The Control Panel is no longer the default place to access settings and options in Windows 11. The redesigned Settings app houses all settings and options in Windows 11.
The Settings app, which has been around for a decade now, does not include all the settings and options that are part of the Control Panel. Yes, Microsoft has managed to migrate almost all the settings to the new Settings app, but a few are still part of the Control Panel.
Because of this reason, we still need to access the Control Panel to change various settings and options.
If you often need to access the Control Panel, you might want to create a shortcut to the Control Panel on the desktop so that you can access it quickly and easily.
This guide shows you the three easy ways out there to create the Control Panel shortcut icon on your Windows 11 desktop.
Method 1 of 3
Create Control Panel shortcut on Windows 11 desktop
Step 1: Perform a right-click on an empty spot on the desktop, click New, and then click Shortcut to open the Create Shortcut wizard.
Step 2: In the Type the location of the item field, type Control Panel and then press the Next button.
Step 3: Finally, type Control Panel in the box before clicking the Finish button to create the Control Panel shortcut icon on the Windows 11 desktop.
Method 2 of 2
Another way to create Control Panel shortcut icon on Windows 11
Step 1: In the Start or taskbar search field, type Control Panel to see Control Panel’s entry in the search result.
Step 2: Right-click on the Control Panel entry and then click Open file location.
Step 3: The resulting folder should show the Control Panel, among other icons. Here, right-click on the Control Panel’s icon, click Show more options, click Send to, and then click Desktop (create shortcut) to immediately make a Control Panel shortcut icon on your Windows 11 desktop.
Alternatively, you can hold down the Control key and then drag and drop the Control Panel icon from the folder to the desktop area to create a copy of the shortcut on the desktop.
Method 3 of 3
Add Control Panel to the desktop via Control Panel in Windows 11
Step 1: Open the Windows 11 Settings app. Navigate to Personalization > Themes page.
Step 2: In the Related settings page, click the Desktop icon settings link to open the same.
Step 3: Here, select the Control Panel checkbox and then click the Apply button to immediately add the Control Panel icon to your Windows 11 desktop. As you can see, the same dialog also lets you add This PC and Recycle Bin icons to desktop.
Pin Control Panel to the taskbar in Windows 11
If you often need to access the Control Panel, you might also want to consider pinning it to the taskbar. Here is how.
Step 1: Search for Control Panel in the Start menu or taskbar search box.
Step 2: Right-click on the Control Panel entry in the search result and then click the Pin to Taskbar option. That’s it!
To remove the Control Panel from the taskbar, right-click on its icon in the taskbar and then click Unpin from the taskbar.
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