You Won’t Believe How Easy It is to Access Windows 10’s Hidden Control Panel!
When it comes to using Windows 10, most users are familiar with the Control Panel, which provides access to a wide range of system settings and customization options. However, there is another control panel that Windows 10 users might not be aware of - the hidden Control Panel.
So, what is the hidden Control Panel, and why should you care about it? The hidden Control Panel provides access to advanced system settings that are not available in the standard Control Panel. This hidden Control Panel includes several useful tools that can help you troubleshoot problems, improve performance, and take control of your Windows 10 system.
Now, you might be wondering how to access this hidden Control Panel. The good news is that it is incredibly simple! Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the Windows key and R key at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
Step 2: Type “control” into the Run dialog box, then press Enter.
Step 3: When the Control Panel opens, look for the “View by” option in the top right corner of the window.
Step 4: Click the drop-down arrow beside “View by,” and select “Large icons” or “Small icons” from the list.
Step 5: Scroll down until you see “Administrative Tools” and click on it.
Step 6: Here, you will find the hidden Control Panel, which includes several useful tools that can help you manage and optimize your Windows 10 system.
Some of the most useful tools in the hidden Control Panel include:
• Event Viewer: This tool allows you to view detailed logs of system events, which can help you troubleshoot problems and identify potential issues with your system.
• Performance Monitor: This tool provides real-time performance metrics for your system, including CPU usage, disk activity, and memory usage.
• Services: This tool allows you to manage system services, which are programs that run in the background and provide important system functions.
• Computer Management: This tool provides access to a wide range of system management tools, including disk management, device manager, and user management.
In conclusion, accessing Windows 10’s hidden Control Panel is incredibly easy and can provide you with valuable tools to manage and optimize your system. If you’re looking to take control of your Windows 10 system, be sure to check out the hidden Control Panel today!
Although the Settings app is the experience that replaces Control Panel in Windows 10, you still need to get to the old Control Panel as not every setting has been migrated to the new experience.
The only issue is that on the effort to get you used to use the new Settings app, Windows 10 has been removing ways to open Control Panel. However, it’s still possible to access this experience in a number of ways when you need to configure a feature on the OS that isn’t available in the Settings app.
In this guide, you’ll learn a number of ways to open the old Control Panel experience on Windows 10.
How to open Control Panel
While there are still available a number of ways to open the old experience to change the settings on Windows 10, here a list with the most common steps to get to Control Panel.
Using the Start menu
The easiest way to open Control Panel is using the Start menu.
- Open Start.
- Type Control Panel.
- Control Panel search on Start menu
- Click the result to open the experience.
Alternatively, you can find Control Panel in the App list.
Open Start.
Type Control Panel.
Control Panel search on Start menu
Click the result to open the experience.
- Open Start.
- Scroll down the App list and click Windows System.
- Click on Control Panel to open the experience.
- Windows System on Start menu
Using the Run command
You can also use the Run command to open the old experience.
Scroll down the App list and click Windows System.
Click on Control Panel to open the experience.
Windows System on Start menu
- Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
- Type Control Panel.
- Control Panel on Run command
- Click OK to launch the experience.
Creating a shortcut
It’s also possible to create a shortcut to open Control Panel on Windows 10 from virtually anywhere.
Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
Control Panel on Run command
Click OK to launch the experience.
- Right-click an empty space on the desktop.
- Select New and click on Shortcut.
- Type the following path and click Next.
- %systemdrive%\Windows\System32\control.exe
- Shortcut to Control Panel
- Type a descriptive name for the shortcut, such as Control Panel.
- Click Finish.
Once you completed the steps, simply double-click the shortcut to open the experience.
Right-click an empty space on the desktop.
Select New and click on Shortcut.
Type the following path and click Next.
%systemdrive%\Windows\System32\control.exe
Shortcut to Control Panel
Type a descriptive name for the shortcut, such as Control Panel.
Click Finish.
On every version of Windows, there is also something called “GodMode,” which is a way to access a hidden list with all the settings available on Control Panel. You can check this guide on how to enable GodMode on Windows 10.
Using Settings
You may have not noticed, but you can also access Control Panel from the Settings app.
- Open Settings (Windows key + I).
- Type the feature you want to configure in the search box and press Enter.
- Windows Settings search
- Click the result you want to open Control Panel.
- Windows Setting search result
The ability to get to Control Panel is possible, because not every option is yet configurable using the Settings app, but the new experience somehow needs to offer a way to access all settings.
Open Settings (Windows key + I).
Type the feature you want to configure in the search box and press Enter.
Windows Settings search
Click the result you want to open Control Panel.
Windows Setting search result
It should be noted that starting with the Creators Update, Windows 10 removes access to Control Panel using the Power User menu (Windows key + X).
