A recent Microsoft publication has sparked off another round of debate over the company’s plans to deprecate the Control Panel in favor of the Settings App. The paper, titled System Configuration Tools in Windows includes a section dedicated to the Control Panel which states the following:
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Multiple tech sites have picked up on the line, “The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app“, with predictions of the imminent demise of the Control Panel. Here is a typical clickbait heading from a leading tech site: “Microsoft says it’s finally getting rid of Control Panel in Windows“.
No, Microsoft didn’t say any such thing, it was just another announcement following the same line as many similar announcements over the past decade.
Microsoft first mentioned deprecating the Control Panel in favor of the Settings app back in 2015 and there have been many more mentions since. However, at no time has Microsoft even hinted at a timeline for the complete removal of the Control Panel. In fact, I doubt that will ever happen, certainly not any time soon.
Control Panel versus Settings App
Personally, I heavily favor the Control Panel over the Settings app. I find the Control Panel far more intuitive, more easily navigated, and with more granular settings. Some users have commented that “familiarity” favors the Control panel and I concede their point. After all, the Control Panel has been with us for a very long time.
In the end, though, I still maintain that in the majority of cases digging down through the Settings app proves more challenging than using the Control Panel. Even after accessing a setting in the Settings app multiple times, I find myself forgetting how the heck I got there. That said, my memory sure isn’t what it used to be… the 18-second rule.
One user commented that Microsoft has it back-to-front and should actually be deprecating the Settings app in favor of the Control Panel. I do not disagree.
BOTTOM LINE:
As I mentioned earlier, I seriously doubt that the Control Panel will be going away any time soon. What we might eventually end up with is a Settings app including links to irreplaceable Control Panel applets.
Which do you prefer, the Control Panel or the Settings app? Let us know via the comments.
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Good day Jim. Totally agree with your comments. Find it much easier to find information using the Control Panel, since I too like the way information is presented, Mindblower!
Hey MB,
Yes, both Richard and I feel the same way, we dread the day if/when the Control Panel is no more. Mind you, as I said in the article, I reckon that day is a long way off yet.
Oh yes, the control panel is by far the better solution if only so you can tweek it to suit your individual requirements and of course all the faults that manifest.
However I feel they (Microsoft) want to go with the settings app because it could be less words for them. If something goes wrong with your computer you have to find someone else to fix it. Microsoft is divesting themselves of that type of responsibility.
But I digress.
The fact is I am so old now it doesn’t matter for me. I’ve only had 4 computers or laptops since 1990 and with a new one to be added sometime in the coming year, that will be it for me.
I’ve gone from high folluting, all singing all dancing, built it myself, down to almost basic just type a few words and view some online sites on a screen big enough for old eyes.
Or maybe they’ve finally got inside my head so that I am happy to accept their modes and settings. See, I used the word ‘settings’. 😉
Anyway for me it hardly matters anymore due to age.
Tho I understand the younger ones will feel strongly and mostly in favour of the settings app since that is what they’ve grown up with.
Cheers all.
Hey Clissa,
Great comments. You are probably correct about the younger ones. However, even when using the Settings app, if one wants to dig down to the nitty gritty (more advanced options), in many cases that leads to a Control Panel applet.
Thanks for your comment, I enjoyed the read.
Yeah I do prefer the control panel but I do understand having one area for settings does also logically make sense