How to Hide Items from the Control Panel in Windows
How to Hide Items from the Control Panel in Windows

If you have been using Windows 10 for a while, then you might be well aware of the Control Panel. It’s a centralized hub from where you can excess different Windows settings. Not just settings, but adding/removing programs were also done through the Control Panel.

Although you can uninstall programs from the app drop-down list on Windows 10, still Control Panel is the most preferred way to add/remove new programs. Let’s admit, there are times when we all have wanted to hide certain items from the Control Panel.

For example, if you have a shared PC, then you won’t want others to see what software you use. Similarly, Control Panel, if landed in the wrong hand can invite lots of troubles. So, if you want to hide items from the Control Panel in Windows, then you are reading the right article.

Hide Items from the Control Panel in Windows

In this article, we are going to share a way to stop others from changing certain settings on the Control Panel. So, let’s check out how to hide Control Panel Settings on Windows 10 operating system.

Step 1. First of all, open Run dialog box on your Windows 10 operating system.

Step 2. On the RUN dialog box, enter ‘gpedit.msc‘ and hit enter.

enter 'gpedit.msc' and hit enter
enter ‘gpedit.msc’ and hit enter

Step 3. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor. There you need to browse to the User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel. There double click on the ‘Hide specified control panel items’ from the right-hand side panel.

Browse to the given path
Browse to the given path

Step 4. In the next window, you need to enable the ‘Hide Specified Control Panel Items’ and click on the ‘Show’ button near the List of disallowed control panel items.

enable the 'Hide Specified Control Panel Items' option
enable the ‘Hide Specified Control Panel Items’ option

Step 5. In the next window, you need to add the Canonical name of the Control Panel item which you want to hide. Towards the end of the article, we have shared a list of Canonical name for any specific control panel item.

add the Canonical name of the Control Panel
add the Canonical name of the Control Panel

Step 6. Once added, close the opened window and restart your computer.

Control Panel Item Canonical Name
Action Center Microsoft.ActionCenter
Administrative Tools Microsoft.AdministrativeTools
AutoPlay Microsoft.AutoPlay
Backup and Restore Microsoft.BackupAndRestore
Biometric Devices Microsoft.BiometricDevices
BitLocker Drive Encryption Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption
Color Management Microsoft.ColorManagement
Credential Manager Microsoft.CredentialManager
Date and Time Microsoft.DateAndTime
Default Location Microsoft.DefaultLocation
Default Programs Microsoft.DefaultPrograms
Desktop Gadgets Microsoft.DesktopGadgets
Device Manager Microsoft.DeviceManager
Devices and Printers Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters
Display Microsoft.Display
Ease of Access Center Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter
Folder Options Microsoft.FolderOptions
Fonts Microsoft.Fonts
Game Controllers Microsoft.GameControllers
Get Programs Microsoft.GetPrograms
Getting Started Microsoft.GettingStarted
HomeGroup Microsoft.HomeGroup
Indexing Options Microsoft.IndexingOptions
Infrared Microsoft.Infrared
Internet Options Microsoft.InternetOptions
iSCSI Initiator Microsoft.iSCSIInitiator
Keyboard Microsoft.Keyboard
Location and Other Sensors Microsoft.LocationAndOtherSensors
Mouse Microsoft.Mouse
Network and Sharing Center Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter
Notification Area Icons Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons
Offline Files Microsoft.OfflineFiles
Parental Controls Microsoft.ParentalControls
Pen and Touch Microsoft.PenAndTouch
People Near Me Microsoft.PeopleNearMe
Performance Information and Tools Microsoft.PerformanceInformationAndTools
Personalization Microsoft.Personalization
Phone and Modem Microsoft.PhoneAndModem
Power Options Microsoft.PowerOptions
Programs and Features Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures
Recovery Microsoft.Recovery
Region and Language Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections
Scanners and Cameras Microsoft.ScannersAndCameras
Sound Microsoft.Sound
Speech Recognition Microsoft.SpeechRecognition
Sync Center Microsoft.SyncCenter
System Microsoft.System
Tablet PC Settings Microsoft.TabletPCSettings
Taskbar and Start Menu Microsoft.TaskbarAndStartMenu
Text to Speech Microsoft.TextToSpeech
Troubleshooting Microsoft.Troubleshooting
User Accounts Microsoft.UserAccounts
Windows Anytime Upgrade Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade
Windows CardSpace Microsoft.CardSpace
Windows Defender Microsoft.WindowsDefender
Windows Firewall Microsoft.WindowsFirewall
Windows Mobility Center Microsoft.MobilityCenter
Windows SideShow Microsoft.WindowsSideShow
Windows Update Microsoft.WindowsUpdate

So, this article is all about How to Hide Items from the Control Panel in Windows. By following the method given above, you can easily hide any items from the Control Panel. I hope this article helped you! Share it with your friends also.