Tray & Auto-start
Aura Mixer is infrastructure — like a hardware mixer on your desk, it should always be on yet never demand attention. Two features make that real: the system tray icon and Windows auto-start.
The tray icon
While running, Aura Mixer keeps an icon in the system tray (notification area, next to the clock):
- Left-click — bring the window back.
- Right-click — a menu with Show and Quit.
What ✕ really does
With Minimize to tray on close enabled (the default — Settings → General), clicking the window's ✕:
- hides the window to the tray,
- keeps all audio flowing — capture, processing, every output, untouched.
This is the safety net for live use: muscle memory closes windows, and a mixer that quits on ✕ would cut your stream's sound mid-sentence. With the option disabled, ✕ instead asks what you want to do, so a stray click still can't kill the audio unannounced.
To actually quit: right-click the tray icon → Quit. Audio stops, your state is auto-saved as always.
"I closed Aura Mixer but my mic is still being processed!" — it isn't closed, it's in the tray. Working as intended; Quit is one right-click away.
Auto-start with Windows
Settings → General → Auto-start with Windows registers Aura Mixer to launch at sign-in. Combined with the tray behaviour, the mixer becomes a background fact of your PC: sign in → routing live → window out of sight until needed.
Switching the toggle on/off updates Windows immediately; the registration also shows up under Startup apps in Windows settings, and the toggle re-syncs with whatever Windows says on each launch.
Recommended setups
| You are… | Minimize to tray | Auto-start |
|---|---|---|
| Streamer / daily driver — mixer always on | ✅ on | ✅ on |
| Occasional user — mixer only for sessions | ✅ on | ❌ off |
| "Apps should die when I close them" | ❌ off | ❌ off |