If you hate digging through Windows 11’s menus to find a tool or setting tucked away in the Control Panel or System Settings, try turning on the hidden Master Control Panel feature—or as it’s better known: “God Mode.”
Normally, Windows hides many important settings deep within the Control Panel and Settings menus, forcing users to dig around their system just to change their PC’s date and time, defrag the hard drive, or create a system restore point.
However, turning on God Mode in Windows 11 adds a Master Control Panel shortcut to your desktop, filled with more than 260 shortcuts and settings normally found in the Control Panel and Settings menus. You can do everything from managing USB devices, uninstalling programs, changing your PC’s power settings, and more right from the desktop.
Not only does Windows 11’s God Mode feel like a cheat code that makes your PC easier to navigate, you even use a secret code to turn it on, just like you would in an old video game. Here’s what to do:
Right-click a blank area on your desktop.Select New > Folder.Rename the new folder to: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}Open the renamed folder. Windows will automatically turn it into a Master Control Panel folder.G/O Media may get a commission
God Mode is now enabled—see what I meant about turning it on with a cheat code? These steps also work on Windows 10 (and Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, for that matter).
We should note that God Mode doesn’t make any major changes to your PC, nor does it require an expert-level of understanding to use. That said, you should only use the tools in the folder when you need them, and don’t mess with any advanced settings if you don’t know what they do.
The various God Mode functions and settings will differ between operating systems, but everything you’d otherwise find in the Windows Control Panel is included. You can even drag and drop any of the items in the Master Control Panel list onto your desktop to create a shortcut for even quicker access, and there’s a search bar you can use to quickly find any of the functions.
If you decide you don’t need God Mode anymore, just delete the folder from the desktop.
[PC Gamer]
