[Update] Microsoft announces the elimination of the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel

UPDATE: August 26, 2024, 4:37 p.m. EDT Microsoft has modified its statement in the support document to read: “Many of the settings in Control Panel are currently being migrated to the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.” This is a departure from the previous statement, which said: “Control Panel is currently being phased out in favor of the Settings app.” We have contacted Microsoft to find out their official stance on Control Panel. We will update this page once we receive a response.

Original article: April 28, 2024, 4:55 p.m. ET

In case you missed it, in a support document on Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it is in the process of killing off Control Panel, a 39-year-old Windows feature, in favor of the Settings app.

This should come as no surprise to many Windows users. Since October 2020, Microsoft has been redirecting users away from the Control Panel to encourage them to use the Settings app instead. “The Settings app” […] offers a more modern and optimized experience,” Microsoft explained in the support document.

Say goodbye to the Control Panel

The Control Panel has been part of Windows since 1985, but as mentioned, Microsoft will officially part ways with this nostalgic feature. Through the Control Panel, users could add devices and printers, adjust the date and time, personalize their desktop, remove unwanted programs, and more.

However, the Settings app, introduced with Windows 8 in 2012, has become the new destination for many of these tasks and has gradually taken over their functions.

Microsoft has not yet announced when exactly the Control Panel will be officially retired, but many will appreciate the hint.

The Control Panel has been around for nearly 40 years (since Windows 1.0), and its demise marks the end of an era—one that longtime PC users will remember as a central part of the Windows experience.