How to Create a Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10


In Windows 10, there are a few different ways to find and change your settings: Settings app, Control Panel, app settings, and search.

You can use Control Panel to change settings for Windows. These settings control nearly everything about how Windows looks and works, and you can use them to set up Windows so that it's just right for you.

This tutorial will show you how to create or download a shortcut that will always open to the Control Panel in either category or icons view in Windows 10.


Contents




EXAMPLE: Control Panel in category and small/large icons view
Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-control_panel_category_view.png
Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-control_panel_small_icons_view.png
Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-control_panel_large_icons_view.png




OPTION ONE

To Download a Control Panel Shortcut


1 Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .zip file for the shortcut you want.

Control_Panel_category_view-shortcut.zip

Download

OR

Control_Panel_icons_view-shortcut.zip

Download

2 Save the .zip file to your desktop.

3 Unblock the .zip file..

4 Open the .zip file, and extract (drag and drop) the shortcut to your desktop.

5 You can Pin to Taskbar, Pin to Start, add to All apps, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

6 When finished, you can delete the downloaded .zip file if you like.






OPTION TWO

To Create a Control Panel Shortcut


1 Right click or press and hold on an empty area on your desktop, and click/tap on New and Shortcut.

2 Copy and paste the location below that you want to use into the location area, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

(Open Control Panel in last used view)
%windir%\System32\control.exe

OR

(Always Open Control Panel in category view)
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}

OR

(Always Open Control Panel in icons view)
%windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-1.png

3 Type Control Panel for the name, and click/tap on the Finish button. (see screenshot below)

You could name this shortcut anything you would like though.

Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-2.png

4 Right click or press and hold on the new shortcut, and click/tap on Properties.

5 Click/tap on the Shortcut tab, then click/tap on the Change Icon button. (see screenshot below)

Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-3.png

6 In the line under "Look for icons in this file", copy and paste the location below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

%windir%\System32\imageres.dll

Create Control Panel Shortcut in Windows 10-shortcut-4.png

7 Select the icon highlighted in blue above, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot above)

You could use any icon that you would like instead though.


8 Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 5)

9 You can Pin to Taskbar, Pin to Start, add to All apps, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.


That's it,
Shawn


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