To open Control Panel in Windows 11, press Win + R, type control, and press Enter. To open a particular applet, you can try a classic .cpl command or use Microsoft’s canonical-name syntax. Some older commands still work, some lead to a different destination, and others may be unavailable on your Windows edition or build.
Microsoft says Control Panel remains for compatibility and for settings that have not migrated, but recommends the Settings app whenever possible. Its migration is ongoing, so a command that opens a classic page does not necessarily make that page the current recommended way to change a setting. Microsoft’s Windows system-configuration guidance lists control as the command to open Control Panel.
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How do I open Control Panel applets with Run commands in Windows 11?
Press Win + R, enter a command, and press Enter. You can also enter the command at a command prompt. If a command does not open the expected page, use the current Settings route where available; Microsoft’s legacy command list warns that a Windows installation may not include every listed tool.
The commands below are launch attempts, not a guarantee for every Windows 11 edition or current build. The classic .cpl strings come from Microsoft’s historical command table, which is useful as a reference but is not a Windows 11 build-by-build compatibility list. Microsoft’s command-line table also includes items tied to older Windows versions.
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Classic .cpl commands to try
| Task or historic label | Command to try | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Programs and Features / Add or Remove Programs | control appwiz.cpl |
The page or destination may differ by Windows build. |
| Date and Time | control timedate.cpl |
Historic command-table example. |
| Internet Properties | control inetcpl.cpl |
Historic command-table example. |
| Display Properties | control desk.cpl |
The label is historic; many display settings have moved into Settings. |
| Keyboard Properties | control main.cpl keyboard |
Historic command-table example. |
| Mouse Properties | control main.cpl |
Historic command-table example. |
| Multimedia Properties | control mmsys.cpl |
Historic command-table example. |
| Sound Properties | control mmsys.cpl sounds |
Historic command-table example. |
| System Properties | control sysdm.cpl |
For a specific property page, use the named system-property commands below. |
| Fonts folder | control fonts |
Historic command-table example. |
Do not treat every entry in old command lists as a current Windows 11 applet. For example, Microsoft’s table identifies control powercfg.cpl specifically with Windows 98, and includes obsolete or platform-specific items such as FindFast and legacy Network Properties.
What is the command for Programs and Features?
Try either the classic command control appwiz.cpl or Microsoft’s canonical-name form:
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%windir%system32control.exe /name Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures
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The canonical form is Microsoft’s documented approach for Windows Vista and later. It identifies a Control Panel item by name rather than by its underlying module, which can change. Whether the classic Programs and Features page appears as expected can still depend on the Windows 11 build.
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How do canonical-name commands work?
Use control.exe /name canonicalName, substituting the item’s canonical name. Microsoft also documents an optional named-page argument for items that support it: /page pageName. The full executable path is not required in every context, but Microsoft’s examples use it:
%systemroot%system32control.exe /name Microsoft.WindowsUpdate
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For Power Options, Microsoft documents these named pages:
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Canonical names are not localized: Microsoft says they remain in English even when Windows uses another language. Availability is not universal, however. Some items depend on the Windows variety or detected hardware, and third-party software can add its own Control Panel items. Microsoft’s reference includes version documentation that often ends at Windows 8.1, so that table alone does not establish Windows 11 behavior.
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How do I open advanced power settings?
Try this command in Run or at a command prompt:
%windir%system32control.exe powercfg.cpl,,3
Microsoft’s execution guidance gives this as the route to advanced power settings and says it has no canonical-name command for that page. It is a specific page-launch pattern rather than a general promise that numeric page indexes are stable across Windows versions.
Which system tools are not Control Panel applets?
Some useful commands open a standalone Windows utility or a named property page rather than a general Control Panel applet.
| Purpose | Command | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Features | %windir%system32OptionalFeatures.exe |
Launches the Windows Features dialog; it is not a .cpl applet command. |
| Advanced System Settings | SystemPropertiesAdvanced |
Opens the Advanced tab of System Properties. |
| Performance settings | SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe |
Opens the Performance Options page. |
| Remote settings | SystemPropertiesRemote.exe |
Opens the Remote tab. |
| Computer name settings | SystemPropertiesComputerName.exe |
Opens the Computer Name tab. |
| System protection | SystemPropertiesProtection.exe |
Opens the System Protection tab. |
For a specific System Properties tab, Microsoft’s execution guide also shows control.exe sysdm.cpl,,3 as a tab-index example. Its example uses a different index for Windows XP and Windows Vista, demonstrating why numeric indexes should not be assumed to remain consistent across versions.
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Why might a command fail or open somewhere unexpected?
- The command is historical. A documented old
.cplcommand may no longer open the same page in a current Windows 11 build. - The item is not available on this system. Availability can depend on edition, detected hardware, or whether the tool is installed.
- The name or syntax is wrong. Check spelling, then try the command from the Run dialog. For canonical names, keep the
Microsoft.prefix and the documented name intact. - An administrator policy hides or restricts access. Windows policies can hide Control Panel items or affect command-line access; a missing page may be an administrative restriction rather than a typo. See Microsoft’s Control Panel policy documentation.
- The setting has migrated. Search for the setting in the Settings app, which Microsoft recommends when possible and continues to update as Windows gains features.
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