14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve known for a while that Microsoft was working on killing off the classic Control Panel and improving the experience with the Settings app, and the latest preview build shipped to insiders enrolled in the Dev channel continues the efforts on this front.
The Graphics section of the Settings app has received additional polishing, with Microsoft explaining that the whole idea was to make certain options easier to reach.
“Aligning with the new Windows 11 design principles, we’ve redesigned the graphics settings page under Settings > Display > Graphics to help you get to graphics configurations such as ‘GPU preference’ and ‘Auto HDR’ with greater ease. The functionality of these settings remains unchanged from prior versions of Windows, but we now have a more streamlined visual appearance,” the company says.
The Settings app has become an essential part of the modern Windows experience.
First launched in Windows 8 when the operating system made the switch from the traditional UI to the modern approach, the Settings app has the ambitious goal of replacing the classic Control Panel that everybody loved more than a decade ago.
However, it’s not a secret that killing off Control Panel takes much longer than even Microsoft itself probably expected.
As I said, the Settings app was introduced in Windows 8, which debuted in 2012. This means the work on the demise of Control Panel started no less than 11 years ago, but today, both the Settings app and the classic experience continue to be available in Windows 11.
Microsoft itself doesn’t have an ETA in mind to retire Control Panel, but one day, this will obviously happen. Until then, however, the company seems truly committed to improving the Settings app as much as possible, and today’s update is living proof on this front.