Microsoft started eliminating Easter Eggs when it launched its Trustworthy Computing Initiative in 2002. But you can still find a number of hidden features and weird bugs in Windows that are almost as good as real Easter Eggs.

And while most Windows errors tend to be a pain, some are actually quite entertaining. Let's explore the best.

Windows 7 to Windows 11 Easter Eggs

Unless mentioned otherwise, the following Easter Eggs will work in all current versions of Windows.

1. God Mode

This hidden Windows feature was first introduced with Vista and remains one of the more useful ones. God Mode, also known as Windows Master Control Panel, unlocks an unexpected overview of all Control Panel options in one single folder. If you still use the Control Panel on a regular basis, you will love this trick!

Related: How to Make the Most of God Mode on Windows 10

To enable God Mode, create a new folder and use the following string of characters as its name.

        GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
    

Et voilà, your master control panel is ready to use.

Note: You can replace the term "GodMode" with a term of your preference.

2. Star Wars CMD Code

screenshot of cmd from windows 10

The Star Wars CMD code is one of the coolest command prompt Easter Eggs. And it works on all operating systems that support Telnet and has a terminal or command line, including Windows 10. Before you can use the command, however, you have to enable Telnet.

In Windows 10, press Win + Q, type telnet, and select Turn Windows features on or off from the results. Scroll down until you see the Telnet Client entry, check the box, and click OK. Wait for Windows to complete the requested changes, then click Close.

activating telnet client in windows features

Now it's time to have some fun with Telnet! Press Windows + R to launch the Run menu, type cmd, and hit Enter to open the command prompt. Now run the following commands:

        telnet telehack.com
starwars

Time to lean back and watch Star Wars in ASCII characters.

3. Slide to Shut Down

screenshot of searching for slidetoshutdown.exe in windows 10

Microsoft hid an EXE file called SlideToShutDown in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. This alternative way to shut down Windows was first introduced with Windows Phone and made it over to Windows 8. It's great to turn off tablets, but also lets you shut down Windows on your desktop.

When you're in tablet mode, try pressing the power button for three to five seconds and SlideToShutDown will self-launch. If you're using Windows on a desktop, create a shortcut to launch this shutdown option.

4. Phone Dialer

screenshot of the phone dialer in windows 10

Ever since Windows 95, Windows contains a dialer app that will let you place a call through your computer's phone port (if available). The only way to launch this utility is through calling the executable directly. Press Win key + R, enter dialer.exe, and click OK.

5. Windows 3.1 Explorer from 1992

a screenshot of windows 10 showing the windows 3.1 file manager

The original Windows 3.1 File Explorer is still alive and kicking. No, I'm not talking about the downloadable, open-sourced version Microsoft released on their store.

I'm referring to the trace of Windows 3.1 that you can find on your computer right now, no download required. Here's how to do it.

Search for a program called ODBC Data Source Administrator. In this program, hit Add. In the following screen, select the field with the words Microsoft Access in the title. Then, under Database, hit Select.

Just like that, you can witness first-hand a slice of Windows history, tucked away behind a Data Source Administrator.

6. The Number of the Beast

screenshot of the services file in windows 10 showing a port reserved for doom

Doom 95 was the first Windows version of the game Doom. The game used port 666, in reference to The Number of the Beast. And port 666 remains reserved for doom until this day.

To see for yourself, head to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc and open the file called services in Notepad.

7. Exit Explorer

screenshot demonstrating the exit explorer function

The Windows 10 Taskbar context menu contains a hidden option called Exit Explorer.

Hold Ctrl + Shift while right-clicking an empty space on the Taskbar. (If you're running Windows 7 or lower, try right-clicking the Start Menu while pressing Ctrl + Shift.) In Windows 10, you should now see Exit Explorer as the very last item in the Taskbar context menu. This option lets you terminate the Windows File Explorer without having to go through the Task Manager.

8. Naming and Renaming Folders

screenshot of windows 10 failing to name a folder con

Try to create a folder named CON and you will see the following thing happening:

The same thing happens when you try any of the following names:

PRN, AUX, LPT# (with # being a number), COM#, NUL, and CLOCK$

All of the above names are reserved for device names, meaning you cannot use them as file or folder names, regardless of the file extension. This is a relict from DOS, which has made its way through all versions of Windows, including Windows 7.

9. Microsoft Word Easter Egg

a block of random text inserted into a word document

This isn't a bug, but a nicely hidden feature. Open Microsoft Word and type the following: = rand(5,10)

Microsoft Word should create 5 paragraphs of text with (in theory) 10 lines (in my example, it's one line short). It's nothing more than a dummy or placeholder. And depending on the numbers you pick, you can make it appear in many more paragraphs and copies. Try =rand(1,1) to show only one single placeholder sentence. The trick is also known as = rand(200,99).

The text will vary, depending on your version of Office and your primary system language. In Microsoft Word 97 through 2003 with English as the primary language, you'll see the iconic sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," which contains all letters of the alphabet.

Since Office 2007, the default text has been taken from a Word tutorial and also changed from Word 2013 to Word 2016. To bring back the iconic sentence in Word 2007, 2010, and 2013, type =rand.old() and press Enter.

If you'd rather use the standard Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet placeholder text, type =lorem(X) to get X paragraphs of this filler text.

Note: The Replace text as you type feature (File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoCorrect tab ) must be turned on for this feature to work.

Windows XP Easter Eggs

Microsoft has fixed a few of the weird bugs we've covered in the past. Here are two that didn't survive in subsequent Windows versions.

10. Bush Hid the Facts

This Windows Notepad bug doesn't work in Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 10, but if you're still running Windows XP, give it a try.

Launch Notepad and type the following sentence: Bush hid the facts

Now save the file as anything you like, close it and open it again. What do you see?

If you did this in Windows XP, you'd see some weird Unicode characters or Chinese characters like in the screenshot above.

The explanation for this bug lies in the Windows function "IsTextUnicode". The sequence of one four-letter, two three-letter, and finally one five letter word creates a so-called mojibake; Windows thinks it's dealing with Chinese Unicode and when you save the document encodes it as such.

When you re-open the document, it then displays Chinese characters, rather than the sentence you had entered.

11. Windows Solitaire Bug

Here is another bug that appears to be fixed in Windows 7. Please try it if you have Windows XP.

Open Solitaire and click the following key combination: Alt + Shift + 2

What happens is that the game ends right there and you see the cards falling to the front as they do when a game is completed successfully.

Happy Easter Egg Hunting in Windows

Windows still has a lot of secrets hidden within it, even after all these years. The next time you have to fix the family PC, why not show off one of these tricks yourself?