How to Add Control Panel to File Explorer in Windows 10

Microsoft has made Windows 10 more user friendly but a few options such as the control panel which was previously available in the file explorer in the previous versions of Microsoft Windows is not there anymore. However, opening or finding the control panel is not hard for most people but for some people it might be hard. So, you can add the Control panel on your desktop, or for ease of access, you can add Control Panel to file explorer as well.

The control panel is an essential part of your Windows, from this panel you can customize any setting you want. Migrating from previous versions of Windows might make it hard to find the control panel for someone who is not tech-savvy. However, for ease of access, you can add the control panel to your desktop or your file explorer.

Warning:  Adding the Control Panel to file explorer in Windows 10 requires editing the registry which can be a very risky procedure. If anything goes wrong you might not be able to operate your Windows 10 anymore.  Please always backup Windows 10 registry and create a restore point before proceeding. 

Add Control Panel to File Explorer.

Follow these steps carefully to add the CPanel to the file explorer

Click on the Start menu or Search Button on the bottom left corner of your screen.

Type Regedit and select to open the Registry Editor.

First, you should back up your registry by clicking on the File option and select Export. Save the backup to your desired location.

Now you have to navigate to the following location in your registry

Click on the dropdown button on the left side of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE then Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > MyComputer

Or you can copy and paste this command in the address bar for ease of access.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer

Next right click on the NameSpace folder and click on New and click on Key.

Add one of the following two CLSID Codes to your created key.

{26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}

This code will open the Control Panel in View By: Category

 {26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}

This second code will open the control panel in View by: Large icons

Now you will be able to see the “Control panel” and access it from your file explorer in the devices and drives tab

Adding Control panel to your Desktop

If you find the above method complicated or difficult you can easily add it to your desktop without editing the registry.

First Right-click on the Desktop and select Personalize

Select the Themes tab and scroll down to find and select Desktop Icon settings.

Now Tick the control panel option and click OK.

Now you can see the Control Panel on your desktop for easy access and you also don’t need to backup your registry or create a restore point for this method.