.png?width=100&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale "Picture of John Savill")
.png?width=400&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale "John Savill")
Sign up for the ITPro Today newsletter
Stay on top of the IT universe with commentary, news analysis, how-to's, and tips delivered to your inbox daily.
What are the .cpl files in the system32 directory?
John Savill
March 4, 1999
1 Min Read
A. Each .cpl file represents one or more control panel applets (Start - Settings - Control Panel). Below is a list of common .cpl files and what Control Panel Applets they represent
.cpl file name | Control Panel Applets |
|---|---|
ACCESS.CPL | Accessibility options |
APPWIZ.CPL | Add/remove programs |
CONSOLE.CPL | Console |
DESK.CPL | Display |
DEVAPPS.CPL | PCMCIA, SCSI adapters and tape drives |
INETCPL.CPL | Internet |
INTL.CPL | Regional Settings |
JOY.CPL | Joystick |
MAIN.CPL | Fonts, keyboard, mouse and printers |
MLCFG32.CPL | |
MMSYS.CPL | Sounds and multimedia |
MODEM.CPL | Modems |
NCPA.CPL | Network |
NTGUARD.CPL | Dr Solomons |
ODBCCP32.CPL | ODBC |
PORTS.CPL | Ports |
RASCPL.CPL | Dial up monitor |
SRVMGR.CPL | Server, services and devices |
SYSDM.CPL | System |
TELEPHON.CPL | Telephony |
TIMEDATE.CPL | Date/time |
TWEAKUI.CPL | TWEAKUI |
UPS.CPL | UPS |
If you renames any of these files then the items they represent in the Control Panel would not be shown, e.g.
rename timedate.cpl timedate.non
would remove the date/time control panel applet.
Also, setting HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorerNoSetFolders (REG_DWORD) to 1 will hide the Control Panel, Printers and My Computer in Explorer and Start Menu. You would normally need to create this value as it does not exist by default.
About the Author
You May Also Like
.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)