Run Control Panel Tools from the Command Line
Run Control Panel Tools from the Command Line
This article describes how to launch Windows Control Panel tools by typing commands at a Command Prompt or in the Run dialog (Win + R).
Note: To run these commands from a Command Prompt, you must be in the Windows system folder. Not all tools may be available on every Windows installation.
Control Panel Tools
| Tool | Command |
|---|---|
| Accessibility Options | control access.cpl |
| Add New Hardware | control sysdm.cpl add new hardware |
| Add/Remove Programs | control appwiz.cpl |
| Date/Time Properties | control timedate.cpl |
| Display Properties | control desk.cpl |
| FindFast | control findfast.cpl |
| Fonts Folder | control fonts |
| Internet Properties | control inetcpl.cpl |
| Joystick Properties | control joy.cpl |
| Keyboard Properties | control main.cpl keyboard |
| Microsoft Exchange (Windows Messaging) | control mlcfg32.cpl |
| Microsoft Mail Post Office | control wgpocpl.cpl |
| Modem Properties | control modem.cpl |
| Mouse Properties | control main.cpl |
| Multimedia Properties | control mmsys.cpl |
| Network Properties | control netcpl.cpl (NT 4.0: ncpa.cpl) |
| Password Properties | control password.cpl |
| PC Card (PCMCIA) | control main.cpl pc card |
| Power Management (Windows 95) | control main.cpl power |
| Power Management (Windows 98) | control powercfg.cpl |
| Printers Folder | control printers |
| Regional Settings | control intl.cpl |
| Scanners and Cameras | control sticpl.cpl |
| Sound Properties | control mmsys.cpl sounds |
| System Properties | control sysdm.cpl |
Usage Examples
To launch the Add/Remove Programs tool using rundll32:
rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL appwiz.cpl
To open the Users tool:
control ncpa.cpl users
On Windows 95/98/Me:
control inetcpl.cpl users