How to Fix Control Panel Not Opening in Windows 11 (6 Best Ways)

If you are using Windows 11, you might know that Microsoft has made things difficult for users to access the Control Panel. Control Panel is available in Windows 11, but it needs to be accessed via Windows search. While it’s easy to access Control Panel in Windows 11, many users were facing problems while opening it on their PC.

In case you don’t know, Control Panel is basically a hub that lists many tools to access or adjust various settings of the operating system. For example, with Control Panel, you can access the User Account Settings, Network & Sharing options, BitLocker encryption, Accessibility options, and more.

Recently, many users have reported that the Control Panel is not opening after installing the Windows 11 update. So, if you are also experiencing such issues on your Windows 11 computer, you are reading the right guide.

6 Best Ways to Fix Control Panel Not Opening in Windows 11

This article will share a few best methods to fix Control Panel Not opening on Windows 11 PC. We have shared the basic methods to help you deal with almost all Control Panel related problems on your PC. So, let’s check how to fix Control Panel not opening on Windows 11.

1) Restart Your PC

When you restart your PC, all processes & apps running in the background get closed. So, if any process is preventing Control Panel from opening, it will be fixed. So, make sure to Restart your PC if you haven’t done so in a while.

However, before restarting your PC, make sure to save all your tasks, as all your unsaved tasks will be lost during the restart.

2) Uninstall the Newly Installed app

If the Control Panel is not opening after installing a new app on your system, you need to uninstall it as soon as possible. Some apps may interfere with the functioning of the Control Panel and prevent it from starting.

If you can’t recall the apps you have recently installed on your system, go through the App settings and manually review the apps. If possible, remove all suspicious apps that you feel like linked with the Control Panel.

3) Check the Important Windows Services

Sometimes, the Windows Error Reporting service prevents the Control Panel from opening on Windows 11. Other than the Windows Error Reporting service, the service named sppsvc is also often responsible for Control Panel not opening on Windows 11. Here are a few things you need to check.

1. First of all, click on the Windows 11 Search and type in Services. Next, click on the Services app from the list.

2. On the Services, find and double click on the Windows Error Reporting service.

3. On the Windows Error Reporting Service Properties, click on the Stop button and then on the Ok button.

4. Next, find the Software Protection service and double click on it.

5. On the Software Protection Properties, click on the Start under the Service Status and click on the Ok button.

That’s it! You are done. After making the above changes, restart your Windows 11 PC to fix Control Panel not opening problem.

4) Delete the BagMRU and Bags Registry Key

If the Control Panel is still not opening after following the above methods, you need to make some changes to the Windows Registry. Please make sure to create a restore point or export the registry file so that you can restore it later if anything goes wrong.

1. First of all, click on the Windows 11 search and type in Registry. Next, open the Registry Editor from the list.

2. On the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

You can copy and paste the path on the Address bar of Registry Editor to jump to the folder directly.

3. Now, right-click on the BagMRU key under the Shell folder and select the Delete option.

4. Next, right-click on the Bags registry key under the Shell folder and select the Delete option.

After deleting the two folders, make sure to restart your PC. This will most probably fix Control Panel not an opening problem on Windows 11 computers.

5) Check the Local Group Policy Settings

In this method, we will make a few changes to the Local Group Policy editor to enable the Control Panel on Windows 11 operating system. Follow some of the simple steps we have shared below.

1. First of all, click on the Windows 11 search and type in Local Group Policy. Next, click on the Local Group Policy Editor from the list of options.

2. On the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the path:

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel

3. Now select the Control Panel folder, and on the right pane, double click on the ‘Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC Settings’ policy.

4. On the Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC Settings window, select Not configured and then on the Apply button. Once done, click on the Ok button to close the window.

That’s it! You are done. After making the above changes, restart your Windows 11 PC to fix Control Panel not opening on Windows 11 PC.

6) Run SFC and DISM Command

System file corruption is another prominent reason behind Control Panel not opening on Windows 11. Hence, you need to run both SFC, and DISM commands on your Windows 11 to fix the Control Panel not opening issue. Here’s what you need to do.

1. First of all, right-click on the Windows 11 Start Button and select Windows Terminal (Admin).

2. On the Windows Terminal, type in sfc /scannow and hit the Enter button on your keyboard.

3. If the SFC commands find any problem, you need to run the DISM command. To run the DISM command, you need to re-run the Windows Terminal and execute the three commands we have shared:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

That’s it! You are done. This is how you can run SFC and DISM command on Windows 11 PC to fix Control Panel not opening problem.

The methods we have shared in this guide will surely help you fix the Control Panel not opening on Windows 11 problem. If the problem is still not resolved, you need to raise a question in the Microsoft Support forum. Or else, you need to look for ways to reset or reinstall Windows 11 on your PC. I hope this article helped you! Please share it with your friends also. If you have any doubts related to this, let us know in the comment box below.