Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel

Last week, Microsoft mentioned in a support document that it was formally deprecating Windows' 39-year-old Control Panel applets. But following widespread reporting of the change, Microsoft has either backtracked or clarified its language to remove the note about Control Panel being deprecated in favor of the Settings app. Here's what the original post said, as also preserved by the Internet Wayback Machine (emphasis ours):

"The Control Panel is a feature that's been part of Windows for a long time. It provides a centralized location to view and manipulate system settings and controls," the support page explains. "Through a series of applets, you can adjust various options ranging from system time and date to hardware settings, network configurations, and more. The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience."

The current version of the page has changed that last sentence considerably. It now says that "many of the settings in Control Panel are in the process of being migrated to the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience."

It's not clear whether this reflects a policy change or just a clarification of language. We've asked Microsoft whether it has changed plans to deprecate the Control Pane  or if the original version of the support page was just incorrect in the first place, and we'll update if we receive a response.

Regardless, the current language reflects what has been happening to the Control Panels throughout the life cycle of Windows 10 and Windows 11. More and more things have been moved to the Settings app over time, and individual Control Panel applets have been removed over the years—things like the Displays panel, the Add/Remove Programs screen, and panels for deprecated features like Homegroups. But most of the old Control Panels are still included in all current versions of Windows 11, including the upcoming 24H2 update, and they're not going to suddenly disappear en masse.

The Settings app was initially introduced in Windows 8 in 2012 as a touchscreen-friendly alternative for some of the Control Panel applets, but during the Windows 10 era it began picking up more and more Control Panel settings, and by the time Windows 11 rolled around it was full-featured enough to serve as a complete Control Panel replacement most of the time, with a handful of exceptions made for especially obscure changes (and those who simply prefer the Old Ways). Drivers for some older accessories—like trackpads or printers—might also include extensions to the Control Panel applets rather than a standalone app.

What's incredible about some of the Control Panels at this point is how far back some of their designs go. You're never more than a double-click away from some piece of UI that has been essentially exactly the same since 1996's Windows NT 4.0, when Microsoft's more-stable NT operating system was refreshed with the same user interface as Windows 95 (modern Windows versions descend from NT, and not 95 or 98). The Control Panel idea is even older, dating all the way back to Windows 1.0 in 1985.

Most of the current Control Panel designs and iconography settled down back in Windows Vista and Windows 7 in 2006 and 2009, which explains why so many of the panels still feature the rounded, glassy look that defines those versions of the operating system (check out the way the clock looks in our screenshots above). It's one of the few areas of the operating system that hasn't been spruced up for Windows 11, which is otherwise probably Microsoft's most cohesive Windows design since 95 and NT 4.0; even old apps like Paint and Notepad have gotten facelifts, while other Windows 7-era holdovers like WordPad have been put out to pasture.

This post was updated on August 26th at 9:45am, after Microsoft changed its support document to remove the note about Control Panel being deprecated. 

Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel

Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel

Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel

Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel

Microsoft backtracks on deprecating the 39-year-old Windows Control Panel