40. Control Panel: Hide Unused Applets with the Registry

To hide unused applets using the Registry, run the Registry Editorand go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control
Panel\don't load.

The key, as its name implies, determines which Control Panel applet icons are not
loaded into the Control Panel. You'll still be able to run those applets from the
command line after you hide them; you just won't be able to see their icons in the
Control Panel.

To hide an applet, create a new String value whose name is the filename of the
applet you want to hide. For example, to hide the Mouse Control dialog box, the
String value would be main.cpl.

Control Panel applets and their filenames
Applet Filename
System Properties sysdm.cpl
Display Properties desk.cpl
Network Connections ncpa.cpl
Accessibility Options access.cpl

Control Panel applets and their filenames

Applet Filename
Add or Remove Programs appwiz.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard hdwwiz.cpl
Internet Properties Inetcpl.cpl
Region and Language Options intl.cpl
Game Controllers joy.cpl
Mouse Properties main.cpl
Sound and Audio Devices mmsys.cpl
User Accounts nusrmgr.cpl
ODBC Data Source Administrator odbccp32.cpl
Power Options Properties Powercfg.cpl
Phone and Modem Options telephon.cpl
Time and Date Properties timedate.cpl
Speech Properties sapi.cpl

Create separate String values for each applet you want to hide, then exit the
Registry. The applets will vanish from the Control Panel. To make a hidden applet
appear again, delete its string value from this same registry key.