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Anand Khanse,
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Microsoft MVP.
Hide, Show, Add, Remove Specified Control
Panel Applets in Windows 8 | 7
RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows errors and optimize system performance
(http://www.uniblue.com/cm/thewindowsclub/speedupmypc/banner1/download/?aff=8634)

If, for security reasons, you wish to hide, show, add or remove the specified or the EXISTING DEFAULT Control
Panel Applets Control Panel Applets in Windows 8 (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/) | 7 , or for convenience
sake add YOUR OWN applets to the Control Panel, here is how you can do it.

Remove or Hide Control Panel Applets

Type gpedit.msc in Windows Start Menu Search Bar, hit Enter, to open the Group Policy Editor > User
Configuration. Expand Administrative Templates > Click Control Panel > Show only specified Control
Panel Applets > Properties.
A dialog box will open. Click on Enable. The Show button will come alive.

Click on Show and a new dialog box will open.

Those items which are NOT on this list WILL NOT not be displayed, IF this is enabled. You will have to ADD
the control panel applet’s NAME, (eg: appwiz.cpl) which you WANT displayed in the Control Panel. But this is
easier said than done, and it is rather painstaking work, as you need to KNOW the names ! Do click and read
whatever is written in the ‘Explain’ tab. This way you can choose which applets to hide or show in the Control
Panel.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of all Windows Control Panel applets.

Add Remove Programs

Add Hardware
Administrative Tools
AutoPlay
Backup and Restore Center
Color Management
Date and Time
Default Programs
Device Manager
Ease of Access Center
Folder Options
Fonts
Game Controllers
Indexing Options
Internet Options
iSCSI Initiator
Keyboard
Mail
Mouse
Network and Sharing Center
Offline Files
Pen and Input Devices
People Near Me
Performance Information and Tools
 Personalization
Phone and Modem Options
Power Options
Printers
Problem Reports and Solutions
Program Updates
Programs and Features
Regional and Language Options
Scanners and Cameras
Security Center
Sound
Speech Recognition Options
Sync Center
System
Tablet PC Settings
Taskbar and Start Menu
Text to Speech
User Accounts
Welcome Center
Windows Anytime Upgrade
Windows CardSpace
Windows Defender
Windows Firewall
Windows Sidebar Properties
Windows SideShow
Windows Update

To find out the Control Panel applet names, open your system32 folder and search for *.cpl. Your
results will throw up the Control Panel Items. I have tried to compile a list of some of them below
for ready reference:

Add or Remove Programs – appwiz.cpl

Administrative Tools – control admintools
Add Hardware – hdwwiz.cpl
Appearance Settings – control color
Audio Devices and Sound Themes – mmsys.cpl
Bluetooth Devices – bthprop.cpl
Date and Time – timedate.cpl
Display Settings – desk.cpl
ODBC Data Source Administrator – ODBCCP32.cpl
Firewall – firewall.cpl
Folder Options – folders
Game Controllers – joy.cpl
 Infocard – control infocardcpl.cpl
Internet Options control – inetcpl.cpl
Keyboard – control main.cpl Keyboard
Mouse – control main.cpl
Network Connections – ncpa.cpl
Pen and Input Devices – tabletpc.pcl
People Near Me – collab.pcl
Phone and Modem Options – telephon.cpl
Power Options – powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes – control printers
Regional and Language Options – intl.cpl
Scanners and Cameras – sticpl.cpl
Windows Security Center – wscui.cpl
Task Scheduler – control schedtasks
Text to Speech – control speech
System – sysdm.cpl
User Accounts – nusrmgr.cpl

Add Your Own Control Panel Applets

Adding & Registering YOUR OWN applet & tasks to Control Panel is easier in Windows 8 | 7. Software
developers can easily add their own applets and tasks to Control Panel.

There are three types of Control Panel applets: Command objects, shell folders, and CPLs. Command objects
are applets that run commands specified in the registry. Shell folders are applets that open up in the Control
Panel. CPLs implement the CplApplet function. Command objects are the easiest to implement.

The process of adding applets to Control Panel in previous versions of Windows is not as easy as using
command objects because the applets have to implement the CplApplet interface. Although the CplApplet
interface is still supported in Windows Vista, using command objects is encouraged since it is easier to
implement.
Now, in Windows, you can just write an executable (.exe), register it as a command object and the applet
appears in Control Panel. For more information on how to add and register your own applet in Control Panel,
see Developing for the Control Panel. (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb757044.aspx) You want to
also see Windows 7 Shell Commands. (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/new-shell-commands-in-windows-7)

Under conditions, where computers over a network are not much used other than for official purposes, it is
best to hide some Control Panel items (applets). Doing so helps you prohibit users from making unwanted
administrative changes thereby keeping basic settings the same.

Here is a small tutorial that shows you how to hide Control Panel Applets in Windows 7 | 8.

Remove or Hide Control Panel Applets

Some of us may or may not want some applets (icons) showing in the control panel, for security or any
reasons whatsoever. Here is a small tutorial to show how to hide them. There are tools which do that, but this
way you can hide any, manually.

Lets say you want to hide the ‘Folder Options’ applet in the control you can do so thus :

Open Group Policy editor : click start > run > gpedit.msc > OK.

Open group policy editor, click on ‘User Configuration’ and choose ‘Administrative Templates’.

(http://www.winvistaclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Group-Policy-Editor.png)

Next, select the ‘Control Panel’ item and choose the ‘Hide specified control panel Items‘ option.
 6

Like

Tw eet

17

(http://www.winvistaclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Hide-Control-panel-Items.png)

On being taken to a new window, check ‘Enabled’. Then, show list of disallowed Control Panel items > Add >
Folder Options > OK > Apply > OK.
 (http://www.winvistaclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Hide-Control-panel-Items-2.png)

If your edition of Windows does not include the Group Policy Editor, you may to see this post on how to
hide Control Panel Applets using Windows Registry. (http://forum.thewindowsclub.com/windows-tips-
tutorials-articles/31614-hide-control-panel-applets-without-gpedit-msc.html) Go here if your Control
Panel or System Restore window is blank (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/control-panel-system-restore-
blank-windows).

Post posted from WVC, updated and posted here.

Posted by AnandK@TWC (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/author/Anand) on November 1,

2013 , in Category Windows (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/category/windows) with Tags
Control Panel (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/tag/control-panel)

Anand Khanse aka HappyAndyK is an end-user Windows enthusiast, a Microsoft MVP in

Windows, since 2006, and the Admin of TheWindowsClub.com. Please create a System
Restore Point before trying out any software & be careful about any third-party offers
while installing freeware. Add me on Google+ (https://plus.google.com/+AnandKhanse).
Related Post
Add Windows Store Apps to Context Menu, etc, using updated UWT 3.1
(http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-3-1-for-windows-8-1)
Default Programs Editor for Windows 7 & Vista (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/default-programs-
editor-for-windows-7-vista)
Create Programs and Features or Add Remove Program shortcut in Windows
(http://www.thewindowsclub.com/create-programs-features-shortcut)
Add or Remove Folders from This PC in Windows 8.1 (http://www.thewindowsclub.com/add-remove-
folders-this-pc-windows-8-1)
Fix: Control Panel or System Restore window blank in Windows 7 | 8
(http://www.thewindowsclub.com/control-panel-system-restore-blank-windows)

2 Comments The Windows Club Login

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Join the discussion…

ashinam rock • 5 months ago

Unable to find gpedit.msc in window 8
• Reply • Share ›

Anand Khanse Admin ashinam rock • 5 months ago

In Windows 8, the Group Policy is included only with Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise
Editions. While Windows 7 Ultimate, Professional and Enterprise editions have it,
Windows 7 Home
Premium, Home Basic and Starter Editions do not include the Group Policy
Editor. You might want to see if http://forum.thewindowsclub.co... helps you.
• Reply • Share ›

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