Skip to content

docs: add more context to Windows execution #926

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Closed
wants to merge 10 commits into from
Closed

docs: add more context to Windows execution #926

Changes from 2 commits
Commits
Show all changes
10 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
893167c
docs: add more context to Windows execution
rafaeloledo May 7, 2025
8a2f21a
docs: adopt suggestions from tomasz1986
rafaeloledo May 8, 2025
f710ea2
docs: fix typo
rafaeloledo May 8, 2025
b063a95
fix: use more semantic term
rafaeloledo May 14, 2025
893ace5
Merge branch 'syncthing:main' into main
rafaeloledo Jul 22, 2025
e1ef970
Merge branch 'main' into main
rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025
8222784
chore: adjust from the last review
rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025
1064409
fix: make -File mandatory
rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025
0e6f217
fix: treat -FilePath as mandatory
rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025
3eb4614
chore: unclutter information
rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
22 changes: 21 additions & 1 deletion users/autostart.rst
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ startup. In both cases, Syncthing will open and stay invisible in
background.

For technical information about Task Scheduler visit
https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/taskschd.
https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/taskschd

#. Start the Task Scheduler either by going to ``Start Menu > Windows
Administrative Tools`` and clicking on ``Task Scheduler``, or by
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -252,6 +252,26 @@ by a sysadmin who knows enough to understand the security implications.
#. Start the service via ``sc start syncthing`` in the Command Prompt.
#. Connect to the Syncthing UI, enable HTTPS, and set a secure username and password.

For Hard Users
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It's possible to run Windows Task Scheduler CLI API with a command such as
``schtasks /create /sc ONLOGON /tn Syncthing /tr "<program-path> [--no-console --no-browser]"``.
The operation requires elevated privileges. Preventing the pop-up console that hides after
some delay is possible wrapping the executable with a ``PowerShell`` script.

``script.ps1``::

Start-Process "<path to syncthing>.exe" -WindowStyle Hidden
Copy link
Member

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

Your schtasks example includes --no-console --no-browser but your
Powershell example doesn't. Perhaps it should, so the two examples mirror each other?

Also, isn't -File required? So: powershell -File <path to script>.ps1 ?

Copy link
Author

@rafaeloledo rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025 •
edited
Loading

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

Windows Terminal and Default Console:
In modern Windows versions, particularly with Windows Terminal set as the default console application, the --no-console flag might not completely hide the console window. It might still appear and then minimize, or the flag might be ignored entirely.

https://forum.syncthing.net/t/win-10-and-11-updates-breaks-no-console/19142

I was trying the --no-console flag that only exists in the Windows version of the syncthing and faced some issues related.

Switching to the mentioned legacy mode may be discouraged, since Windows Terminal is being a default on all new installations.

Wrapping with a ps1 script works even on wt.exe pop-ups.

-File/-FilePath is not mandatory.

Start-Process
    [-FilePath] <string>
    [[-ArgumentList] <string[]>]
    [-WorkingDirectory <string>]
    [-PassThru]
    [-Verb <string>]
    [-WindowStyle <ProcessWindowStyle>]
    [-Wait]
    [-Environment <hashtable>]
    [-WhatIf]
    [-Confirm]
    [<CommonParameters>]

https://learn.microsoft.com/pt-br/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/start-process?view=powershell-7.5
https://learn.microsoft.com/pt-br/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/start-process?view=powershell-5.1

If you give the path as a first argument, it assumes that is the -FilePath flag as you can see above.

Copy link
Contributor

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

Might also try conhost.exe --headless ...

Copy link
Author

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

Might also try conhost.exe --headless ...

I've not tested it. Feel free to contribute and do it. I don't have Windows installation on my PC right now...

Copy link
Member

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

-File/-FilePath is not mandatory.

I wasn't referring to Start-Process but to the powershell command itself:

powershell -File "<path to script>.ps1"

Copy link
Member

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

It still works without -File, but I'm not sure if it implicitly defaults to -File script.ps1 or rather -Command script.ps1 🙃.

Copy link
Member

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

Not on my system:

If you want to skip the -File option, you need to use:
powershell .\script.ps1.

Better to just tell our readers to use the option, as <path to script> is vague, imho.

Copy link
Author

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

It still works without -File, but I'm not sure if it implicitly defaults to -File script.ps1 or rather -Command script.ps1 🙃.

Unfortunately @rasa example is what happening in my system too.

image

So, the -File flag is mandatory in this case.

Copy link
Author

@rafaeloledo rafaeloledo Aug 31, 2025 •
edited
Loading

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

-File/-FilePath is not mandatory.

I wasn't referring to Start-Process but to the powershell command itself:

powershell -File "<path to script>.ps1"

image

I can only find docs offline about powershell.exe. But, as you can see, even if it is treated as optional, you'll need to use the dot operator to resolve file paths. Using -File directly can be more user friendly considering that the operator is less known by non programmers.


Then run as admin::

schtasks /create /sc ONLOGON /tn Syncthing /tr "powershell <path to script>.ps1"


For more information, please read official docs for Command Line Interface API:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/schtasks

macOS
-----

Expand Down