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What just happened? The Control Panel has been an essential component of Microsoft Windows for decades, and was originally introduced in Windows 1.0 in the mid-80s. However, its days are now numbered as Microsoft has officially confirmed that it will deprecate the tool in favor of the Settings app, which was introduced as part of Windows 8 in 2012.
In a blog post this week, Microsoft announced that "the Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience." The company noted that the legacy tool is still part of modern Windows versions for compatibility reasons and to allow users to change settings that are not yet accessible through the Settings app.
However, Microsoft plans to migrate all remaining tools, applets, and menu options to the Settings app before officially sunsetting the Control Panel. In the latest stable version of Windows 11, some settings can be adjusted from both the Control Panel and the Settings app, but the former still offers more granular control in certain cases, making it essential for power users.
As part of Microsoft's plan to fully deprecate the Control Panel, the company recently added new Power Mode options to the Settings app in Windows 11 Build 27686, released to the Canary channel last week. However, the 'Power Options' applet in the Control Panel still offers more advanced options, so it remains to be seen when Microsoft will migrate those menus to the Settings app.
While longtime Windows users may feel nostalgic about the Control Panel, its deprecation has been anticipated for some time. The company has been gradually migrating various elements of the Control Panel to the Settings app over the years as part of its plan to consolidate all settings in one place, so this move doesn't come as a major surprise.
Senior Microsoft officials had previously hinted that the Control Panel might be retired in favor of the Settings app, though it's only now that the company has officially confirmed the move. Microsoft hasn't announced a specific timeline for when it will remove the Control Panel from Windows, but it's likely to happen once the remaining settings are migrated to the Settings app in the coming months.