News Microsoft to kill Windows Control Panel in favor of Settings app

[Admin]

Microsoft confirms transition from Control Panel to Settings app.

Microsoft to kill Windows Control Panel in favor of Settings app : Read more

 

[ThomasKinsley]

I can't remember the last time I used Control Panel, but it feels like a real shame that it's going away.

 

[USAFRet]

As long as the same functions are available, it doesn't matter what it is called or looks like.

 

[punkncat]

I actually use Control Panel a lot during initial setup on a new install. I will be sad to see it go. I am sure they are doing this to make it just that little bit harder to delete things you don't want.

 

[TheSecondPower]

So Microsoft is finally going to merge the remaining features into Settings? Right?

 

[JamesJones44]

So Microsoft is finally going to merge the remaining featured into Settings? Right?

Ha! I doubt it, I'm sure they will expect people who want to look at or modify the driver list to go into the registry or use a PS script.

 

[Dr3ams]

I've been using the God Mode for a while. All Windows settings alphabetically categorized in one folder.

If you don't have it, here's how to get it:
1. right click on the desktop and select "new folder".
2. rename folder to GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

That's it.

There's around 200 settings in the folder to use. Also, if you click "view" in the folder and then "tiles", the icons will show up similar to the way they are in the Control Panel.

 

[stonecarver]

Years ago Tom's had a thread that posted a script that you right clicked on the desktop and went to new than shortcut and once you had that on the desktop you named it the script and hit inter.

It made a short cut to a master control panel page that lists every nook and cranny of anything you could ever imagine and things you never knew you had control over. After you were done making the shortcut is read as God mode.

I made that God mode back in Windows XP days and have it on all my thumb drives and It just keeps working on every new version Windows puts out. Keep in mind must have been 15-20 years ago if the instructions are still floating out there or if googling it comes up.

IDIT: POST ABOVE TYPED FASTER THAN ME.

 

[stuff and nonesense]

As long as the same functions are available, it doesn't matter what it is called or looks like.

It does.. I have a number of remote PCs to look after, getting to the control panel through Win +R and asking the user to click on an icon is far easier than the “upgrade” presented by Win 11. Simplicity is better.

 

[jg.millirem]

I still find control panel apps easier to use than settings, which is often slow and clunky and has stuff buried too many levels deep.

 

[ingtar33]

I still find control panel apps easier to use than settings, which is often slow and clunky and has stuff buried too many levels deep.

correct. that's the biggest problem with the settings menu. it violates the basics of productive software design.

rule no.1, no deeper then 4 levels.

rule no.2, it shouldn't take you more then 3 clicks to find what you're looking for

can't do that with the settings menu currently. the rocks on the MS PR team to call the settings menu "streamlined"

 

[Mattzun]

It does seem like the setting app is missing a LOT of settings and a lot of settings are hard to find.
To some extent, that seems intentional, malicious UI design.

I expect to see a lot of powershell scripts written to do things that used to have a UI option.

 

[hotaru251]

awful choice.

Settigns is so bloated and to find specific stuff takes so many clicks.
Control panel is much easier to navigate especially for the ppl who have spent 20-30+ yrs of using the OS.

 

[Giroro]

Microsoft has been saying they're going to kill the control panel for 14 years.

The problem, is that in 14 years they still haven't been able to figure out how to make a feature-complete settings app, for some reason.
The bigger problem is that they're probably going to kill off control panel without having any idea how to actually incorporate basic things like "all of the sounds settings" or "advanced monitor settings" into their dated, ugly, bloated, Windows 8 Metro touchscreen era settings app.
If they gave up on their current settings app and just made an efficient, complete, and modern menu, then nobody would care. But they haven't. Realistically the only way they'll ever be able to put a decent settings menu together is to first fire literally every manager at Microsoft who approved the design of the Windows 11 GUI. That's not going to happen. So even if the current team tried to frankenstein together a "new" settings app, it would just be a reskin of the old core with clipped corners, frustratingly slow animations, multiple confusing ipad-style pages of pointlessly giant icons replacing what could be a short and easy to read list... and ads. So many ads for one drive, and one note, and whatever other useless upsell crap they're currently burning into into every other aspect of their OS.

So when they do finally make the donkey brained decision to just delete the control panel without putting in the work to finish replacing it, we'll suddenly find there's no way to calibrate your monitor, disable sound devices, or make the "My computer" icon appear on the desktop. Then what are we going to do?
It will probably take a long time to find out, because above all else, the leadership in charge of Windows 11 are not just lazy, they're extremely proud of how lazy they are.

 

[bluvg]

One thing Settings definitely does NOT do is allow opening multiple settings windows at once. One can have as many Control Panels or applets open as they want (although only one instance of a particular applet). This among many other things is a regression in functionality.

Not to say the Control Panel was the pinnacle of UX, but Settings vs. Control Panel is like talking to someone that takes forever to get to the point vs. Mark Twain. The Sound applet in particular exposes a multitude of settings in a concise, immediate UX where one can quickly get a layout of a machine's audio resources. Settings splays the same info across seemingly 10x pixels, some hidden behind drop-downs and other unhelpful attempts at simplification.

 

[thestryker]

The settings page has always struck me as being something not designed by anyone who ever used the control panel. Settings are in random menus and also the number of sub menus. Any time I want to do anything with my system I inevitably just Win+R and type control. Not particularly looking forward to having to add controls to my system to maintain functionality.

 

[jimbo007]

IMO, the worst thing about the Settings app vs. the good old Control Panel is that the former is sequential while the latter allows for a much wider and simultaneous/parallel view/setting of system's config;

It you are a pro and you have to do a lot of config/checking of settings, the Settings app will usually give you a headache (with lots of back/forward movement); Whereas the Control Panel feels like standing on a hill and seeing everything.

From an abstract perspective, the less "movement" you have to do (moving back and forth between pages and checking settings on them) and the more actual work you can do (actually viewing and syncing config) the better is the design of that system. Control Panel had/has a better design. A tool or design that allows me to be omniscient/omnipotent in a system (for a pro) has a better design than a tool that makes me run between pages all the time.

And no! Having a "search in settings" feature does not alleviate the need to see and work in parallel on multiple things.

 

[jeremyj_83]

I can't remember the last time I used Control Panel, but it feels like a real shame that it's going away.

There are functions in Control Panel that aren't there in Settings on Win 10. Some parts of Settings even send you to the Control Panel on Win 10. Changing adapter options in networking is an example of this.

 

[Amdlova]

Microsoft is trying to kill the best feature they have. You can fell the Windows 7 vibes windows 8 and windows 10 all the way trying to config something. They need to remake all options and make it user friendly.
On in other worlds Micosoft is trying to kill it self. Again and again and again... "

"The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient" meme​

Its what I feel about Microsoft slowing death pain

 

[dmitche31958]

I actually use Control Panel a lot during initial setup on a new install. I will be sad to see it go. I am sure they are doing this to make it just that little bit harder to delete things you don't want.

IMO, the worst thing about the Settings app vs. the good old Control Panel is that the former is sequential while the latter allows for a much wider and simultaneous/parallel view/setting of system's config;

It you are a pro and you have to do a lot of config/checking of settings, the Settings app will usually give you a headache (with lots of back/forward movement); Whereas the Control Panel feels like standing on a hill and seeing everything.

From an abstract perspective, the less "movement" you have to do (moving back and forth between pages and checking settings on them) and the more actual work you can do (actually viewing and syncing config) the better is the design of that system. Control Panel had/has a better design. A tool or design that allows me to be omniscient/omnipotent in a system (for a pro) has a better design than a tool that makes me run between pages all the time.

And no! Having a "search in settings" feature does not alleviate the need to see and work in parallel on multiple things.

How do you determine all of the apps installed by date? I want to see what has just been installed and screwing the pooch and using “All Apps” means reading through each entries date and time just find out that I missed the one that I need.
And I don’t want to have to run a script, but that would be better than using the GUI stuff that Microsquish provides.
By the way, sorting by install date I. The apps hides the install date and time. Idiots.

 

[endocine]

Have to often google where to change things though in the settings app. Control Panel was "genius" and a copy of the idea from MacOS back in the day, but it worked, and was very organized. Someone not familiar with it could find things, like you have an audio problem you look for the "sound" control panel and look around.

MS should absolutely decide on one or the other though, and this should have been done a long time ago when the settings thing appeared.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Have to often google where to change things though in the settings app. Control Panel was "genius" and a copy of the idea from MacOS back in the day, but it worked, and was very organized. Someone not familiar with it could find things, like you have an audio problem you look for the "sound" control panel and look around.

MS should absolutely decide on one or the other though, and this should have been done a long time ago when the settings thing appeared.

You also had the choice of using Categorized View or just all options in a list view. Choose whichever is easier for you and it was quick and easy.

 

[vijosef]

Settings app is broken. For example, many network settings can only be found together, and organized in the old control panel, and the settings app is useless.
Try to make a bridge between the wifi, and Ethernet with the settings app. It's hell.

 

[vijosef]

I still find control panel apps easier to use than settings, which is often slow and clunky and has stuff buried too many levels deep.

And to add insult to injury, hey change the organization on each windows update.

 

[Eximo]

I'm all for a unified solution, just needs to be functional. Adapter settings is actually the worst offender I need the most and having that buried under so many layers is really irritating.

Frankly they should have pulled the bandaid back with Windows 8 if they were going to do it at all. This half and half has been bugging me since they added it.