Control Panel is the central hub for Windows operating system. You can manage almost all aspects of the OS from the Control Panel, be it peripherals connected to the system or software installed on your PC; even User Accounts, Power configurations, and many more essential tools can be accessed from the Control Panel.
Though the Control Panel has been present in the Windows operating system since its inception, in the latest iteration of Windows many of its functionalities that pertains to an average user have been moved to the Settings app. As a result, Control Panel is a tad bit difficult to locate in the system.
That being said, there are multiple ways you can access the Control Panel on your system as and when required. You can create a shortcut, place a Control Panel icon on your desktop, use a Run command or select any of the methods mentioned in this guide as per your preference to open the Control Panel on your Windows PC.
Method 1: Search for Control Panel from the Start Menu
This is probably the most conventional and the easiest way to head to the Control Panel on your system. All you would require to open the Control Panel using this method is a couple of clicks paired with some keystrokes and you will be done.
To open Control Panel using this method, first head to the Start Menu by either clicking on the ‘Start Menu’ tile present on your taskbar or by simply pressing the Windows key on your keyboard.
Once the Start Menu is visible on your screen, type Control Panel on it to perform a search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to open the Control Panel window on your PC.
Method 2: Open Control Panel Using the Settings App
You can also use the Settings app to open the Control Panel on your Windows 11 PC. This method can come in handy if you are already in the Settings app and wish to jump to the Control Panel quickly, right from there.
To do so, first, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ app icon present under the ‘Pinned apps’ section to continue. Otherwise, you can type ‘Settings’ in the menu to perform a search for it. Alternatively, you can also press Windows+I keys together on your keyboard to bring up the Settings window on your screen.
After that, from the left section of the Settings window, locate the search bar and type Control Panel in it. Then, from the search results click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to open the Control Panel in a separate window on your screen.
Method 3: Use the Run Command Utility to Open Control Panel
In case you are not using the Settings app currently nor do you wish to search for the Control Panel from the Start Menu, you can straight up bring the Run utility and execute a command to directly open a Control Panel window on your PC.
To open Control Panel using this method, first, press the Windows+R keys together on your keyboard to bring up the Run utility. Then, type Control into the text box and either click on the ‘OK’ button or press Enter on your keyboard to open the Control Panel window on your screen.
And that’s it, this method is probably much more convenient than the first method if you are habituated to navigating your PC using keyboard shortcuts.
Method 4: Open Control Panel Using the Task Manager
In case your normal routine requires you to constantly monitor your PC resources usage or you are frequently visiting the Task Manager during the day, this method might suit you the best.
To open Control Panel this way, first, head to the Start Menu and type Task Manager to perform a search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Task Manager’ tile to open it. Alternatively, you can also press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys together on your keyboard to open it.
After that, on the Task Manager window, click on the ‘Run new task’ button present in the top right section of the window. This will open a separate window on your screen.
Next, type ‘Control’ in the text box and hit Enter on your keyboard to open the Control Panel in a separate window.
Method 5: Jump to Control Panel from Anywhere in File Explorer
If bringing up Run utility every time you wish to open the Control Panel feels like too much work, you can also directly jump to the Control Panel from any File Explorer window.
To do so, first, double-click on the ‘This PC’ icon present on the Desktop of your computer. Alternatively, you can also press the Windows+E keys together on your keyboard to open the File Explorer window.
Now, from the File Explorer window, locate and click on the address bar present in the top section of the window. Then, type Control and hit Enter on your keyboard to open Control Panel in a separate window on your screen. You can do this from anywhere in File Explorer.
Method 6: Pin the Control Panel on the TaskBar or the Start Menu
If your routine requires you to access the Control Panel very frequently; you can pin the Control Panel right on the Taskbar or the Start Menu to have instant access to it.
To pin the Control Panel, first, head to the Start Menu and type Control Panel in it to perform a search. Then, from the search results, right-click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to reveal the context menu. Next, from the context menu, click to select the ‘Pin to Taskbar’ option or ‘Pin to Start’ option. The Control Panel will be immediately pinned to the chosen location.
The Control Panel will be instantly pinned to the selected location on your computer.
Method 7: Get a Desktop Icon of the Control Panel
If you do not wish to pin the Control Panel on the Taskbar or the Start Menu, you can also place an icon of it right on your Desktop for your ease of convenience.
To place an icon of the Control Panel on the Desktop, first, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile present under the ‘Pinned apps’ section to proceed. Otherwise, type ‘Settings’ in the menu to perform a search for it.
Then, from the Settings window, click on the ‘Personalization’ tab present in the left sidebar to proceed.
Next, from the right section of the window, locate and click on the ‘Themes’ tile to continue.
Now, on the ‘Themes’ screen scroll down and click on the ‘Desktop icon settings’ tile present under the ‘Related settings’ section to continue. This will open a separate window on your screen.
Then, from the separately opened window, click on the checkbox preceding the ‘Control Panel’ option and then click on the ‘Apply’ button to apply the changes and click on the ‘OK’ button to close the window.
The Control Panel icon will be now present on your Desktop.
Method 8: Create a Control Panel Shortcut
You can also create a Control Panel shortcut natively on your Windows 11 computer. Though by default, the shortcut will be created on the Desktop, once created you can place it anywhere in the File Explorer that provides you convenient access to it.
To create a shortcut to Control Panel, first, right-click on the Desktop to reveal the context menu, and then hover over the ‘New’ option to expand the context menu. Next, from the expanded section, click on the ‘Shortcut’ option to proceed. This will open a separate window on your screen.
Now, on the separately opened window, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned directory in the text box provided on the window. Then, click on the ‘Next’ button to proceed.
%windir%\System32\control.exe
Then, on the next screen, enter an appropriate name for the shortcut that you wish to create. In this scenario, ‘Control Panel’ would be an ideal choice of name. After that, click on the ‘Finish’ button to create the shortcut.
Finally, the shortcut will be available on the Desktop, you can now move the shortcut to any location you wish to place the shortcut.
Method 9: Open Control Panel Using the PowerShell or Command Prompt
If your routine majorly revolves around the command-line interface tools, opening the Control Panel using the CLI tools might be the most convenient method for you.
To open Control Panel using one of the CLI tools, first, head to the Start Menu and type Terminal to perform a search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Terminal’ tile to open the Terminal window.
Now, the command to open the Control Panel is the same for both the command-line tools.
If you are here to open the Control Panel using PowerShell, on the Terminal window, type Control and hit Enter on your keyboard to open it. The Control Panel will open in a separate window on your screen.
In case you are here to open the Control Pane using the Command Prompt, click on the chevron (downward arrow) present on the topmost section of the ‘Terminal’ window to reveal the overflow menu. Then, click to select the ‘Command Prompt’ option from the menu. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl+Shift+2 keys together on your keyboard.
After that, on the Command Prompt window, type Control and hit Enter on your keyboard to open the Control Panel in a separate window on your screen.
There you go people, hopefully, using this guide, you would be able to open the Control Panel using a method preferred by you.
