14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve known for a while that Microsoft was working on retiring the classic Windows Control Panel, and now it looks like the software giant is finally making it happen.
More specifically, the most recent Windows 10 feature updates moved certain Control Panel items to the Settings app, all in an attempt to provide users with a modern experience from one end to another.
So gradually, the essential parts of Control Panel made the switch to Settings, and now Microsoft seems to be ready to advance to the next phase.
According to a report from WL, links to the Windows Control Panel no longer open the classic pages, but actually point users to the Settings app. At the same time, third-party apps, as well as shortcuts in File Explorer that previously linked to Control Panel now lead to Settings too.
The switch to the Settings app
While the death of the classic Control Panel is good news for some people, it certainly isn’t for others, especially for those coming to Windows 10 from Windows 7.
Previously, the Control Panel was the go-to place for everything in the operating system, and Windows 7 users find this place a familiar menu when it comes to setting up the available features. On the other hand, with Windows 7 now retired (it no longer receives any updates since January 2020), users are pushed to Windows 10, so the transition to the Settings app could be rather confusing for some.
The good news is that Microsoft has put a lot of effort into making the switch as straightforward as possible, and this is why the Control Panel is still around these days. By redirecting users to the Settings app, the whole switch happens gradually, though at one point in the future the Control Panel would just be killed off entirely.