Control Panel is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to view and change system settings. It consists of a set of applets that include adding or removing hardware and software, controlling user accounts, changing accessibility options, and accessing networking settings. Additional applets are provided by third parties, such as audio and video drivers, VPN tools, input devices, and networking tools.
Overview Control Panel has been part of Microsoft Windows since Windows 1.0, with each successive version introducing new applets. Beginning with Windows 95, the Control Panel is implemented as a special folder (i.e. the folder does not physically exist), and as such only contains shortcuts to various applets such as Add or Remove Programs and Internet Options. Physically, these applets are stored as .cpl files so that they can be shown on the Control Panel. For example, the Add or Remove Programs applet is stored under the name appwiz.cpl in the SYSTEM32 folder.
Starting with Windows Me, the Control Panel home screen was changed to present a categorized navigation structure reminiscent of navigating a web page. Users can switch between the grid-based Classic View and the category view via a link on the Web view panel on the left-hand side or on a drop-down menu on the top-right corner of the window. In Windows Vista onwards, additional layers of navigation were introduced, and the Control Panel window itself became the main interface for editing settings as opposed to just launching separate dialogs. Many of the individual Control Panel applets can also be accessed in other ways. For instance, Display Properties can be accessed by right-clicking on an empty area of the desktop and choosing Properties. The Control Panel can be accessed from a command prompt by typing control; optional parameters are available to open specific control panels.
On Windows 10, Control Panel is deprecated in favor of Settings app, which was originally introduced on Windows 8 as "PC Settings" to provide a touchscreen-optimized settings area using its Metro-style app platform. Some functions, particularly the ability to add and remove user accounts, were moved exclusively to this app on Windows 8 and cannot be performed from Control Panel. Beginning with the October 2020 update of Windows 10, the System applet in Control Panel now redirects to the About section of the Settings app. The page for the applet in Control Panel still exists even in current versions of Windows 10 and can still be accessed via workarounds, however Microsoft is actively trying to block various shortcuts and third-party apps that can access the aforementioned page, which could potentially lead to a permanent removal of said page from Control Panel in future versions of Windows.
List of Control Panel applets The applets listed below are components of the Microsoft Windows control panel, which allows users to define a range of settings for their computer, monitor the status of devices such as printers and modems, and set up new hardware, programs and network connections. Each applet is stored individually as a separate file (usually a .cpl file), folder or DLL, the locations of which are stored in the registry under the following keys:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\CplsThis contains the string format locations of all .cpl files on the hard drive used within the control panel. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ControlPanel\NamespaceThis contains the location of the CLSID variables for all the panels not included as cpl files. These are commonly folders or shell applets, though Windows Vista allows physical programs themselves to be registered as well. The CLSID then allows items such as the icon, infobox and category to be set and gives the location of the file to be used.
The control panel then uses these lists to locate the applets and load them into the control panel program (control.exe) when started by the user. In addition to using the control panel, a user can also invoke the applets manually via the command processor. For instance, the syntax "Control.exe inetcpl.cpl" or "control.exe /name Microsoft.InternetOptions" will run the internet properties applet in Windows XP or Vista respectively. While both syntax examples are accepted on Windows Vista, only the former one is accepted on Windows XP.
Standard applets Accessibility options () (control /name microsoft.easeofaccesscenter)(Renamed "Ease of Access Center" in Windows Vista and later)Allows users to configure the accessibility of their PC and enable the use of assistive technologies. It comprises various settings primarily aimed at users with disabilities or hardware problems. The behavior of the keyboard can be modified, this is aimed at people who have difficulty pressing key-combinations, or pressing a key just once. (StickyKeys, FilterKeys and ToggleKeys) Behavior of sounds can be modified. (SoundSentry and ShowSounds) High contrast mode can be activated. The keyboard cursor can be customized. The pointer can be controlled using the keyboard. (MouseKeys) A screen magnifier can be enabled. (Magnifier) A screen reading application can be enabled. (Narrator) An on-screen keyboard can be toggled.
This applet has since been superseded by the Ease of Access control panel applet from Windows Vista onwards, but it still uses the access.cpl filename. It was originally a separate utility called Utility Manager, introduced in Windows 2000 and present in Windows XP.Add New Hardware ()Launches a wizard which allows users to add new hardware devices to the system. This can be done by selecting from a list of devices or by specifying the location of the driver installation files.Add or Remove Programs ()(Renamed "Programs and Features" in Windows Vista and later)The Add/Remove Programs dialog allows the user to manipulate software installed on the system in a number of ways; Allows users to uninstall and change existing software packages, as well as indicating how much space individual programs take and how frequently they are used. Allows users to manually install software from a CD-ROM or floppy disk, and install add-ons from Windows Update. Allows users to change which Windows components are installed, via the Windows setup Wizard, which includes Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger Allows users to specify the default applications for certain tasks, via the 'set program access and defaults' wizard, such as web browsers, media players and email programs and whether access to these programs is available (since Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 3 and Windows XP Service Pack 1)Administrative Tools (control admintools)Contains tools for system administration, including security, performance and service configuration. These are links to various configurations of the Microsoft Management Console such as the local services list and the Event Viewer.Automatic Updates ()This is used to specify how the Automatic Updates client (wuauclt.exe) should download updates from the Microsoft Update Website, by default this is set to download and install daily, however this can be changed to a more suitable frequency. This also allows the user to specify whether to ask permission before downloading and/or installing updates or to simply switch off Automatic Updates altogether.
Removed in Windows 10 and moved to the Settings app.Date and time ()Allows user to change the date and time stored in the machine's BIOS, change the time zone and specify whether to synchronize the date and time with an Internet Time Server and which server to use.Display (control desktop) () (Renamed "Personalization" in Windows Vista, 7 and 8.1)Allows the user to change the display characteristics of their computer; Allows users to change the desktop background (wallpaper) to a picture of their choice and specifies how it should be shown. Allows the user to change or disable the screensaver, and specify how long it takes to activate and whether to ask for a password on resume Allows the user to specify the color styles of all elements within the system, primarily whether to use the Windows XP / Vista styles (blue by default in XP) or to use the classic Windows 98 / 2000 / Me styles, this also allows the user to change the My Computer and Recycle Bin icons. Allows the user to change the screen resolution and colour quality, and provides trouble shooting advice for displays.
Removed in Windows 10 and moved to the Settings app.Folder Options (control folders) (rundll32.exe shell32.dll, Options_RunDLL 0)This item allows for configuration of how folders and files are presented in Windows Explorer. More specifically it allows the user to specify general settings like whether folders open in a new window or the existing window and whether the common tasks pane is shown, as well as more advanced tasks such as whether windows should hide critical system files and whether to show file extensions. It is also used to modify file type associations in Windows; i.e., which program opens which type of file and other settings like actions for each file type and the file extension.Fonts (control fonts)Displays all fonts installed on the computer. Users can remove fonts, install new fonts or search for fonts using font characteristics. Note that "explorer \Windows\Fonts" has the same effect.
This applet and the folder still exists on Windows 10 and Windows 11 up to 2023 Update, however there is a similar page in Settings starting with Windows 10 April 2018 Update.
Moved to the Settings app on Windows 11 2024 Update, but the shortcut still exists. Clicking on it goes to the Settings app.Internet Options ()Allows the user to change the way the computer manages internet connections and browser settings for Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, it has several tags specifying different attributes; General – This specifies the homepage and color schemes and allows the user to delete internet usage history. Security & Privacy – These specify whether the computer should allow websites to undertake certain processes and download cookies, this panel also gives access to the inbuilt pop-up blocker (Windows XP SP2 and later) and the phishing controls (Internet Explorer 7). Content – Allows the parental controls and auto-complete to be configured and also specifies how to deal with certificates. Connections, Programs and Advanced – These give access to other aspects of internet settings such as the default modem connection and email client, proxy settings and other advanced configurations.Game controllers () (control /name microsoft.gamecontrollers)Allows one to add, display, troubleshoot, and use advanced settings on joysticks and game controllers and connect to other type of game controllers.