UPDATE: Aug. 26, 2024, 4:37 p.m. EDT Microsoft has amended its statement in the support document to say the following: “Many of the settings in Control Panel are in the process of being migrated to the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.”
This is a departure from its previous statement, which said “The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app.”
We reached out to Microsoft to get its official stance on Control Panel. We will update this page when we get a response.
Original article: April 28, 2024 4:55 p.m. ET
In case you missed it, in a support document on Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it’s in the process of phasing out the Control Panel, a 39-year-old Windows feature, in favor of the Settings app.
This may not be a surprise for many Windows users. Since October 2020, Microsoft has been redirecting users away from the Control Panel, goading them to use the Settings app instead. “The Settings app […] offers a more modern and streamlined experience,” Microsoft said in the support document.
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Say goodbye to the Control Panel
The Control Panel has been a part of Windows since 1985, but as mentioned, Microsoft will officially part ways with the nostalgic feature. Control Panel allowed users to add devices and printers, adjust the date and time, personalize their desktop, remove unwanted programs, and more.
However, the Settings app, which launched alongside Windows 8 in 2012, has become the new destination for many of these tasks and has gradually taken over its functions.
Microsoft hasn’t announced when, exactly, the Control Panel will officially face its demise. However, many will appreciate the heads up.
With Control Panel being around for nearly 40 years (since Windows 1.0), its departure marks the end of an era — one that will be remembered by longtime PC users as a key part of the Windows experience.