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How to make a custom control panel with Windows GodMode

With Windows' hidden feature, called GodMode, you can create a custom control panel, giving you access to your most important settings and tools.

Sharon Profis Vice President of Content, CNET Studios
As the Vice President of CNET Studios, Sharon leads the video, social, editorial design, and branded content teams. Before this role, Sharon led content development and launched new verticals for CNET, including Wellness, Money, and How To. A tech expert herself, she's reviewed and covered countless products, hosted hundreds of videos, and appeared on shows like Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and the Today Show. An industry expert, Sharon is a recurring Best of Beauty Awards judge for Allure. Sharon is an avid chef and hosts the cooking segment 'Farm to Fork' on PBS nationwide. She's developed and published hundreds of recipes.
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Sharon Profis
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Count the steps it takes to get to a Windows setting--it's often a laborious task. Want to do a disk cleanup? You'll have to go to: Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup.

Many Windows settings and tools require similar, lengthy sets of steps, especially for minor system tweaks that are buried within tools (like adding a new wireless network).

God Mode, a hidden Windows feature, gives you a complete list of every single system setting and tool, letting you create your own customized control panel for quicker access to these settings and tools.

Follow these steps to create your custom control panel:

  1. Enable God Mode: Create a new folder on your desktop, and name it GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

  2. Create another new folder on your desktop, titled "Control Panel" (or any other name you choose).

  3. Open up the folder created in Step 1. You'll see a huge list of system settings, tools, and options. The list even includes options that are buried within tools, like Change Desktop Background. Find your most frequently used settings, and drag them into your new "Control Panel" folder.

    Tip: Collapse all the settings groups for easier viewing of all the GodMode items.

  4. (Optional) Pin your new control panel to the Start menu or Taskbar for quick access by dragging and dropping.

Feel free to access the original GodMode folder whenever you want to add new settings to your custom control panel. Additionally, all the GodMode settings--including the otherwise buried settings, like "Change screen orientation"--can be accessed by searching the Start menu.

(Via Ed Bott, ZDNET)