In an effort to get users into the habit of using the Settings App, Microsoft has hidden the Control Panel and made it difficult for users to open Control Panel on a Windows computer.
However, many users still prefer using the Control Panel and there are certain settings in Windows Control Panel which are still not available or easy to access in the Settings App.
Luckily, the Control Panel is still available in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 and you can find below multiple ways to open Control Panel on a Windows computer.
1. Open Control Panel Using Windows Search
The easiest way to open Control Panel in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 is to search for “Control Panel” in Windows Search Bar.
1. Type Control Panel in the Search bar and click on Control Panel Desktop App in the Search results.
2. This will directly take you to the main Control Panel Screen, from where you can navigate to any section of the Control Panel.
2. Open Control Panel Using Run Command
You can also use Run Command to open the Control Center on your computer.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run.
2. In the Run Command window, type Control Panel and click on OK.
Note: You can also use Windows + R shortcut to open Run command window.
3. Open Control Panel Using Settings
While the Settings App does not provide immediate access to Control Panel, you can make use of the Search bar on the Settings screen to open Control Panel.
1. Open Settings on your computer.
2. On the Settings screen, type Control Panel in the Search bar and select Control Panel in the Search Results.
This should immediately open the Control Panel on your Windows computer.
Pin Control Panel to Taskbar
In order to make it easy for you to access Control Panel, you can add Control Panel to the start menu or to the Taskbar on your computer.
Type Control Panel in Windows Search bar > right-click on Control Panel Desktop App in Search results and select Pin to Taskbar option.
This will add Control Panel Shortcut Icon to the taskbar, making it easy for you to open the Control Panel.
Add Control Panel Shortcut to Desktop
Another way to make Control Panel easily accessible on your computer is to add the Control Panel Shortcut to the Desktop on your computer.
1. Type Control Panel in the Search bar > right-click on Control Panel Desktop App and select Open File Location option.
2. On the next screen, right-click on Control Panel and select Create Shortcut option in the menu that appears.
3. Once the Shortcut is created, Rename the Shortcut and drag it to your Desktop.
Now, you can open the Control Panel at any time on your computer by double-clicking on the Desktop Control Panel Shortcut.