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To open Control Panel in Windows 10, search for Control Panel from Start, or press Windows+R, type control, and press Enter. In Windows 10 version 20H2 (the October 2020 Update), reaching the classic System applet is a separate step: a 2020 BetaNews article describes creating a desktop shortcut with a special shell identifier.
Open Control Panel in Windows 10
These Microsoft-documented methods open Control Panel generally; they do not necessarily take you directly to its classic System page.
Use Start search
- Open the Start menu.
- Type Control Panel in search.
- Select Control Panel from the results.
Use the Run dialog
- Press Windows+R.
- Type
control. - Press Enter.
Microsoft describes Control Panel as a compatibility feature that still provides access to some settings not yet migrated to the Settings app, and recommends using Settings when possible. See Microsoft Support’s Control Panel guidance.
Reach the classic System applet in Windows 10 20H2
A 2020 BetaNews article describes a desktop shortcut workaround for opening the classic System page in Windows 10 20H2. It is secondary-source guidance, not an officially endorsed Microsoft procedure, and the available information does not establish that it works identically on every later Windows build.
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- Right-click an empty area of the desktop and choose New > Shortcut.
- In the location box, enter
explorer shell:::{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE}. - Select Next, enter a name for the shortcut, and select Finish.
- Open the new shortcut to try to reach the classic System applet.
The identifier in the shortcut is BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE. The procedure is described in BetaNews’ 2020 coverage of the Windows 10 20H2 System Control Panel.
What to do if access is blocked
On a work- or school-managed PC, an administrator policy may hide particular Control Panel items or prohibit access to Control Panel and PC settings. Microsoft Learn’s policy applicability information includes Windows 10 version 20H2 with KB5005101 (build 19042.1202) and later. If access is restricted, contact your organization’s IT administrator rather than trying to bypass the restriction. See Microsoft Learn’s Control Panel policy documentation.
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