The tech way of saying it is that CLSID or Class Identifier is a string of alphanumeric (both numbers and alphabet characters) symbols that are used to represent a specific instance of a Component Object Model or COM-based program. It allows operating systems and software, particularly for Windows, to detect and access software components without identifying them by their names.
Whew! That was a lot to take in, but what does all of that mean. Well it mean that there is more than one way to get around in a Windows computer. We can open up parts of the computer we need to access simply by adding the CLSID that represents that part in a command prompt after the command “explorer shell::”.
Lets look at an example to clear this up. Let’s say that we want to get into the old control panel that Microsoft seems to be hiding from us in the new Windows operating systems. We can hit the Windows Key + R to bring up the run prompt and copy and paste the following and click enter:
explorer shell:::{5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0}Boom just like that the old style control panel is back!
You can paste in the in the same thing in a command prompt with the same results. The main thing you need to know is that your computer has an obviously different way of navigating than most end users. If you ever spend time in the registry you will come across CLSID s everywhere. So when you see one you will know what it is, some what. After all, it looks like random letters, numbers and hyphens, how are you supposed to tell them apart? Well, with this list:
explorer shell:::{CLSID key}
OR
explorer /e,::{CLSID key}
Add Network Location ::{D4480A50-BA28-11d1-8E75-00C04FA31A86}
Administrative Tools ::{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}
Applications ::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}
AutoPlay ::{9C60DE1E-E5FC-40f4-A487-460851A8D915}
BitLocker Drive Encryption ::{D9EF8727-CAC2-4e60-809E-86F80A666C91}
Bluetooth Devices ::{28803F59-3A75-4058-995F-4EE5503B023C}
Color Management ::{B2C761C6-29BC-4f19-9251-E6195265BAF1}
Command Folder ::{437ff9c0-a07f-4fa0-af80-84b6c6440a16}
Common Places FS Folder ::{d34a6ca6-62c2-4c34-8a7c-14709c1ad938}
Control Panel ::{5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0}
Control Panel (All Tasks) ::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Control Panel (always Category view) ::{26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}
Control Panel (always Icons view) ::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Credential Manager ::{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
Date and Time ::{E2E7934B-DCE5-43C4-9576-7FE4F75E7480}
Default Programs ::{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
delegate folder that appears in Computer ::{b155bdf8-02f0-451e-9a26-ae317cfd7779}
Desktop (folder) ::{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}
Device Manager ::{74246bfc-4c96-11d0-abef-0020af6b0b7a}
Devices and Printers ::{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}
Display ::{C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A}
Documents (folder) ::{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}
Downloads (folder) ::{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}
Ease of Access Center ::{D555645E-D4F8-4c29-A827-D93C859C4F2A}
E-mail (default e-mail program) ::{2559a1f5-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Family Safety ::{96AE8D84-A250-4520-95A5-A47A7E3C548B}
Favorites ::{323CA680-C24D-4099-B94D-446DD2D7249E}
File Explorer Options ::{6DFD7C5C-2451-11d3-A299-00C04F8EF6AF}
File History ::{F6B6E965-E9B2-444B-9286-10C9152EDBC5}
Font Settings ::{93412589-74D4-4E4E-AD0E-E0CB621440FD}
Fonts (folder) ::{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}
Frequent folders ::{3936E9E4-D92C-4EEE-A85A-BC16D5EA0819}
Games Explorer ::{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}
Get Programs ::{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
Help and Support ::{2559a1f1-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
HomeGroup (settings) ::{67CA7650-96E6-4FDD-BB43-A8E774F73A57}
HomeGroup (users) ::{B4FB3F98-C1EA-428d-A78A-D1F5659CBA93}
Hyper-V Remote File Browsing ::{0907616E-F5E6-48D8-9D61-A91C3D28106D}
Indexing Options ::{87D66A43-7B11-4A28-9811-C86EE395ACF7}
Infared (if installed) ::{A0275511-0E86-4ECA-97C2-ECD8F1221D08}
Installed Updates ::{d450a8a1-9568-45c7-9c0e-b4f9fb4537bd}
Internet Options (Internet Explorer) ::{A3DD4F92-658A-410F-84FD-6FBBBEF2FFFE}
Keyboard Properties ::{725BE8F7-668E-4C7B-8F90-46BDB0936430}
Language settings ::{BF782CC9-5A52-4A17-806C-2A894FFEEAC5}
Libraries ::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}
Location Information (Phone and Modem) ::{40419485-C444-4567-851A-2DD7BFA1684D}
Location Settings ::{E9950154-C418-419e-A90A-20C5287AE24B}
Media Servers ::{289AF617-1CC3-42A6-926C-E6A863F0E3BA}
Mouse Properties ::{6C8EEC18-8D75-41B2-A177-8831D59D2D50}
Music (folder) ::{1CF1260C-4DD0-4ebb-811F-33C572699FDE}
My Documents ::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
Network ::{F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}
Network and Sharing Center ::{8E908FC9-BECC-40f6-915B-F4CA0E70D03D}
Network Connections (in PC settings) ::{38A98528-6CBF-4CA9-8DC0-B1E1D10F7B1B}
Network Connections ::{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}
OR ::{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
Network (WorkGroup) ::{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Notification Area Icons ::{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
NVIDIA Control Panel (if installed) ::{0bbca823-e77d-419e-9a44-5adec2c8eeb0}
Offline Files Folder ::{AFDB1F70-2A4C-11d2-9039-00C04F8EEB3E}
OneDrive ::{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}
Pen and Touch ::{F82DF8F7-8B9F-442E-A48C-818EA735FF9B}
Personalization ::{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921}
Pictures (folder) ::{3ADD1653-EB32-4cb0-BBD7-DFA0ABB5ACCA}
Portable Devices ::{35786D3C-B075-49b9-88DD-029876E11C01}
Power Options ::{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
Previous Versions Results Folder ::{f8c2ab3b-17bc-41da-9758-339d7dbf2d88}
printhood delegate folder ::{ed50fc29-b964-48a9-afb3-15ebb9b97f36}
Printers ::{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
OR ::{863aa9fd-42df-457b-8e4d-0de1b8015c60}
Programs and Features ::{7b81be6a-ce2b-4676-a29e-eb907a5126c5}
Public (folder) ::{4336a54d-038b-4685-ab02-99bb52d3fb8b}
Quick access ::{679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b-5540cc05aab6}
Recent places ::{22877a6d-37a1-461a-91b0-dbda5aaebc99}
Recovery ::{9FE63AFD-59CF-4419-9775-ABCC3849F861}
Recycle Bin ::{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Region and Language ::{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections ::{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
Remote Printers ::{863aa9fd-42df-457b-8e4d-0de1b8015c60}
Removable Storage Devices ::{a6482830-08eb-41e2-84c1-73920c2badb9}
Results Folder ::{2965e715-eb66-4719-b53f-1672673bbefa}
Run ::{2559a1f3-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Search ::{9343812e-1c37-4a49-a12e-4b2d810d956b}
Search Everywhere (modern) ::{2559a1f8-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Search Files (modern) ::{2559a1f0-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Security and Maintenance ::{BB64F8A7-BEE7-4E1A-AB8D-7D8273F7FDB6}
Set Program Access and Computer Defaults ::{2559a1f7-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Show Desktop ::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
Sound ::{F2DDFC82-8F12-4CDD-B7DC-D4FE1425AA4D}
Speech Recognition ::{58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A}
Storage Spaces ::{F942C606-0914-47AB-BE56-1321B8035096}
Sync Center ::{9C73F5E5-7AE7-4E32-A8E8-8D23B85255BF}
Sync Setup Folder ::{2E9E59C0-B437-4981-A647-9C34B9B90891}
System ::{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE}
System Icons ::{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
Tablet PC Settings ::{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E}
Taskbar and Navigation properties ::{0DF44EAA-FF21-4412-828E-260A8728E7F1}
Text to Speech ::{D17D1D6D-CC3F-4815-8FE3-607E7D5D10B3}
This PC ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Troubleshooting ::{C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651}
User Accounts ::{60632754-c523-4b62-b45c-4172da012619}
User Accounts (netplwiz) ::{7A9D77BD-5403-11d2-8785-2E0420524153}
User Pinned ::{1f3427c8-5c10-4210-aa03-2ee45287d668}
%UserProfile% ::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}
Videos (folder) ::{A0953C92-50DC-43bf-BE83-3742FED03C9C}
Web browser (default) ::{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}
Windows Defender ::{D8559EB9-20C0-410E-BEDA-7ED416AECC2A}
Windows Mobility Center ::{5ea4f148-308c-46d7-98a9-49041b1dd468}
Windows Features ::{67718415-c450-4f3c-bf8a-b487642dc39b}
Windows Firewall ::{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
Windows To Go ::{8E0C279D-0BD1-43C3-9EBD-31C3DC5B8A77}
Windows Update ::{36eef7db-88ad-4e81-ad49-0e313f0c35f8}
Work Folders ::{ECDB0924-4208-451E-8EE0-373C0956DE16}
