There’s a weird glitch happening on Windows 10 where the Administrative Tools folder is empty and all the shortcuts have been removed. Obviously, this issue is too old, but since only a small group of users were affected, Microsoft never bothered to solve it.
If the cause is not Windows error, then the problem could also be a user error (accidental deletion) or a third-party cleaning tool. In rare cases, Administrative Tools shortcuts can also be compromised by a malware infection.
Contents
What is the Administrative Tools folder?
The Administrative Tools folder is located in the Control Panel and contains dedicated tools that can be used by system administrators and advanced users to perform various tasks. The Administrative Tools folder on Windows 10 is located at C: ProgramData Microsoft Windows Start Menu Programs Administrative Tools .
Here’s a quick list of the most popular administrative tools available in the Administrative Tools folder:
- Computer Management
- Disk Cleanup
- Event Viewer
- Hyper-V Manager
- Component Services
- Local Security Policy
- Performance Monitor
Note : Keep in mind that the exact tools in the Administrative Tool folder will vary depending on your version of Windows.
If you’re currently seeing a blank Administrative Tool folder, the two methods below will help you restore the admin tool shortcuts.
– If you are looking for a sensible method to recover missing shortcuts refer to method 1.
– If you only use some admin tools and you are not interested in the rest, follow method 2 for instructions on how to recreate the missing shortcuts manually.
Method 1: Replace the missing Administrative Tools shortcuts
The fastest way to recover missing Administrative Tools shortcuts is to replace them with other items taken from a “healthy” computer.
Follow the instructions below to proceed with the replacement:
1. Download this archive and use WinZip or WinRar to extract somewhere appropriate.
2. Copy the contents of the archive and paste them into C: ProgramData Microsoft Windows Start Menu Programs Administrative Tools .
Note : If the ProgramData folder is not visible by default, go to the View tab in File Explorer and enable Hidden Items.
3. When new shortcuts are launched, they will be available immediately.
Method 2: Manually create the missing Administrative Tools shortcuts
If you are just missing a few shortcuts or don’t really need the majority of the tools found in the Administrative Tools folder, you can actually recreate the missing shortcuts yourself.
Here’s a table of the administrative tools included in Windows 10 along with their destination paths so you can create shortcuts yourself:
| Name of administrative tool | Destination path |
| Windows Memory Diagnostic | % windir% system32 MdSched.exe |
| Windows Firewall with Advanced Security | % windir% system32 WF.msc |
| Task Scheduler | % windir% system32 taskschd.msc / s |
| System Information | % windir% system32 msinfo32.exe |
| System Configuration | % windir% system32 msconfig.exe |
| Services | % windir% system32 services.msc |
| Resource Monitor | % windir% system32 perfmon.exe / res |
| Print Management | % systemroot% system32 printmanagement.msc |
| Performance Monitor | % windir% system32 perfmon.msc / s |
| ODBC Data Sources (64-bit) | % windir% system32 odbcad32.exe |
| ODBC Data Sources (32-bit) | % windir% syswow64 odbcad32.exe |
| Local Security Policy | % windir% system32 secpol.msc / s |
| iSCSI Initiator | % windir% system32 iscsicpl.exe |
| Event Viewer | % windir% system32 eventvwr.msc / s |
| Disk Cleanup | % windir% system32 cleanmgr.exe |
| Defragment and Optimize Drives | % windir% system32 dfrgui.exe |
| Computer Management | % windir% system32 compmgmt.msc / s |
| Component Services | % windir% system32 comexp.msc |
To create the shortcuts manually, you’ll need to create an additional folder outside of Windows protected files (you won’t be able to create shortcuts directly in the Administrative folder). Instead, create a new folder on the desktop for convenience.
Then right-click on an empty space and choose New> Shortcut , then insert the destination folder (refer to the table above) of the tool and click the Next button .
Next, enter the name of the shortcut and click Finish to create it.
Once all the required shortcuts will be created, copy them all and navigate to the Administrative Tools folder ( C: ProgramData Microsoft Windows Start Menu Programs Administrative Tools ). Then, paste the created shortcuts here and confirm at the UAC prompt.
You have successfully restored the Administrative Tools shortcuts on Windows 10.
