If you are someone who likes to take control of your computer without much interference from your IT administrator, you probably love your Control Panel. If that’s so, do let us know in the comments section below. But, imagine one day, your search for Control Panel and it doesn’t open. You try all possible means – open Control Panel via the Windows search bar, open it via the Run dialog box, and even don’t leave the Settings as well, but to no avail, Control Panel won’t just open on your Windows 11 computer.
So, if your Control Panel is not working or is not opening, here are some ways you can get it back and make it work. But before that pondering over a few questions may help, so that you may pick an appropriate fix later –
Why Is My Control Panel Not Opening?
- You didn’t install Windows 11 properly
- Corrupt system files
- There is malware on your PC
- Startup programs are causing issues
Use Alternate Method If Control Panel Is Not Opening
If the Control Panel is not opening or working on your Windows computer, you can try using alternate means to open Control Panel. For example – type appwiz.cpl in Run dialog box and see if Control Panel opens or not.
Alternatively, you can head to C:\Windows\System32 on This PC and look for appwiz.cpl. Once you find it, double-click on it.
How To Fix “Control Panel Not Opening/ Working” Issue?
1. Restart Your Computer
Has the issue of the Control Panel not opening surfaced lately? You may not have to take any advanced measures after you simply give your Windows PC a quick restart. Restarting the computer helps correct software, clears RAM and small operating system glitches, and, needless to say, one of these might be the reason why your Control Panel is not opening.
2. Clean Startup Items
Should you dash straight ahead and start disabling startup items? No! First, open Windows 11 in Safe Mode because here all non-essential components are disabled. Even unnecessary services and startup items are disabled.
How To Open Safe Mode On Windows 11?
1. Press Windows + I and open Settings
2. From the left-hand side click on Windows Update
3. From the right-hand side, click on Advanced options
4. Under Additional options, click on Recovery
5. Under Recovery options, click on the Restart now button
6. Click on Troubleshoot
7. Click on Advanced options
8. Select Startup Settings
9. Click on Restart
Once in the Safe Mode, if you are able to fire up your beloved Control Panel, there you are, you can go ahead and disable Startup Programs. To clean Startup Items –
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
2. Click on Startup tab
3. Disable the Startup Item you want to disable
3. Run SFC
The presence of corrupted system files can also be a reason why the Control Panel is not working or opening on your Windows 11 computer. An SFC scan can help in restoring such files and subsequently help in resolving the issue –
1. In the Windows search bar, type cmd
2. From the right-hand side, open Run as administrator
3. When the Command Prompt opens, type sfc /scannow
4. Press Enter
4. Check Computer For Malware
A hidden impending threat might be preventing you from opening Control Panel. Here you can use an antivirus program to scan and remove such malicious threats in real-time. Systweak Antivirus, for instance, is one of the best Antivirus for Windows.
To Check Malware On Your Windows 11 PC With Systweak Antivirus –
1. Download, run and install Systweak Antivirus
2. Click on Start Scan button
3. Select mode of scan
Once your PC is free from malware, you should have your Control Panel back and it should be opening now.
5. Tweak Registry
Much before you make the below-mentioned tweaks to your registry, we’d urge you to first take a backup of your registry. That’s because a small mistake can make your computer inoperable. To backup your registry, open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R and then press Enter. Type Regedit and again press Enter.
When the Registry Editor opens, click on File and click on Export. Now save it on a location and further, store it somewhere else. You could email it to yourself, store it on a cloud storage medium, or anywhere else. Now that you have backed up your registry –
1. Again head to the Registry Editor
2. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
3. Delete the BagMRU and Bags folders entirely
This tweak should bring back Control Panel for you.
6. Reinstall Windows 11
If nothing else seems to work and apart from Control Panel not opening, you have also started to observe some other major glitches, for instance, not being able to carry out other operating system-related functions on Windows 11, consider conducting a fresh Windows 11 installation. But, before that, it is advisable to take a backup of all the files.
Wrapping Up
We hope that you have been able to resolve the “Control panel not opening” issue. If you have, do let us know in the comments section which of the above methods helped you out. For more such tech-related how-to’s, software reviews, and other tech-related content, keep reading WeTheGeek.