Can’t access Control Panel on Windows 10? Try these fixes

The Control Panel is a useful hub that allows you to change the entire system settings. From controlling user accounts to adjusting settings for your input and output devices, it serves as a control room for your computer.

There are rare cases where you may not be able to access the Control Panel. It either won’t open or close immediately after startup or doesn’t allow you to make any changes to it. If something isn’t working properly in your system’s control room, we’ll be looking at seven fixes that can help you with that.

1. Disable the Windows Error Reporting Service

When one of your programs in Windows crashes, a popup appears asking you to report the problem to Microsoft. This is what Windows Error Reporting (WER) is all about. It handles all your errors and reports them to Microsoft so they can fix frequently reported issues in new updates.

If you are a die-hard Windows fan and love to report bugs and issues, it’s easy to come in handy. However, it can also interfere with the functionality of your operating system. One way is to directly intervene in your control panel. If you are experiencing difficulties with control, you may wish to suspend this service. to do this. Follow next steps:

  1. Open the run command by pressing Win + R..

  2. click Yes after writing”msconfig. ”

  3. go to the Services Tab in System Configuration Settings.

  4. Uncheck the box for Windows Error Reporting Service.

  5. Click Application then hit Yes.

    Disable Windows Error Reporting Service in System Configuration Settings

Restart Control Panel after disabling the error reporting service to verify that it is working. If this fix does not help, you can enable the error reporting service again as it is very useful sometimes.

2. Clear the Windows Temp files folder

Windows stores temporary files to simplify handling of your applications and programs. Most apps tend to remove temporary files after each session, but hundreds of others don’t.

Related: Why Are Windows Temp Files Not Automatically Deleted?

Over time, it can pose a serious threat to the performance of your system if not cleared manually. Therefore, removing these temporary files may help Control Panel work again.

You can access and delete these temporary files by following these steps:

  1. Type Win + R. to open the run command.

  2. Type “%temporary%and hit Yes.

  3. Delete all files in temp folder.

    Delete temporary files in Windows

If this fix fixes the problem, make it a habit to delete these files every three days. It won’t take long for it to build up.

You can also use Storage Sense, a useful tool in Windows, to automatically delete all temporary files on your system and data in the Recycle Bin. Here’s how you can enable it:

  1. go to the Windows Settings and go to system configuration.

  2. go to the Storage settings on the left sidebar.

  3. Turn on the switch for Storage Sense.

    Turn on Storage Sensor in Windows Settings

by pressing Configure Storage Sensor or turn it on now You can also customize what Storage Sensor can do for you.

3. Change the display scale

With a display scaling system, users can adjust the size of all on-screen navigation elements, making it easier to navigate through Windows. Although it may seem strange at first, setting the display scale to a value greater than 100% can also cause the Control Panel to act strangely.

This is more likely to happen if you recently modified your display settings and then started having problems after that. Make sure the display scale is set to 100%, as recommended by Windows. Heres how to do it:

  1. go to the Windows Settings app.

  2. Go to System Settings.

  3. In the left sidebar, open an offer.

  4. in a Size and layout Options, set Change the size of text, apps, and other items to me 100% (recommended).

    Change display scale and layout in Windows Settings

If this fix fails to work its magic, clean your startup programs list.

4. Clean your startup program list

Startup programs are those programs that start automatically when the system starts. Programs are added to the startup procedure in two ways: either you ask them manually, or the program itself automatically adds to the list. Either way, they consume resources and interfere with system functions as they continue to run in the background.

One of the malware in this list might be preventing you from accessing the Control Panel. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate this possibility.

You can open the task manager and remove notorious applications from the list of startup programs by Left click The Taskbar and clicking on Task Manager. You can find a list of all startup programs in the file Startup tab From the task manager. Disable programs that appear to be unnecessary or malicious.

Remove unwanted startup applications in the Startup tab of Task Manager

Do not disable necessary system software to avoid adding to your problems. Proceed with the next fix if the problem persists.

5. Boot the system into safe mode

Safe Mode in Windows 10 can help narrow down the root cause of the problem. It boots your system with minimal files and drivers. Since not all third-party apps load in safe mode, this eliminates any chance of software glitches interfering with your operating system.

6. Change to a different administrator account

If nothing works, try logging in with a different administrator account. It’s rare, but some wrong settings can have a huge impact on how Windows performs. It will confirm that your account settings prevent access to the Control Panel if you change the administrator account.

Related: Everything you need to know about the Windows administrator account

If your account turns out to be the culprit, you will have no choice but to reset it.

7. Scan your computer for malware

As a last resort, you can eliminate the possibility that any malicious software could impede your computer’s processing and prevent you from seeing your control panel. A third-party antivirus can be used for this task, but Windows Defender will do the job if you don’t have one.

To perform a check, go to Windows Settings and go to Update and security settings. From the left sidebar, choose Windows Security. Choose Virus and threat protection of the options available in protection areas. When you click a file Quick Scan button, Windows Defender will perform a scan of your computer.

Run Windows Defender Virus Scan in Windows Settings

At the end of the scanning process, you will see the number of files scanned and the number of threats lurking in your system. After that, you can take action to remove them. Also, you can perform more in-depth scans through the scan option, where you can run a custom scan, a full scan of your computer, or an offline scan.

Related: How to remove malware with Microsoft Defender’s Offline Scan

Once the threat is removed, restart your computer to see if Control Panel opens this time or behaves the same way.

Get your dashboard up and running

Hopefully, one of these fixes will allow you to access Control Panel again. When all else fails to fix the problems, you can reset your PC, which is the least convenient way to troubleshoot.

If you don’t want everyone on your computer to have access to the Control Panel and Settings in Windows, you can easily disable everyone’s access to it.


Disable access to the control panel
How to disable access to the Settings app and Control Panel in Windows 10

Let’s see how you can disable access to both the Settings app and Control Panel in Windows 10.

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