Command Line Commands for Control Panel Applets

Did you know that each Control Panel applet in Windows can be opened by executing a specific command? It’s true! You just have to know what that command is.

When to Open an Applet From a Command Line

Sometimes it’s easier, or maybe even in some cases necessary, to open an applet in the Control Panel from a command line in Windows. For example, if you’re building a script or software program that needs to open an applet, these little tricks help.

More common, however, is a situation where your computer is misbehaving in a certain way that prevents you from navigating around like usual, leaving you with no way to open Control Panel normally, which you likely need to do to solve the issue! Frustrating, we know.

Often times, however, these situations still allow the execution of a command. That’s where it’s very handy to have the list of Control Panel command line tricks shown in the giant table below.

Open the Command Prompt

Start by opening Command Prompt, or even just the Run box (WIN+R keyboard shortcut). Once open, execute, exactly as shown below, the command that corresponds with the Control Panel applet you want to open. It’s as easy as that.

See our List of Control Panel Applets in Windows for Control Panel applet descriptions and information about changes in applets between the Windows operating systems.

How to Open the Control Panel

Maybe you don’t want to open a specific Control Panel applet from Command Prompt, or the Run box, but instead you want Control Panel itself to open…the Control Panel «home page» so to speak.

This is as easy as executing control from a command line in any version of Windows. Don’t add anything after it—just control by itself.

Control Panel will open just as it does when you do all the clicking or tapping you usually do to open it normally.

Control Panel Command Line Commands in Windows

CMD Commands for Control Panel Applets

_{[1] Color isn’t available by default but is available for free from Microsoft. You can grab a copy from MajorGeeks.}

_{[2] WinColor.exe must be run from the C:Program FilesPro Imaging PowertoysMicrosoft Color Control Panel Applet for Windows XP folder.}

_{[3] I’ve listed Device Manager here because it’s such a commonly used feature of Windows but please know that it is not a true Control Panel applet in Windows XP. See How to Open Windows XP Device Manager for more information.}

_{[4] The Mail applet is only available if a version of Microsoft Office Outlook is installed.}

_{[5] The control mlcfg32.cpl command must be run from the C:Programs FilesMicrosoft OfficeOfficeXX folder, replacing OfficeXX with the folder pertaining to the Microsoft Office version you have installed.}

_{[6] ODBC Data Source Administrator was removed from Control Panel after Windows XP but is still available from Administrative Tools.}

_{[7] In Windows 8, 7, and Vista, task scheduling is performed by Task Scheduler which is not directly accessible from Control Panel. However, executing this command in those versions of Windows will forward to Task Scheduler.}

_{[8] Software Explorers is the name for the Control Panel applet for Windows Defender, available for free here as part of Microsoft Security Essentials.}

_{[9] Msascui.exe must be run from the C:Program FilesWindows Defender folder.}

_{[10] The control sapi.cpl command must be run from the C:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedSpeech folder.}

_{[11] Windows Defender is available in Windows XP but the Control Panel applet is instead called Software Explorers.}

_{[12] Windows Update is also used in Windows XP but only via the Windows Update website, not via a Control Panel applet like in later versions of Windows.}

_{[13] In Windows 8, bthprops.cpl opens Devices in PC Settings which will list any Bluetooth Devices. In Windows 7, bthprops.cpl opens the Bluetooth Devices list under Devices and Printers. In Windows Vista, bthprops.cpl opens a true Control Panel applet called Bluetooth Devices.}