Windows 11 Quick Settings: How to Customize the Quick Access Panel

The Quick Settings panel in Windows 11 provides one-click access to frequently used settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, airplane mode, and screen brightness — without opening the full Settings app. Open it by clicking the network/volume/battery icons in the taskbar or pressing Win+A. For more Windows 11 customization, see our 15 Windows 11 settings to change guide.

Key Takeaways

• Open Quick Settings by clicking the Wi-Fi, volume, or battery icons in the system tray, or press the keyboard shortcut Win+A.
• In Windows 11 23H2 and earlier, click the pencil icon to add, remove, and reorder Quick Settings tiles. In 24H2+, you can only reorder tiles by dragging.
• Default tiles include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, Battery Saver, Focus, Night Light, Accessibility, Nearby Sharing, Project, and VPN.

How Do I Open Quick Settings in Windows 11?

Click the Wi-Fi, speaker, or battery icon cluster in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar — or press Win+A — to open the Quick Settings flyout panel.

Three Ways to Open

Method	How	Speed
Mouse click	Click the network/volume/battery area in the taskbar	Standard
Keyboard shortcut	Press Win+A	Fastest
Touch screen	Swipe up from the bottom-right corner	Tablet/touch

The panel appears as a flyout above the taskbar showing toggle buttons and sliders. Click any tile to toggle that setting on or off. Click anywhere outside the panel to close it.

What Tiles Are Available in Quick Settings?

Quick Settings includes up to 15 toggle tiles depending on your hardware and Windows version — each tile controls a specific system setting with a single click.

Tile	What It Does	When Visible
Wi-Fi	Connect/disconnect wireless networks	Always (if Wi-Fi adapter present)
Bluetooth	Enable/disable Bluetooth	Always (if adapter present)
Airplane Mode	Disable all wireless radios	Always
Battery Saver	Reduce background activity to save power	Laptops/tablets only
Focus	Suppress notifications	Always
Night Light	Reduce blue light emission	Always
Accessibility	Open accessibility shortcuts	Always
Nearby Sharing	Share files with nearby Windows devices	Always
Project	Choose display mode (PC only, Duplicate, Extend, Second screen)	Always
VPN	Connect to a configured VPN	If VPN is configured
Mobile Hotspot	Share internet via Wi-Fi hotspot	If supported
Cast	Mirror screen to external display	Always
Rotation Lock	Lock/unlock screen rotation	Tablets/2-in-1 only
Energy Recommendations	Power-saving suggestions	Windows 11 24H2+

Sliders (Always Present)

• Brightness: Adjust screen brightness (drag the sun icon slider)
• Volume: Adjust system volume (drag the speaker icon slider)

Click the arrow next to the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth tile to expand and see available networks or paired devices without opening Settings.

How Do I Customize Quick Settings (Windows 11 23H2 and Earlier)?

Click the pencil icon at the bottom of the Quick Settings panel to enter edit mode — add, remove, and reorder tiles by clicking + buttons or unpinning existing tiles.

Add or Remove Tiles

1. Open Quick Settings (Win+A).
2. Click the pencil icon (bottom of the panel).
3. The panel enters edit mode — existing tiles show an unpin (X) button.
4. Click X on any tile to remove it.
5. Click + Add at the bottom to see available tiles not currently shown.
6. Click a tile to add it.
7. Click Done to save.

Reorder Tiles

In edit mode, drag and drop tiles to rearrange them. Place your most-used settings in the top row for immediate access.

How Do I Customize Quick Settings (Windows 11 24H2+)?

In Windows 11 version 24H2 and later, Microsoft removed the pencil edit button — you can only reorder tiles by dragging, but cannot add or remove individual tiles.

What Changed in 24H2

Feature	23H2 and Earlier	24H2+
Add tiles	Yes (+ Add button)	No
Remove tiles	Yes (unpin button)	No
Reorder tiles	Yes (drag in edit mode)	Yes (drag without edit mode)
Edit button (pencil)	Present	Removed
Brightness/Volume sliders	Present	Present
Expand Wi-Fi/Bluetooth	Yes	Yes

Reorder Tiles in 24H2

1. Open Quick Settings (Win+A).
2. Click and hold any tile.
3. Drag it to your preferred position.
4. Release to drop it in place.

Move your most-used tiles to the top row. Less-used tiles pushed to the bottom are hidden in the scrollable area, effectively keeping the panel clean without removing them.

Workaround for Adding/Removing

If you need to control which tiles appear, the only option in 24H2 is through Group Policy (Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise):

1. Open gpedit.msc.
2. Navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
3. Look for Quick Settings-related policies.
4. Enable or disable specific tiles through policy settings.

This is only available on Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise — Home edition users cannot modify the tile list in 24H2.

What Are Useful Quick Settings Keyboard Shortcuts?

Beyond Win+A, Windows 11 has specific shortcuts for common Quick Settings actions.

Shortcut	Action
Win+A	Open/close Quick Settings
Win+N	Open Notification Center (adjacent panel)
Win+K	Open Cast to device
Win+P	Open Project (display mode)
Win+L	Lock screen
Win+I	Open full Settings app
Win+Shift+Q	Quick Assist (remote help)

These shortcuts provide direct access to actions without opening Quick Settings first — useful for frequently toggled settings like Project (Win+P for presentations) and Cast (Win+K for wireless displays).

How Does Quick Settings Compare to Control Center (macOS)?

Windows 11 Quick Settings and macOS Control Center serve the same purpose — quick access to system toggles — with slight differences in customization and layout.

Feature	Windows 11 Quick Settings	macOS Control Center
Open	Win+A or click taskbar icons	Click Control Center icon
Customize tiles	Limited (24H2 removed editing)	Add/remove in System Settings
Wi-Fi management	Expand to see networks	Expand to see networks
Bluetooth	Expand to see devices	Expand to see devices
Sliders	Volume + Brightness	Volume + Brightness + Display
Focus/DND	Focus tile	Focus tile
Music controls	Separate media flyout	Integrated in Control Center

For optimizing Windows 11 beyond Quick Settings, see our Windows 11 performance settings guide and privacy settings guide. If you need Windows 11 Pro with Group Policy for advanced Quick Settings control, Windows 11 Pro ($99.99) includes Group Policy Editor, BitLocker, and Hyper-V.

Frequently Asked Questions

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