Microsoft is killing off Windows Control Panel

Microsoft is making progress with an apparent plan to discontinue its Control Panel service in Windows 10, the latest industry report has revealed.

Control Panel and My Broadband have been part of the Windows OS since 1985 and offer a set of applets for viewing and adjusting various settings, including adding or removing hardware and software, configuring display preferences, managing user accounts, and changing network settings.

Microsoft’s alternative Settings app – which was introduced in Windows 8 and also included in Windows 10 – offers a modernised UI and optimised functionality for touch input.

This app is now the default option for changing settings when searching for them via Windows 10’s Start Menu

As it stands, however, Windows 10 users are still able to change system settings through the classic and more familiar Control Panel interface.

According to MyBroadband, while Microsoft has not confirmed its plans to do away with this option, there are several signs that it is accelerating a complete shift away from the interface. Earlier this year, it moved the About screen, which shows a summary of system information such as the OS version, processor, and RAM, from Control Panel to the modern app.

“We’re continuing to work on bringing capabilities from Control Panel forward into Settings,” Microsoft said at the time.

More recently, the latest versions of Windows 10’s preview builds have migrated the System applet of Control panel to the new Settings app.

This means a user who wishes to change system settings will have to do so in the Settings the app, as selecting the System and Security option in Control Panel will now redirect to the new application automatically.