12 Ways to Open the Control Panel on Windows 10

I've spent years fixing Windows shortcuts that silently break in updates, so I've updated this list to reflect Windows 11's current reality. The old Control Panel isn't going anywhere, but its access methods have shifted. Here are the ways that actually work for you right now. You can search for any application on your PC with the Start menu's search feature. In the Search box to the left of the taskbar, just type Control Panel. Click "Control Panel" in the search results to launch it. You can also use the arrow keys to select it and press Enter. 2. Pin it to the taskbar Windows lets you pin apps to the taskbar for quick access. You can launch Control Panel using one of the methods in this article and then pin it to the taskbar. To do this, launch Control Panel, right-click its icon in the taskbar, then select "Pin to Taskbar" to keep it there permanently. You can then drag and drop the shortcut icon to reposition it wherever you like on the taskbar. To do this, launch Control Panel, right-click its icon in the taskbar, then select "Pin to Taskbar" to keep it there permanently. You can then drag and drop the shortcut icon to reposition it wherever you like on the taskbar. There are three ways you can open Control Panel from the Start menu. The first is from the Apps list. Click the Start button (or press the Windows key), scroll down in the list of apps, click "Windows System" to open the folder, and click "Control Panel." You can also add a shortcut to the pinned tile section to the right of the Start menu. To do so, open the Start menu, type Control Panel in the search box (or find it in the Apps list), right-click the Control Panel shortcut in the search results, then click "Pin to start." The Control Panel shortcut tile will now appear in the pinned tile section of the Start menu. Click it to launch the Control Panel. You can also add a shortcut to the pinned tile section to the right of the Start menu. To do so, open the Start menu, type Control Panel in the search box (or find it in the Apps list), right-click the Control Panel shortcut in the search results, then click "Pin to start." The Control Panel shortcut tile will now appear in the pinned tile section of the Start menu. Click it to launch the Control Panel. 4. Use the Settings search box You can find Control Panel with a Start menu search, but you can also search for it in the Settings window if you happen to have it open. In Settings (which you can also open by pressing Windows+i on the keyboard), click the search box at the top of the window, type Control Panel, and click the "Control Panel" search result. [IMAGE: Search for control panel in Settings, then click the result.] In Settings (which you can also open by pressing Windows+i on the keyboard), click the search box at the top of the window, type Control Panel, and click the "Control Panel" search result. 5. Create a desktop shortcut For quicker access to the Control Panel, you can create a desktop shortcut. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog, type shell:ControlPanelFolder, and press Enter. This opens the folder directly. Right-click the Control Panel window, select "Show more options," hover over "Pin to," and choose "Desktop (create shortcut)." You can then drag the icon to your desktop. 6. Use File Explorer's address bar You can open the Control Panel directly from File Explorer's address bar. First, open File Explorer by pressing Windows+E. Click inside the address bar at the top of the window and type shell:ControlPanelFolder, then press Enter. This bypasses the navigation pane entirely and drops you straight into the classic interface. You can also add a Desktop menu ("toolbar") to your taskbar. To do so, right-click in an empty space on the taskbar, hover your cursor over "Toolbars," then click "Desktop" from the submenu. The Desktop toolbar will now appear at the right side of the taskbar to the left of the notification area icons. Click the icon with two right arrows, then click "Control Panel" from the menu to open Control Panel. The Desktop toolbar will now appear at the right side of the taskbar to the left of the notification area icons. Click the icon with two right arrows, then click "Control Panel" from the menu to open Control Panel. 8. Run the Control Panel's EXE file By default, Windows stores the Control Panel's executable in C:\Windows\System32. To find it, launch File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32. Find control.exe in the long list—you can click in the right pane and start typing its name to skip to it. Double-click the file to open Control Panel directly. To find it, launch File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32. Find "control.exe" in the long list—you can click in the right pane and start typing its name to skip to it. Double-click the shortcut to open Control Panel. 9. Run it from the Task Manager Task Manager isn't just for shutting down apps or monitoring processes and performance—you can also launch apps from it. To launch Control Panel this way, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc or right-click the taskbar and select "Task Manager" to open it. Click "File" and select "Run new task." The Create New Task window will appear. Type control in the Open box and click "OK" to launch the Control Panel. Note: Microsoft has removed or hidden Control Panel access in the Win+X menu and Task Manager on recent Windows 11 builds. This method may fail or open the Settings app instead. Use it only on older Windows 10/11 versions. The Create New Task window will appear. Type Control Panel in the Open box and click "OK" to launch the Control Panel. 10. Use the Run window You can also launch Control Panel using the Run window. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog. In the Open box, type control and click "OK" to open it. 11. Run a command in Command Prompt You can launch almost any app on your PC, including Control Panel, from the Command Prompt. To do so, type cmd in the Windows Search box, then select "Command Prompt" from the search results to open it. In Command Prompt, type this command and press Enter: control Control Panel will open. In Command Prompt, type this command and press Enter: control panel Control Panel will open. 12. Run a command in PowerShell You can also launch Control Panel from PowerShell. To do so, type PowerShell in the Windows Search box, then select "Windows PowerShell" from the search results to open a PowerShell window. (You can also press Windows+X or right-click the Start button and select "Windows PowerShell" to open it.) In PowerShell, type the following command, then press Enter to open a Control Panel window: control In PowerShell, type the following command, then press Enter to open a Control Panel window: control panel Windows 10 is packed with different ways to accomplish common tasks. For example, there's a wide variety of ways to launch File Explorer, open a Command Prompt window, or lock your PC. Explore all the options to find those that work best for you and your workflow.