Do you want to change some system settings in Windows 8 and are looking for the Control Panel? It used to be on the Start Menu but Windows 8 doesn’t have a Start Menu so you will have to look someplace else. In this tip, I’ll show four different ways to get to this important system tool quickly.
Method one - Use the Quick Access menu opened by the keyboard shortcut Winkey+X that was described in this previous tip.
Method two - Another keyboard shortcut to the desktop Control Panel is Winkey+I, which opens a Charms bar with Control Panel as an entry. (Does not apply when you are on the Start Screen.)
Method three - Open the Run line with the keyboard combination Winkey+R and then enter “control” (without quotes) .
Method four - If you are a frequent user of Control Panel, here is how to create a desktop shortcut for opening it
- Right-click a empty spot on the desktop
- From the context menu, select “New”
- Select “Shortcut”
-
In the box labeled “Type the location of the item”, enter
explorer shell:::{5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0} - Click “Next”
- For the name, enter “Control Panel”
- Click “Finish”
Method five An even easier way to create a shortcut to Control Panel on the Desktop was covered in a previous article. See Tip #3 in that article for details
Method six There is also a way to list all the components of Control Panel in one place and that was also covered in the previous article. See Tip #1 in that article for details
And there you have it - a selection of paths to Control Panel so you can pick the way that suits you best.
Get your own favorite tip published! Know a neat tech tip or trick? Then why not have it published here and receive full credit? Click here to tell us your tip.
This tips section is maintained by Vic Laurie. Vic runs several websites with Windows how-to's, guides, and tutorials, including a site for learning about Windows and the Internet and another with Windows 7 tips.
Click here for more items like this. Better still, get Tech Tips delivered via your RSS feeder or alternatively, have the RSS feed sent as email direct to your in-box.
Comments
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned "Godmode".
It's one of the first things I install and seems to solve all my control panel problems.
Another tip for getting to the control panel without having to go to the desktop first is to enable the desktop toolbar - right-click on the taskbar, mouse over "toolbars" and click on "desktop" - then you can click on the chevron and have access to a tree display for all desktop icons/shortcuts.
Slightly off-topic, but another useful toolbar to have in the Windows 8 desktop screen is one for all programs (as we had in Win7 start menu). Right-click on the taskbar, mouse over toolbars and click on "new toolbar". In the window that opens, browse to C:/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs then click on "select folder" - you now have a tree for all installed program folders/files available when you click on the toolbar chevron.
What on earth is method four about? The control panel shortcut is a default desktop icon so there is no need to create another one.
If it is not currently displayed right-click on the desktop, click on "personalise" then "change desktop icons" and check the box for control panel and click on OK.
The use of the word default maybe comes down to semantics, but what I meant was why create a shortcut when one is already available (and, in my case, was enabled by default in two 7 and one 8 installations)?
I did see the previous tips when you published them and in fact used the "all settings" one so thank you for that.
"Windows always seems to have multiple ways to do the same thing" - I second that!
I only came across the Alt+F4 keyboard shortcut for getting the shutdown etc. menu on the desktop yesterday, I'd been using Winkey+I to open the Win8 settings bar.