Fix – Windows 10 Settings App Not Opening

Windows 10 Settings is a go-to option when it comes to making tweaks to the Windows operating system. These tweaks could pertain to adding/ removing devices, running troubleshooting, changing display/ sound settings, personalizing screen colors, updating apps, adding user accounts, and Windows itself, so on and so forth.

But what if you hit the Windows + I button and find that Windows 10 Settings app is not opening or working. Actually, that’s not the only issue faced by many Windows 10 users. Here are the kind of issues you might face if Windows Settings is not working properly on your computer –

What Are We Dealing With Here?

Below are the kind of problems faced when Windows 10 settings refuse to open or work properly –

• Unresponsive Windows 10 Settings app
• No matter what alternative you take you are just not able to open Settings (we suggest you create a new user account, for more information you can head to Way No. 6)
• Even after the Settings opens, you cannot access the options.
• Updates fail to take place.

Also Read: How To Get In Safe Mode In Windows 10

Ways To Fix Windows 10 Settings App Not Opening

Below are some of the possible ways and means you will either be able to resolve the issue or you will at least have an alternative way to open the Settings app –

Table Of Contents
Way No. 1  – Reset Settings Way No. 2 – Did You Disable The Settings App By Mistake? Way No. 3 – Run The SFC Command In Administrative Command Prompt Way No. 4 –  Re-Register Windows 10 Apps Way No. 5 – Open Settings Via Notifications Center Way No. 6 – Go For A New User Account

Way No. 1 – Reset Settings

This simple method aims at resetting all the settings which might be able to eliminate any issue because of which Windows 10 Settings app are not opening or not working.

1. Click on Start button

2. On the farthest left, right-click on the cog icon and select App settings

3. When the new window opens scroll down till you reach the Reset button

4. Click on Reset

In case, Windows 10 Settings app are still not opening, you can proceed with other methods.

Way No. 2 – Did You Disable The Settings App By Mistake?

Even if not, you can try the following steps and check if the Settings app in Windows is enabled. After you have enabled the Settings app, you should be able to access all the options and the Settings app itself –

1. In the Settings app type Regedit and then click on Run as administrator from the right-hand side

2. When the UAC prompt appears, click on Yes

3. Once the Registry Editor Window opens, follow the below-mentioned path –

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Note: In case you don’t find Explorer –

1. Right-click on Policies and then click on New followed by Key

2. In the empty area, right-click and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and then rename it as NoControl

3. Double-click on this key and enter the value as 0 which will imply that you have enabled the Settings

Way No. 3 – Run The SFC Command In Administrative Command Prompt

SFC command is a simple and yet effective way to deal with corrupt files which can be the root cause of many issues such as Windows 10 Settings app not working.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box

2. Type CMD and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the elevated Command Prompt

3. When the Command Prompt opens type SFC /SCANNOW and press Enter

4. Wait for the process to complete

Way No. 4 –  Re-Register Windows 10 Apps

You can try and re-register Windows 10 apps if you are unable to open the Settings app in Windows 10. For this, you will have to take the help of Windows PowerShell. Here we have simplified the steps for you –

1. In the Windows search bar type PowerShell

2. Choose Run as administrator from the right-hand side

3. When the UAC prompt appears click on Yes

4. When the PowerShell window opens type the following command

.Get-AppXPackage | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation) \AppXManifest.xml"}

5. Press Enter

Way No. 5 – Open Settings Via Notifications Center

If your Windows 10 settings are not opening via one route, you can try an alternative way such as using the Notifications center that you can find at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

1. Click on the Notifications center

2. Select All Settings (represented by cog-icon)

3. You can now access settings

Way No. 6 – Go For A New User Account

In case you need the Settings app urgently and you find that Windows 10 Settings app are not opening, you can create a new user account and tweak settings from there. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to create or delete a user account in Windows 10.

You can even create a user account using elevated Command Prompt –

1. In the Windows search bar type CMD

2. From the right-hand pane select Run as administrator

3. In the Command Prompt window type net user newusername (replace this with your desired username) newpassword (replace this with your desired password) /add and press Enter

4. Sign out of your existing account and log in to the newly created account

Wrapping Up

Were the above ways successful in resolving the issue? Do let us know in the comments which of the methods helped you when the Settings app was not working in Windows 10. If you liked the blog and found it helpful, do upvote it and share it with your friends.