Do you want an easy way to access specific Windows Settings? Windows allows us to create special Windows Settings icons from ordinary empty folders, and it's dead simple. In this guide, you will find all 70 special Windows Settings icons you can create anywhere, including the Windows "GodMode".
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How to create a Windows Settings Icon
Let's say we often use the Ease of Access Center on our PC. So, instead of going to the control panel every time, why not create an Ease of Access Center icon on the desktop? Not a shortcut or anything; a proper system icon, like the Recycle bin.
You won't believe how easy it is to create such an icon. We just need to right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select New -> Folder.
The name of this folder must be in two parts, separated by a period ".". The first part can be anything, e.g. Ease of Access.
The second part of the name, after the period, will be the special GUID, which for the Ease of Access Center is:
{D555645E-D4F8-4c29-A827-D93C859C4F2A}
So, after we click anywhere else to finalize the name, it will transform to an Ease of Access Center icon.
Double-click it, and it opens the Ease of Access Center. Just like that.
With the same method, we can create more than 70 Windows settings Icons, from the "Action Center" and "Administrative Tools", to the "Windows Firewall", "Windows SideShow", and "Windows Update".
We don't need to create such Windows Settings icons just on the desktop. We could add a "Computer" icon in our "Documents" folder if we felt like it.
We just need to know the proper GUID. And where can we find that? Glad you asked.
All the Windows settings GUIDs
Almost all the GUIDs below will work for Windows 7.
A few of them, like the Network Map, won't work for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, because the specific Windows settings were removed from that version of Windows.
Also, BitLocker DriveEncryption is only available in Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8.1 Home and Pro and Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro.
Each entry in the table below is created with the proper syntax. Just copy and paste it on a new folder name to create the respective Windows settings icon immediately.
Remember, you can change the bold part to anything you want, but don't touch the GUID.
Action Center.{BB64F8A7-BEE7-4E1A-AB8D-7D8273F7FDB6} |
Administrative Tools.{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153} |
Applications.{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1} (Windows 8.1) |
AutoPlay.{9C60DE1E-E5FC-40f4-A487-460851A8D915} |
Backup and Restore.{B98A2BEA-7D42-4558-8BD1-832F41BAC6FD} (Windows 7) |
Biometric Devices.{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428} (Windows 7) |
BitLocker Drive Encryption.{D9EF8727-CAC2-4e60-809E-86F80A666C91} (Windows 8.1) |
Bluetooth Devices.{28803F59-3A75-4058-995F-4EE5503B023C} |
Command Folder.{437ff9c0-a07f-4fa0-af80-84b6c6440a16} |
Common Places FS Folder.{d34a6ca6-62c2-4c34-8a7c-14709c1ad938} |
Computer.{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d} |
Control Panel (All Tasks).{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} |
Credential Manager.{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70} |
Default Location.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33} (Windows 7) |
Default Programs.{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966} |
Delegate folder that appears in Computer.{b155bdf8-02f0-451e-9a26-ae317cfd7779} |
Devices and Printers.{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A} |
Display (DPI).{C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A} |
Ease of Access Center.{D555645E-D4F8-4c29-A827-D93C859C4F2A} |
E-mail (default program).{2559a1f5-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0} |
Favorites.{323CA680-C24D-4099-B94D-446DD2D7249E} |
Flip 3D.{3080F90E-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257} |
Font Settings.{93412589-74D4-4E4E-AD0E-E0CB621440FD} |
Games Explorer.{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52} |
Get Programs.{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4} |
Help and Support.{2559a1f1-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0} |
HomeGroup.{67CA7650-96E6-4FDD-BB43-A8E774F73A57} |
Installed Updates.{d450a8a1-9568-45c7-9c0e-b4f9fb4537bd} |
Libraries.{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5} |
Location.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33} |
Location and Other Sensors.{E9950154-C418-419e-A90A-20C5287AE24B} (Windows 7) |
Manage Wireless Networks.{1fa9085f-25a2-489b-85d4-86326eedcd87} |
My Documents.{450d8fba-ad25-11d0-98a8-0800361b1103} |
Network.{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C} |
Network (WorkGroup) Places.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} |
Network Connections.{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E} |
Network Map.{E7DE9B1A-7533-4556-9484-B26FB486475E} (Windows 7) |
Notification Area Icons.{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9} |
Offline Files Folder.{AFDB1F70-2A4C-11d2-9039-00C04F8EEB3E} (Windows 7) |
Parental Controls.{96AE8D84-A250-4520-95A5-A47A7E3C548B} |
Performance Information and Tools.{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC} (Windows 7) |
Personalization.{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921} |
Portable Devices.{35786D3C-B075-49b9-88DD-029876E11C01} |
Power Options.{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D} |
Previous Versions Results Folder.{f8c2ab3b-17bc-41da-9758-339d7dbf2d88} |
Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D} |
printhood delegate folder.{ed50fc29-b964-48a9-afb3-15ebb9b97f36} |
Programs and Features.{7b81be6a-ce2b-4676-a29e-eb907a5126c5} |
Public folder.{4336a54d-038b-4685-ab02-99bb52d3fb8b} |
Recent Places.{22877a6d-37a1-461a-91b0-dbda5aaebc99} |
Recovery (System Restore).{9FE63AFD-59CF-4419-9775-ABCC3849F861} |
Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} |
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B} |
Run.{2559a1f3-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0} |
Search.{2559a1f0-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0} |
Search Results.{9343812e-1c37-4a49-a12e-4b2d810d956b} |
Set Program Access and Defaults.{2559a1f7-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0} |
Show Desktop.{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257} |
Speech Recognition.{58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A} |
Sync Center.{9C73F5E5-7AE7-4E32-A8E8-8D23B85255BF} |
Sync Setup Folder.{2E9E59C0-B437-4981-A647-9C34B9B90891} |
System.{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE} |
Troubleshooting.{C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651} |
User Accounts.{60632754-c523-4b62-b45c-4172da012619} |
User Folder.{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} |
User Pinned.{1f3427c8-5c10-4210-aa03-2ee45287d668} |
WEI.{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC} (Windows 7) |
Windows Firewall.{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423} |
Windows SideShow.{E95A4861-D57A-4be1-AD0F-35267E261739} |
Windows Update.{36eef7db-88ad-4e81-ad49-0e313f0c35f8} (Windows 7) |
Wait, isn't that the Windows 7 GodMode method?
In early 2010, many technology websites were raving about Windows 7 GodMode.
What everyone was referring to as GodMode is simply the
Control Panel (All Tasks).{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
we mentioned on the list, which contains nearly 200 different Windows settings.
Which Windows Settings icons do you find the most useful?
The Control Panel (All Tasks) is one of the most useful Windows Settings icons we can create, to have complete control on our system.
Which other Windows settings icons would you find useful on your system? Leave us a comment.
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