Why did the Creators Update hide the Control Panel?

QI’ve been using Windows 10 for over a year now, mostly without problems. I don’t often use the Control Panel but when I do, I usually open it from the Windows key+x shortcut menu, which I learned from a tip in Computeractive ages ago. Microsoft recently modified my PC by applying the Creators Update. This seemed to go well and everything worked as it should afterwards, but now when I press Windows key+x to summon the little menu, Control Panel has disappeared! I’ve had to resort to launching it by typing its name into the Start menu and clicking the entry when it appears. This works, but it’s nowhere near as convenient. Why did Microsoft remove the Control Panel from this menu, and is there any way to get it back? Malcolm Phelps

AAs we say often in these pages, you’d have to ask Microsoft to explain why it removed this (it sometimes moves in mysterious ways). Our guess is that the company wants Windows 10 users to move away from using Control Panel, which it sees as something of a relic. Instead, Microsoft would rather you click the Start menu’s Settings cog and use the options there.

That would be fine if the Settings pane provided full access to everything in the Control Panel, but even now — nearly two years after the launch of Windows 10, and five years since the introduction of Windows 8 — it still doesn’t have every option you’ll find in its predecessor.

It is possible to restore the Control Panel to the Windows+x menu but first, did you know you can ‘pin’ it to the Start menu? Just click Start and type control panel, then right-click Control Panel and choose ‘Pin to Start’.

You may find that’s good enough, but if you still want to return the Control Panel to the Windows key+x menu, the easiest way is to use a free tool called Win-x Menu Editor. This lets you add, remove or rearrange any of the items in the Windows key+x menu, and it’s very easy to use — so download it now from www.snipca.com/24292.

You don’t need to install it, but you have to extract the contents of the downloaded ZIP file, so right-click it and choose Extract All. Now doubleclick the Winxmenueditorrelease folder, followed by x64 if you use a 64bit edition of Windows 10, or x86 for 32bit. If you’re not sure which to use, double-click x86. Now double-click Winxeditor.exe.

Open the ‘Add a program’ menu and click ‘Add a program’. Then navigate to C:\USERS\[USERNAME]\APPDATA\ Roaming\microsoft\windows\start Menu\programs\system Tools and choose Control Panel.

A Control Panel entry will appear in the Win-x Menu program window. Use the arrows on the right (see screenshot) to position it where you want. It usually lives in Group2, which is the second group of items on the Windows key+x menu, but it doesn’t matter where you position it. When you’ve finished, click Restart Explorer and the job’s done.