GodMode is a special folder in Windows that gives you quick access to over 200 tools and settings that are normally tucked away in the Control Panel and other windows and menus.

Once enabled, God Mode lets you do all sorts of things, like quickly open the built-in disk defragmenter, view event logs, access Device Manager, add Bluetooth devices, format disk partitions, update drivers, open Task Manager, change display settings, adjust your mouse settings, show or hide file extensions, change font settings, rename the computer, and a lot more.

The way GodMode works is actually very simple: just name an empty folder on your computer as outlined below, and then instantly, the folder will turn into a super-handy place to change all sorts of Windows settings.

How to Activate GodMode in Windows

The steps for turning on God Mode is the exact same for Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7:

Want to use God Mode in Windows Vista? See the section at the bottom of this page for more information before you continue with these steps. Windows XP does not support GodMode.

Make a new folder, anywhere you like. To do this, right-click or tap-and-hold on any empty space in any folder in Windows, and choose New > Folder. You need to make a new folder right now, not just use an existing folder that already has files and folders in it. If you proceed to Step 2 using a folder that already has data in it, all of those files will instantly become hidden, and while GodMode will work, your files will not be accessible. When asked to name the folder, copy and paste this into that text box: God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-8 The beginning “God Mode” text is just a custom name that you can change to whatever you wish to help you identify the folder, but make sure the rest of the name is exactly the same as you see above. The folder icon will change to a Control Panel icon and anything after your custom folder name will disappear. Although we just warned in the previous step to use an empty folder to get to God Mode, there is a way to unhide your files and reverse GodMode if you accidentally did this to an existing folder. See the tip at the bottom of this page for help. Double-click or double-tap the new folder to open GodMode.

What GodMode Is and Isn't

GodMode is a quick-access folder full of shortcuts to administrative tools and settings. It also makes it a breeze to place shortcuts to those settings anywhere else, like on your desktop.

For example, in Windows 10, to edit environment variables, you could take the long route and open Control Panel and then navigate to System and Security > System > Advanced system settings, or you could use GodMode to access the Edit the system environment variables option to reach the same place in fewer steps.

What GodMode is not is a set of new Windows tweaks or hacks that gives you special functions or features. Nothing in GodMode is unique. In fact, much like the environment variable example, every single task found in GodMode is accessible elsewhere in Windows.

This means you don't need GodMode enabled to do all of these things. Task Manager, for instance, can sure be opened quickly in God Mode but it works just as fast, if not even faster, with the Ctrl+Shift+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Del keyboard shortcut.

Similarly, you can open Device Manager in a number of ways in addition to the GodMode folder, like in Command Prompt or via the Run dialog box. The same holds true for every other task found in God Mode.

What You Can Do With GodMode

What you get with God Mode is a little different for each version of Windows. Once you turn on the GodMode folder, you’ll find all of these section headings, each with their own set of tasks: