Hide, show, add, delete applets from the Control Panel specified in Windows 10/8/7

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For security reasons, if you want to hide, show, add or delete DEFAULT Control Panel applets specified or existing in Windows 10/8/7, or if you want to add your own applets to the Control Panel, proceed as follows.

Delete or hide applets from the control panel

Type gpedit.msc in the Windows Start menu search bar, press Enter to open Group Policy Editor > User Configuration. Expanding Administrative Templates > Click Control Panel > View only selected applets in Control Panel > Properties.

A dialog box opens. Click Activate. The show button comes to life.

Click View and a new dialog box opens.

appwiz.cpl) to display in the Control Panel. But it’s easier said than done, and it’s a pretty tedious job because you have to KNOW the names! Click and read what the’Explanation’ tab says. This allows you to select which applets to show or hide in the Control Panel.

This is a non-exhaustive list of all applets in the Windows Control Panel.

• Adding Programs
• Adding Hardware
• Management Tools
• AutoPlay
• Backup and Restore Center
• Color Management
• Date and time
• Standard programs
• Devices
• Devices Manager
• Access center facility
• Folder options
• Fonts
• Controllers Game
• Internet indexing options
• Options
• Initiator
• Keyboard
• Mail
• Mouse
• Network and sharing center
• Offline files
• Pen and input devices
• People close to me
• Performance information and tools
• Customization
• Telephone
• Telephone
• and modem options
• Performance 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
• Appendix
• Tablet PC
• Tablet PC
• Settings
• Taskbar and Start Menu
• Voice Text
• User Accounts
• Fire
• Windows Side Bar Properties
• Window SideShow
• Windows Update

For Control Panel names, open the system32 folder and search for *. Your results are displayed in the control panel. I have tried to compile a list of some of them below as a finite reference:(2)

• • Add or remove programs – appwiz.cpl
  • Management Tools – Administration Tools Control
  • Add hardware – hdwwiz. cpl
  • Display 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 – Folder
  • Game controls – joy.cpl
  • Infocard – Infocard control – infocardcpl.cpl.cpl
  • Internet options control – inetcpl.cpl
  • Keyboard – Main keyboard control – cpl
  • Mouse – Hand control. cpl
  • network connections – ncpa.cpl
  • pen and input devices – tabletpc.pcl
  • people near me – collab.pcl
  • phone and modem options – telephon.cpl
  • performance options – power supply cfg.kpl
  • Printers and fax machines – Control printers
  • Regional and linguistic options – intl.cpl
  • Scanners and cameras – sticpl.cpl
  • Windows Security Center – wscui.cpl
  • Task scheduler – Control tasks
  • Text to speech conversion – Control speech
  • System – sysdm. cpl
  • User accounts – lusrmgr.cpl

Adding your own control panel applications

Adding and saving YOUR own applications and tasks in the control panel is easier in Windows 8 | 7. Software developers can easily add their own applets and tasks to the control panel.

There are three types of control panel applets: command objects, shell folders and PLCs. Control objects are applets that execute the commands specified in the registry. Shell folders are applets that open in the Control Panel. PLCs implement the CplApplet function. Control objects are the easiest to implement.

Adding applets to the Control Panel in earlier versions of Windows is not as easy as using control objects because applets must implement the CplApplet interface. Although the CplApplet interface is still supported under Windows Vista, the use of command objects is recommended because it is easier to implement.

Under Windows, you can now simply write an executable (.exe), save it as a command object and the applet appears in the Control Panel. For more information about adding and saving your own applet to the Control Panel, see Expand for Control Panel. You also want to see the Windows 7 shell commands.

In conditions where computers on a network are used only for official purposes, it is preferable to hide certain elements of the Control Panel (applets). This allows you to prevent users from making unwanted administrative changes, leaving the basic settings unchanged.

Here is a little tutorial that will show you how to hide or delete applets from the control panel in Windows 7/8

delete or hide applets from the control panel

Some of us want some applets (icons) to appear in the control panel for security or other reasons. Here is a little tutorial to show how to hide them. There are tools that do, but this way you can hide them all manually.

Suppose you want to hide the Folder Options applet in the:

Open Group Policy Editor : Click Start > Run > gpedit.msc > OK

Open the Group Policy Editor, click’User Configuration’ and select’Administrative Templates’.

Then select’Control Panel’ and select’Hide specified control panel elements’.

When you enter a new window, select’On’. Then display the list of prohibited items in Control Panel > Add > Folder Options > OK > Apply > OK.

If your Windows edition does not include the group policy editor, you can read this article about hiding applets from the control panel in the Windows registry. Go here if the’Control Panel’ or’System Restore’ window is empty.

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