Maybe you want to personalize the lock screen background, or perhaps you want to change the default privacy settings, or perhaps you want to add a new user account. In Windows 8, you will need to open the new PC settings (also known as Metro Control Panel) to alter these settings.

Those of you have been using Windows 8, probably aware of the Metro Control Panel. In addition to the old Control Panel, Windows 8 also includes another place named PC Settings (also known as Metro Control Panel) to easily change various system settings.

The Metro Control Panel is the place where you can personalize your lock screen background, user account picture & Start screen, create a new user account, change notification settings, launch refresh PC and reset PC feature, change sync, ease of access, search and privacy settings.

To launch PC settings using mice, you need to first bring up Charms Bar by moving the mouse cursor to the upper right corner of the screen. Once you see the Charms Bar, click on Settings and then finally click on More PC settings to launch PC settings or Metro Control Panel.

In Windows 8, you need to open the Metro Control Panel to change various PC settings mentioned above, and you can’t use the old Control Panel to alter these PC settings. But if you are a keyword addict and would like to open the PC Settings without using the mouse, you can use the keyboard shortcut. Yes, you just need to press Windows + I keys, followed by the Enter key or Space Bar key to launch the same without touching the mouse.

If you are new to Windows 8, we suggest you check out how to open Control Panel in Windows 8, and how to pin Control Panel to the taskbar and Start screen guides.