Microsoft isn’t killing Windows Control Panel after all

Since the debut of Windows 8 in 2012, Microsoft has been eager to replace the aged Control Panel with the newer Settings app. The transition so far has been slow and gradual. Based on a couple of changes made by Microsoft to a support document, this transition will likely continue at a snail’s pace.

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In a document updated on August 20, Microsoft announced that “Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.” Microsoft’s comment here didn’t contain any date or other details for Control Panel’s alleged retirement.

But the remark did trigger a flurry of news stories and concern among Windows users about the potential loss of this still popular tool. In reaction to the hubbub, Microsoft again updated the page yesterday, revising the statement about Control Panel.

The comment now says: “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.”

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Even before Microsoft rewrote its remark, I didn’t believe it was time to wave goodbye to our old friend Control Panel.

Microsoft has long been promising the retirement of this handy program, which has been a mainstay of the operating system since the launch of Windows 1.0 in 1985. For 12 years — from Windows 8 to 10 to 11 — Microsoft has been moving more individual tools to the Settings app. However, Control Panel remains as accessible as ever with most of the usual applets intact.

The company certainly prefers that people use Settings. But it knows that pulling the plug on such an established program is a delicate procedure, one that can’t be performed too abruptly.

Sure, the Settings app seems sleeker and smoother in comparison. But raise your hand if you still turn to Control Panel for certain features and settings. Yes, my hand is raised. Though I head to the Settings app for most setup and management tasks, I continue to use Control Panel for troubleshooting.

Just recently, I had to investigate a problem with the fingerprint reader on a Windows 11 laptop. For that, I opened Device Manager through Control Panel, where I was able to remove and then reinstall the necessary driver to repair the reader. I may have been able to accomplish that in the Settings app, but doing it through Control Panel felt more familiar and comfortable.

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Yes, Control Panel does feel old school at this point, even though I find its layout and menus more intuitive than the ones in Settings. Still, if Microsoft managed to duplicate precisely all the applets, controls, and tools into the Settings app and in a user-friendly way, I’d be fine with that.

But this transition will probably continue for some time. Check back with me when Windows 15 is released sometime in the next decade, and we’ll see if Control Panel is finally gone for good.