app dry-run session on a test PC so restored responses stay simulated. The history guide explains how to inspect results.
For a machine that should react only after Windows locks, combine startup with the locked profile. Neither startup nor recovery creates monitoring before sign-in or after sign-out.