Windows 10 CU – How to replace Settings with Control Panel in the Win+X Menu

The Windows 10 Creators Update brought along many changes and so-called improvements. While Things such as improved privacy controls, more powerful tools for gamers and streamers and an updated Windows Defender console were all welcome changes, there were a couple which, for some people, are a little less useful. An example of one of those changes was in the Win+X context menu: This menu was introduced in the Windows 8.1 update as a temporary solution for the lack of the start menu. Since its introduction, it has been a useful way for power users and IT Professionals to access tools that they may need quick access to such as Command Prompt and Control Panel. However, in the Creators update, the Control Panel shortcut was replaced with a link to the Settings App. (Some users even reported having Command Prompt links replaced with Windows PowerShell links). Since it was mainly power users and IT Professionals that used this menu, having the beloved Control Panel removed from this menu was a very unwelcome change. This is another attempt by Microsoft to move all users away from legacy apps, such as Control Panel to their new ‘Modern Apps’, such as Settings. Additionally, since a lot of the links in the Settings App still link to Control Panel applets, making for a very disjointed experience, Microsoft most definitely should not have made this change until they had moved all settings and toggles over to the Settings App – something that should have been done before Windows 10 was even released all the way back in June 2015. Despite this, Windows 10 is a ‘continually improving operating system’, and we have already seen great examples of this with the Anniversary update and the Creators Update. But there is a way to get the link back. It’s fairly easy to do it too. All you need to do is download and install WinXEditor and then follow the instructions in the video tutorial below.