Windows is finally killing off the Control Panel

[Karel]

Microsoft is consolidating settings while revamping File Explorer, Start Menu, and overall performance

A senior Microsoft engineer has confirmed that the company plans to phase out the Windows Control Panel in favor
of the more modern Settings app in the near future. He added that File Explorer and the Start Menu will also receive
a UI overhaul and performance improvements over the next few months, beginning with the April update next week.

https://www.techspot.com/news/111981-microsoft-engineer-confirms-plans-kill-off-windows-control.html

[sanleontexas]

Microsoft has a talent for killing off parts of windows that actually work and/or are easy to use.

[Halcyon]

Microsoft has a talent for killing off parts of windows that actually work and/or are easy to use.

Indeed, but in this case, this is a welcome change. Whether they call it "Settings" or "Control Panel", I don't care, as long as everything is in the one place. I shouldn't have to look in 3 different places to change print settings (as an example).

[coromonadalix]

Microsoft has a talent for killing off parts of windows that actually work and/or are easy to use.

indeed   everything who was helpful in 10 has been killed in some ways

[5U4GB]

Microsoft has a talent for killing off parts of windows that actually work and/or are easy to use.

Indeed, but in this case, this is a welcome change. Whether they call it "Settings" or "Control Panel", I don't care, as long as everything is in the one place. I shouldn't have to look in 3 different places to change print settings (as an example).

Except that they're not going to unify it, they're going to make a half-assed attempt at moving things across, move about a quarter of what you need, delete the rest (if they actually finally remove the Control Panel), add a ton of new crap in the equivalent Settings that no-one asked for or cares about, and leave you editing Registry settings for things that used to be in the Control Panel.

[antenna]

Make new folder somewhere, name it this.  I'm not sure if it works in the new windows, but I won't be finding out. 

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

[Halcyon]

Microsoft has a talent for killing off parts of windows that actually work and/or are easy to use.

Indeed, but in this case, this is a welcome change. Whether they call it "Settings" or "Control Panel", I don't care, as long as everything is in the one place. I shouldn't have to look in 3 different places to change print settings (as an example).

Except that they're not going to unify it, they're going to make a half-assed attempt at moving things across, move about a quarter of what you need, delete the rest (if they actually finally remove the Control Panel), add a ton of new crap in the equivalent Settings that no-one asked for or cares about, and leave you editing Registry settings for things that used to be in the Control Panel.

Yep, you're probably right.

[harerod]

Make new folder somewhere, name it this.  I'm not sure if it works in the new windows, but I won't be finding out. 

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

How quaint. I never tried this since Win7, but I just saw it work under Win11. (This HP ProBook 4 G1i is dual boot, at least till I can get the touchpad working smoothly under LMDE.)

[Halcyon]

Make new folder somewhere, name it this.  I'm not sure if it works in the new windows, but I won't be finding out. 

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

How quaint. I never tried this since Win7, but I just saw it work under Win11. (This HP ProBook 4 G1i is dual boot, at least till I can get the touchpad working smoothly under LMDE.)

I've used it before, but I think the name is a little misleading. When I first discovered it, I was a little disappointed that it was just shortcuts to settings you can find elsewhere. It doesn't give you any additional functionality or levers to pull on.

That being said, it's far more logical and easier to find things in there than the current Windows settings/control panel.

[tszaboo]

Can't wait to get it replaced with a vibe coded mess that defaults some setting every restart. Which makes the computer unusable.
Progress.

[Berni]

With how they appear to make any feature they re-implement in Win 11 worse than what it was before... There is no way they will actually port the control panel over properly. There will be a ton of missing useful features.

A lot of these control panel windows are so core to the OS that they have remained unchanged from practically since their introduction. Things like Device Manager or System Properties have been in Windows from the NT days (so before Win 2000, before XP) and still look pretty much identical.

Heck how would you even reimplement Device Manager? There are lots of special drivers that add extra configuration UIs in the form of extra custom tabs on the device properties window. How do you change things like that and make sure you didn't break compatibility with any of the many many many drivers?

Then again, not like Microsoft cares about breaking things anymore or being compatible with hardware older than the OS release date.

[SiliconWizard]

The topic should have read: "Windows is finally killing off Microsoft", or something.

[Karel]

Financially, microsoft is doing very well. Most people don't care and will always use windows.
And to be honest, I prefer that Linux desktop marketshare doesn't grow too much.
Linux is mostly used by engineers, developers and other professionals. Windows on the other hand
is an os made for the masses, including hobbyists, housewives and gamers. I prefer to keep it that way.

[gmb42]

Elitist crap, there's rubbish software on all platforms, likely more in Windows, as it's used the most.

[JPortici]

No it's not elitism, it's self preservation.
Whenever normies invade a community - any community, not only nerd circles - the end result is that the community gets rotten and abandoned.

[temperance]

MS just wants your computer to be a back box with all your data in their claws.

[SiliconWizard]

Actually, if you look at the stock trend, MSFT stock has been on a downwards spiral for the past few months, having lost 30% over 6 months. There's a slight rebound as of late, but the trend isn't looking good even if the stock value is still high. I wouldn't claim that MS is doing "very well", I'd be cautious if I had MSFT stock. Nothing lasts forever, not even for MS.

As to Windows, they have lost a lot of market share, mostly to mobile OSs (Android, iOS) due to changes in user habits, and a significant chunk to macOS, which is on the rise. Linux is of course still a small fraction for desktop use (but a large majority for server and performance computing), and yes, it's probably better this way.

[Songhua]

who are Mac users?

[Karel]

People who visit McDonalds?

[Simmed]

and microslop

"Yes, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wants people to move past the term "AI slop" in 2026, urging the industry to focus on the technology's real- ...

the answer to satya

microslop icon

[Halcyon]

who are Mac users?

Anyone who wants a powerful, stable machine that just works, without any of the bloat and nonsense. 

[gmb42]

Difficult to measure accurately, but the current stats from here show Windows is actual being used by folks quite a lot. Current numbers seem to show a slight drop in users.

https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#monthly-202503-202603

I use multiple systems that handle my needs, restricting my self to only use systems that are not the best tool is a pointless excise.

Sending posts about which OS is "best" or more "elitist" is infantile behaviour.

[stj]

"when observing a sinking ship, it is best to not be onboard"
old proverb. 

[gmb42]

Although I think I would win a bet on being able to still run Windows in a decade, I'll never collect for reasons below.

I have glioblastoma, stage 4 brain cancer, and is likely to finish me off in the next 4 months or so.

I have managed 48 months since the original diagnosis, still worked fulltime until Feb, but the chemo no longer works and there are no other options.

I can manage a little bit of AI to actually create words and sentences but it is very slow and annoying to do any things these days.  Even trying to respond in the forums takes an age.

Don't pine for me, I have had a great life, except for all the a-holes. Especially all the a-holes.

[TizianoHV]

Current numbers seem to show a slight drop in users.

It isn't recent. Windows 10 was already an advertising platform nobody asked for (My Computer "their PC")