General Create Shortcuts to Open Control Panel Items in Windows 11


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Control_Panel_banner.png

This tutorial will provide you with a list of commands to open or create shortcuts to directly open Control Panel items in Windows 11.

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.


Control Panel: control.exe

Control Panel category view: explorer "shell:::{26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}"

Control Panel icons view: explorer "shell:::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"

Control Panel All Tasks (aka: God Mode): explorer "shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"



Press Ctrl + F to search table.



Control Panel Items
Commands
Add a Device wizard%windir%\System32\DevicePairingWizard.exe
Add Hardware wizard%windir%\System32\hdwwiz.exe
Add a Printer wizardrundll32 shell32.dll,SHHelpShortcuts_RunDLL AddPrinter
Additional Clocksrundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl,,1
AutoPlaycontrol /name Microsoft.AutoPlay
Backup and Restore (Windows 7)control /name Microsoft.BackupAndRestoreCenter
BitLocker Drive Encryptioncontrol /name Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption
Bluetooth Settings (Options tab)rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL bthprops.cpl,,1
Bluetooth Settings (COM Ports tab)rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL bthprops.cpl,,2
Bluetooth Settings (Hardware tab)rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL bthprops.cpl,,3
Color and Appearanceexplorer "shell:::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921} -Microsoft.Personalization\pageColorization"
Color Managementcontrol /name Microsoft.ColorManagement
Credential Managercontrol /name Microsoft.CredentialManager
Date and Time (Date and Time)control /name Microsoft.DateAndTime
OR
control timedate.cpl
OR
control date/time
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl,,0
Date and Time (Additional Clocks)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl,,1
Default Programscontrol /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms
Desktop Backgroundexplorer "shell:::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921} -Microsoft.Personalization\pageWallpaper"
Desktop Icon Settingsrundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,0
Device Managercontrol /name Microsoft.DeviceManager
OR
control hdwwiz.cpl
OR
devmgmt.msc
Devices and Printersexplorer shell:::{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}
Ease of Access Centercontrol /name Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter
OR
control access.cpl
File Explorer Options (General tab)control /name Microsoft.FolderOptions
OR
control folders
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0
File Explorer Options (View tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 7
File Explorer Options (Search tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 2
File Historycontrol /name Microsoft.FileHistory
Fontscontrol /name Microsoft.Fonts
OR
control fonts
Game Controllerscontrol /name Microsoft.GameControllers
OR
control joy.cpl
Get Programscontrol /name Microsoft.GetPrograms
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl,,1
Indexing Optionscontrol /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL srchadmin.dll
Infraredcontrol /name Microsoft.Infrared
OR
control irprops.cpl
OR
control /name Microsoft.InfraredOptions
Internet Properties (General tab)control /name Microsoft.InternetOptions
OR
control inetcpl.cpl
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,0
Internet Properties (Security tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,1
Internet Properties (Privacy tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,2
Internet Properties (Content tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,3
Internet Properties (Connections tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,4
Internet Properties (Programs tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,5
Internet Properties (Advanced tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL inetcpl.cpl,,6
iSCSI Initiatorcontrol /name Microsoft.iSCSIInitiator
Keyboard Propertiescontrol /name Microsoft.Keyboard
OR
control keyboard
Mouse Properties (Buttons tab 0)control /name Microsoft.Mouse
OR
control main.cpl
OR
control mouse
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl,,0
Mouse Properties (Pointers tab 1)control main.cpl,,1
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl,,1
Mouse Properties (Pointer Options tab 2)control main.cpl,,2
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl,,2
Mouse Properties (Wheel tab 3)control main.cpl,,3
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl,,3
Mouse Properties (Hardware tab 4)control main.cpl,,4
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL main.cpl,,4
Network and Sharing Centercontrol /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter
Network Connectionscontrol ncpa.cpl
OR
control netconnections
Network Setup Wizardcontrol netsetup.cpl
Notification Area Iconsexplorer "shell:::{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}"
ODBC Data Source Administratorcontrol odbccp32.cpl
Offline Filescontrol /name Microsoft.OfflineFiles
Pen and Touchrundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL tabletpc.cpl
Pen and Touch (Pen Options tab)rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL tabletpc.cpl,,0
Pen and Touch (Touch tab)rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL tabletpc.cpl,,1
Performance Options (Visual Effects)%windir%\system32\SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe
Performance Options (Data Execution Prevention)%windir%\system32\SystemPropertiesDataExecutionPrevention.exe
Personalizationexplorer "shell:::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921}"
Phone and Modemcontrol /name Microsoft.PhoneAndModem
OR
control telephon.cpl
Power Optionscontrol /name Microsoft.PowerOptions
OR
control powercfg.cpl
Power Options - Advanced settingscontrol powercfg.cpl,,1
Power Options - Create a Power Plancontrol /name Microsoft.PowerOptions /page pageCreateNewPlan
Power Options - Edit Plan Settingscontrol /name Microsoft.PowerOptions /page pagePlanSettings
Power Options - System Settingscontrol /name Microsoft.PowerOptions /page pageGlobalSettings
Presentation Settings%windir%\system32\PresentationSettings.exe
Programs and Featurescontrol /name Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures
OR
control appwiz.cpl
Recoverycontrol /name Microsoft.Recovery
Region (Formats tab)control /name Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage
OR
control intl.cpl
OR
control international
RemoteApp and Desktop Connectionscontrol /name Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections
Scanners and Camerascontrol /name Microsoft.ScannersAndCameras
OR
control sticpl.cpl
Screen Saver Settingsrundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,1
Security and Maintenancecontrol /name Microsoft.ActionCenter
OR
control wscui.cpl
Sound (Playback tab)control /name Microsoft.Sound
OR
control mmsys.cpl
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL mmsys.cpl,,0
Sound (Recording tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL mmsys.cpl,,1
Sound (Sounds tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL mmsys.cpl,,2
Sound (Communications tab)rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL mmsys.cpl,,3
Speech Recognitioncontrol /name Microsoft.SpeechRecognition
Storage Spacescontrol /name Microsoft.StorageSpaces
Sync Centercontrol /name Microsoft.SyncCenter
System Iconsexplorer "shell:::{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9} \SystemIcons,,0"
System Properties (Computer Name)%windir%\System32\SystemPropertiesComputerName.exe
System Properties (Hardware)%windir%\System32\SystemPropertiesHardware.exe
System Properties (Advanced)%windir%\System32\SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe
System Properties (System Protection)%windir%\System32\SystemPropertiesProtection.exe
System Properties (Remote)%windir%\System32\SystemPropertiesRemote.exe
Tablet PC Settingscontrol /name Microsoft.TabletPCSettings
Text Services and Input Languagesrundll32 Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL input.dll,,{C07337D3-DB2C-4D0B-9A93-B722A6C106E2}
Text to Speechcontrol /name Microsoft.TextToSpeech
Troubleshootingexplorer "shell:::{26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}\0\::{C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651}"
User Accountscontrol /name Microsoft.UserAccounts
OR
control userpasswords
User Accounts (netplwiz)netplwiz
OR
control userpasswords2
Windows Defender Firewallcontrol /name Microsoft.WindowsFirewall
OR
control firewall.cpl
Windows Defender Firewall Allowed appsexplorer "shell:::{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423} -Microsoft.WindowsFirewall\pageConfigureApps"
Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security%WinDir%\System32\WF.msc
Windows Features%windir%\System32\OptionalFeatures.exe
OR
rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl,,2
Windows Mobility Centercontrol /name Microsoft.MobilityCenter
Windows Toolscontrol /name Microsoft.AdministrativeTools
OR
control admintools
Work Folders%windir%\System32\WorkFolders.exe


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

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Last edited:
Excellent tutorial.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Hi there
For control panel -- easy enough properties-->open file location-->send to desktop (create short cut).
My view on all these things is K.I.S.S

The only two "system type" things I have as Desktop short cuts are the cmd shell and the control panel. Some might want Powershell too i'd imagine. Note also any of these can be pinned to taskbar as well.

dt.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Ahhh... the God Mode for geeks! :)

God mode looks different on Windows 11. Or is it the same? I don't remember.

1626217640407.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Gaming Edge Wifi (X570)
    Memory
    32GB Adata XPG DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GTX 1070 8GB ROG
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 600 Watts Gold
    Case
    Deepcool Genome II
    Cooling
    Deepcool Fryzen
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    "Moderna"
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI R9 290
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung M.2
    PSU
    Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
    Case
    Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
    Cooling
    Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Moderna :)

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Love this tutorial. Thanks!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
    Memory
    16 GB: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB)
    Sound Card
    NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG), ASUS VE278H 27", and 23" Dell UltraSharp U2311H
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 for all
    Hard Drives
    HP EX920 M.2 1TB (OS + apps + high performance files), WD Blue 3D NAND SSD 1TB (video editing + games), WD Blue 1 TB HDD: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM (rest of personal files), two WD My Book 3 TB drives (backup + games) and two 8TB Seagate Backup + Hub archive drives.
    PSU
    Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V
    Case
    AZZA Solano 1000 Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front MicroATX/ATX/Full ATX
    Cooling
    5 fans + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan Heat Sink for CPU
    Keyboard
    WASD V3 Custom Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M720 Triathlon Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1,000 Mbps download, 25 Mbps upload
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    View full equipment here: http://davidvkimball.com/pc
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 3
    CPU
    Intel Core i5
    Memory
    4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.8” ClearType Full HD Plus Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1280
    Hard Drives
    128GB SSD
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    Originally shipped with Windows 8.1 Pro in 2014, upgraded to 10, and now Windows 11.

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