New Windows update could kill Control Panel
The next major update for Windows could finally flip the kill-switch on Control Panel, a staple of the operating system since its earliest versions.
The much hyped “new Windows” was recently teased by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella as the “most significant” overhaul of the OS in a decade.
Set to be unveiled on 24 June, it will include design changes and more opportunities for creators and developers via the Windows app store.
Keen Microsoft observers expect the announcement to be a significant redesign of Windows 10 that has been codenamed “Sun Valley”, expected to be released during the second half of 2021.
Others have speculated it will be an entirely new version of the OS called Windows 11.
According to Softpedia News, a recent leaked image which apparently stems from an internal build of the new OS shows a screenshot of a revamped modern Settings app with a cleaner and simplified UI design.
It incorporates some of the elements of the Control Panel, with colourful icons for the major settings categories which are now shown in a navigation menu on the left side.
Selecting one of these categories opens a subset of settings applicable to them.
Under the System tab, for example, users will find Display, Sound, Notifications, Power, and Storage options, among other.
The image below shows the new Settings app running on a supposed internal build of the new Windows.
The new design appears to reconcile the modern Settings app with the more familiar navigation of Control Panel.
Having all these settings in two places would make no sense, suggesting that Microsoft aims to push more users to the Settings app.
This would align with one of Microsoft’s supposed main goals with the new Windows – to make its legacy interfaces more consistent with its fluid design language.
The company has alluded to replacing the Control Panel app with Settings since 2015.
The modern Settings app has become the default when searching for configuration options via the Start Menu.
While current public versions of Windows 10 still allow for viewing and changing most settings in Control Panel, Microsoft has gradually moved certain categories over to the Settings app.
This includes the Programs and Features, System, and About sections.
Windows Latest also previously reported that sources familiar with Windows 10’s development believe that a future Windows update would drop support for more Control Panel categories.
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