• Donate
    TheWindowsForum.com needs donations to stay online!
    Love TheWindowsForum.com? Then help keep it alive by sending a donation!

10 Ways to Open Control Panel in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista & XP

WELCOME TO THEWINDOWSFORUM COMMUNITY!

Our community has more than 63,000 registered members, and we'd love to have you as a member. Join us and take part in our unbiased discussions among people of all different backgrounds about Windows OS, Software, Hardware and more.

rishtran

Member
Feb 17, 2021
15
9
You can use the Control Panel to change settings in Windows. These settings control almost everything related to your computer’s operating system. So how to open Control Panel and set these settings according to your requirements?

In Windows 10, there are a few different ways to find and change your settings: Setting App, Control Panel, and Search box. Most of the settings that you want to change can be found in the app settings.

What is Control Panel?​

The Control Panel in Windows is a collection of small emulators (Applets) that can be used to configure various aspects of an operating system.

open control panel in windows 16 - Ticswipe.com

For example, a small Control Panel program allows you to configure mouse pointer resizing (or some other small customization). At the same time, another Applet will enable you to adjust all settings related to sound. Or another program you can use to change the state of network settings, set storage space, and much more. You can find and customize them in Control Panel’s program list.

So, before you make any changes to these programs in Windows, you need to open the Control Panel interface. Luckily, this is easy to do – at least in most current versions of Windows.

Note: Don’t be surprised, the way the Control Panel opens will differ greatly between Windows versions. Here are the steps to open Control Panel for Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, and Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP. Please choose the correct version of Windows you are using to apply accordingly.

7 Ways to Open Control Panel in Windows 10​

Open Control Panel with Start Menu​

Step 1: Press the Windows key on the keyboard.

Step 2: Enter Control Panel. In case you’re not using a keyboard, scroll down the list of Start options and open the Windows System folder.

Step 3: Select Control Panel from the list.

open control panel in windows 1 - Ticswipe.com

Tip: In most Windows 10, the Control Panel opens in Category view, arranging Applets by category. You can change the view to Large icons or Small icons to see all Applets individually if you like.

Open Control Panel from the Quick Access Menu​

Press the Windows + X shortcut or right-click in the lower-left corner to open the Quick Access Menu, then select Control Panel from the list displayed.

open control panel in windows 2 - Ticswipe.com

Go to Control Panel through Windows Settings​

Open the Settings Panel using the Windows + I keyboard shortcut, type Control Panel in the search bar and open it up.

open control panel in windows 8 - Ticswipe.com

Open Control Panel in File Explorer​

Click the File Explorer icon on the Taskbar, select Desktop and double-click Control Panel.

open control panel in windows 3 - Ticswipe.com

Open Control Panel from Run​

Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box, type Control Panel in the search box, and click OK.

open control panel in windows 4 - Ticswipe.com

Open Control Panel from Command Prompt​

Step 1: Click the Start button to open the Start Menu, type “cmd” in the search box and click Command Prompt to open it.

open control panel in windows 5 - Ticswipe.com

Step 2: Type Control Panel in the Command Prompt window and press Enter.

open control panel in windows 6 - Ticswipe.com

Open Control Panel through Windows PowerShell​

Step 1: Click the Start button and find the keyword Windows PowerShell, then right-click and choose Run as administrator.

open control panel in windows 7 - Ticswipe.com

Step 2: Type Control Panel in the Windows PowerShell window and press Enter.

open control panel in windows 9 - Ticswipe.com

Open Control Panel Windows 8​

Open Control Panel using Windows Settings​

Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings window, then click Control Panel.

open control panel in windows 15 - Ticswipe.com

Open Control Panel using Apps​

Step 1: Press the Start button on the computer screen, swipe up to go to the application screen. Or Use your computer mouse to click the Down Arrow icon.

open control panel in windows 12 - Ticswipe.com

Tip: If you’re using a keyboard, the WIN + X shortcut will take you to the Control Panel interface. In Windows 8.1, you can also right-click the Start button to bring up the Quick Access Menu to Control Panel.

Step 2: On the app screen, swipe or scroll right and find the Windows System category => Select Control Panel.

open control panel in windows 13 - Ticswipe.com

Windows 8 will switch to the Desktop and open the Control Panel.

open control panel in windows 14 - Ticswipe.com

Tip: Like most Windows versions, the Category view is the default view for Control Panel in Windows 8 and we recommend converting it to the right format so that you can easily manage it. To do this, select the Category from the dashboard’s Top Menu, then select the appropriate icon view.

Open Control Panel Windows 7, Vista & XP​

Step 1: Select the Start button (Windows 7 or Vista) or Start (Windows XP}.

Step 2: Select Control Panel from the list in the right margin.

open control panel in windows 10 - Ticswipe.com

Windows 7 or Vista: If you don’t see the Control Panel listed, the link is most likely disabled as customization in the Start Menu. Instead, enter the term “Control” in the Search Box located at the bottom of the Start Menu and then click Control Panel when it appears in the list.

Windows XP: If you do not see the Control Panel option, your Start Menu tool may be installed in “Classic” mode or this link may be disabled.

Try navigating the Start => Settings => Control Panel order or using the Run search box.

open control panel in windows 11 - Ticswipe.com

In all three versions of Windows above, the Group view will be displayed by default. You can also easily change them to individual icon views to make them easier to manage.

Conclusion​

So you already know how to open Control Panel in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista & XP, right? Hopefully, this article will help you and if you have any other questions or suggestions related to the article or about Windows, do not forget to leave your comments below.

Source: https://ticswipe.com/10-ways-to-open-control-panel-in-windows-10-8-7
 
Back