Microsoft has been removing many tools from Control Panel in favor of new versions of these tools in the Settings app. However, the Control Panel tools have not yet been removed.

If you like using the Control Panel, we have good news. we will show you 11 Different Ways to Still Access Control Panel in Windows 11.

1. How to open Control Panel using search

One of the fastest ways to access the Control Panel is to use the Search.

To open the Control Panel using the Search function:

  1. Click the search icon on the taskbar (1) or press the Windows key.
  2. Scribe: control in the search box at the top (2).
  3. Click on the Control Panel in the section of best match (3).

2. How to open the control panel through the settings

Although it is not obvious, the Control Panel is available through the app Setting.

To open the control panel using the Settings app:

  1. Click the icon Windows on the taskbar (1) or press the windows key to open the Start menu.
  2. Click on Setting in the Start menu (2).
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  1. Scribe: control Panel in the search box on the left (1).
  2. Click on Control Panel when it appears below the search box (2).

3. How to open Control Panel using the Windows Tools start menu

Microsoft added a new shortcut called windows tools to the Start menu in Windows 11 and Control Panel is available through this shortcut.

To open Control Panel using Windows Tools:

  1. Open the Start menu and click All applications in the upper right corner.

  1. Scroll through the list of apps and click windows tools.

  1. Double click on the Control Panel.

4. How to Pin a Control Panel Shortcut to the Start Menu or Taskbar

For quick access, you can pin a Control Panel shortcut to the Start menu or taskbar. This is useful if you frequently use the Start menu or taskbar to run other programs.

To pin a Control Panel shortcut to the Start menu or taskbar (or both):

  1. Open the Start menu or click the Search icon on the Taskbar and scribe: control Panel in the Search box at the top.
  2. On best matchright-click on the Control Panel (1), and then click Pin to taskbar (2) or Pin to Start.
  3. The Start menu stays open, so you can select the other option you didn’t select if you want Control Panel to be available from both the Start menu and the taskbar.

Control Panel is now available on the Taskbar.

5. How to add the control panel to the desktop

If you use the desktop to access programs, you can add Control Panel to the desktop for quick access.

To add Control Panel to the desktop:

  1. Right-click on any empty space on the desktop and select Personalize.

  1. On the settings screen of Personalization, click on Topics.

  1. On the screen of Topics, click on Desktop Icon Settings.

  1. In the dialog Desktop Icon Settingscheck the box Control Panel (1) and then click To accept (two).
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The Control Panel icon will be added to the desktop.

6. How to Create a Control Panel Shortcut You Can Place Anywhere

You can also create a Control Panel shortcut that you can save anywhere, on the desktop, in a specific folder, etc. The previous method put the Control Panel icon on the desktop, but in that case it is not a shortcut.

To create a shortcut to Control Panel:

  1. Right-click on any empty space on the desktop.
  2. Select New (1) and then select Direct access (two).

  1. Copy the following and paste it into the box Type the location of the item (1).
%windir%System32control.exe
  1. Click on Following (two).

  1. Scribe: Control Panel in the frame Type a name for the shortcut (1) and then click Finalize (two).

The Control Panel shortcut will be added to the desktop. You can copy or move the shortcut to wherever you want.

7. How to open Control Panel using the File Explorer address bar

If you spend a lot of time using File Explorer, you’ll be glad to know that you can open Control Panel from there.

To open Control Panel using File Explorer, click the down arrow in the drop-down list in the address bar (1), and then click Control Panel (two).

8. How to add Control Panel to the list of folders in File Explorer

You can also open Control Panel with a single click in File Explorer by adding it to the Folders list.

To add Control Panel to the list of Folders in File Explorer:

  1. Click the See More menu button in the upper right corner of the browser window. File Browser (1) and then in Options (two).

  1. Click on the tab of View (1).
  2. At navigation pane of the box Advanced settingscheck the box show all folders (2) and click To accept (3).
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The Control Panel is added to the list of items in the left pane.

Clicking the Control Panel item in the left pane opens the Control Panel and closes the File Explorer window.

9. How to open Control Panel using the Run dialog

The Run dialog box is a handy way to quickly open applications. You can use it to open Control Panel.

To open Control Panel using the Run dialog:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the window Run.
  2. Scribe: control in the frame To open and click To accept.

10. How to open Control Panel from Command Prompt or PowerShell

If you like using commands to open apps and perform tasks, you can use the command line in Command Prompt, PowerShell, or the new Windows Terminal in Windows 11.

To open Control Panel using the command line:

  1. Right-click the Start menu icon on the taskbar (1) and click windows terminal (two).

  1. Scribe: control on the indicator and press Enter.

11. How to open Control Panel from Task Manager

You can also open Control Panel from Task Manager. This method is like using the Run dialog to open Control Panel.

To open Control Panel using Task Manager:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. If Task Manager opens in compact mode, as shown below, click More details to enlarge it.

  1. On the menu Archive, select run new task.

  1. In the dialog Create new task, scribe: control In the box To open and click To accept.

Forget control panel

As we’ve shown above, there are many ways to open and use Control Panel in Windows 11. For now, that’s it.

The Settings app is where you go to change most Windows settings in Windows 11. While some features are still configurable in Control Panel, you may find that this changes with each new Windows update.

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