Windows 10 Troubleshooting: Fixing Common Control Panel Issues

Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025. If you’re still running it, the steps below still work, but consider planning an upgrade to Windows 11 (or Extended Security Updates if you need more time) as soon as practical. Windows’ built-in troubleshooters can automatically detect and fix a range of common problems — network connectivity, audio, printing, Windows Update, and more — without needing to dig through settings manually.

How to Run One (Windows 10)

1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot (or search “Troubleshoot” from the Start menu).
2. Click Additional troubleshooters to see the full list rather than just the featured few.
3. Select the one matching your problem (Internet Connections, Playing Audio, Printer, Windows Update, etc.) and click Run the troubleshooter.

On Windows 11

The same tools live under Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. The old Control Panel troubleshooting applet still exists on both versions if you’re more comfortable with it, but Microsoft has been steadily moving this functionality into the Settings app.

Still Accurate for Windows 10 (Updated for 2026)

Worth confirming directly given how much has shifted around troubleshooting tools recently: Microsoft’s move toward the standalone “Get Help” app as the front-end for troubleshooters — retiring the classic Settings-based experience — is a Windows 11-specific change. Windows 10, including machines running on Extended Security Updates, keeps the classic Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot path working exactly as described above; nothing here has changed as part of the ESU program. If you’re managing a mixed fleet, expect the steps above to keep working unmodified on any remaining Windows 10 machine, while Windows 11 devices increasingly route the same troubleshooters through Get Help instead of the Settings app directly.

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