Many Windows 10 users are facing issues while accessing the Settings icon on their device’s Start menu. So, it’s quite obvious for them to assume that the upgrade to Windows 10 is causing this problem. However, there can be multiple reasons apart from this one, which leads to Windows 10 settings not opening. The issue can occur due to an outdated OS on your PC. It can happen because of a few technical defects in the device also. Fortunately, there are some methods that can ease out your stress and resolve the issue of not opening of Settings icon. So, if you are unable to open or launch ‘Settings’ on your Windows 10 PC, check out this article and apply the given solutions to fix this Windows 10 problem.
How To Fix Windows 10 Settings Not Opening?
Even if the problem of Windows 10 Settings not working may sound very nominal to some users, it is a severe issue. The Settings icon is the gateway to access the Control Panel on all on Windows 10 based devices. So, if you can’t launch or open the Settings option, it means the Windows in your PC is dysfunctional for now. Also, some users are reporting that whenever they click on Settings, it’s opening the Store app in their devices instead. Hence, before the problem disrupts the activity of your entire device, you can apply some technical fixes to resolve this Windows 10 error.
Method 1: Use Group Policy Editor
This method is applicable for users who are using Home Edition for Windows 10 on their devices. You can enable or disable Windows 10 Settings by accessing the Group Policy settings in your device. To view this, write ‘gpedit.msc’ in the search box and go to ‘User configuration’. Then, select ‘administrative templates’ followed by the ‘Control Panel’. Under the settings, locate the option that disables access to PC settings and Control Panel. As you double-click on it, you can see the settings window to enable or disable these features. If the option of ‘enabled’ is chosen, it will prevent you from opening the Control Panel and Settings icon on your PC. So, click on ‘disabled’, then ‘Apply’ button and finally on ‘OK’. Hopefully, it helps you to open the Windows 10 Settings without any issue.
Method 2: Enable Settings Via Windows Registry
This method requires you to edit the Windows Registry manually. So, before you check out the steps, make a system restore point for your system if something goes wrong while applying it. Now, open the search box and write ‘regedit.exe’ in it. As it asks for further confirmation on behalf of your user account, click ‘Yes’. Then, navigate to the Windows Explorer by following the path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
For users who don’t have the Explorer file on their PC, select the ‘Policies’ option. Then, right-click on it, select ‘New’ and click ‘Key’. You can rename this key as Explorer. Next, you have to look for an empty spot and right-click to create a new file. Select the ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value’ option and rename it as ‘NoControlPanel’. If the default value of this ‘NoControlPanel’ was earlier ‘1’, it was the reason for disabling the Settings app on your device. So, double-click on this registry file and change the Value data from ‘1’ to ‘0’. This will enable the Control Panel and Settings features in your Windows 10 based computer.
Method 3: Make A New User Account
Sometimes, you can bring back the Settings app on your PC by creating a new user profile. So, if you can get access to the Control Panel by following the steps in method 2, locate ‘User accounts’ in it. Then, go to ‘manage another account’, tap on it (or left-click) and open ‘Add a new user in PC settings’. After this, log in to your device using this new account info. If this doesn’t enable the Settings icon, use the Command Prompt to create a new user profile. For this, click on the Command Prompt (admin) after hitting Windows+X keys. Then, type ‘net user NewUser password1 / add’ in the command window. In the next line, write ‘net local group administrators NewUser / add’.
Finally, log into your Windows 10 based PC using the newly created profile information. To resolve any remaining technical issues that are likely to cause this Windows 10 error, you can apply the latest Windows 10 update on your system.
