Read: Add Control Panel to Desktop Context Menu 2] Pin Control Panel applets to Start. To pin Programs and Features shortcut to your Start Menu, open your Windows Explorer, say C:\Program Files ...

1] Open Control Panel in Elevated Mode using Shortcut. Since Control Panel doesn’t already have a desktop shortcut, you need to create one for Control Panel so that it will run in elevated mode.

To open the Control Panel from the Windows 8 Start Screen go to the Start Screen and type Control. When the search results appear click on the Settings category as shown below.

The Nvidia Control Panel doesn't live on your desktop, but it's easy to find. Here, we show you how to open the Nvidia Control Panel in a few steps.

You can, however, create a shortcut that lists all your Control Panel options in one list. If you're a tech news follower, you might have seen this listed recently as a "God mode" explorer hack.

There are myriad ways to open programs in Windows 10 -- use the Start menu/screen, pin shortcuts to the taskbar, or use Cortana. But if hands-free isn't your thing, you can also use keyboard ...