Use the Control Panel

  • 3 minutes

The Control Panel lets you adjust your computer’s settings. Much of the new Settings app’s functionality is also present in the Control Panel. The Control Panel has been part of every Windows version since Windows 2.0. However, the Settings app replaces many possible configurable actions previously found in the Control Panel, which is the quickest way to make configuration changes. However, the Control Panel allows you to make more advanced changes that may not be available in the Settings app.

Screenshot of the Windows Control Panel.

There are multiple ways to access the control panel. Some methods include:

  • Select Start and type Control Panel

  • Select Start, and in All apps,

    • select Windows System, then Control Panel (Windows 10)
    • select Windows Tools, then Control Panel (Windows 11)

  • Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell (Windows 10) or Windows Terminal (Windows 11) and at the prompt, type control panel.

  • You can pin the Control Panel app to the Start.