Microsoft has introduced Windows 11 as the most important upgrade of your operating system in a long time. But behind a noticeable cosmetic change, it maintains many features inherited from previous versions of the software. Among so many stands out the Control Panel, which debuted in Windows 1.0 in 1985 but became a true OS icon starting with Windows 95.
Over the years, the Redmonds have slowly tried to shed one of its most recognizable characteristics. From Windows 8 onwards a separate section has been included to manage the settings called Settings; however, many of the options are still handled through the old Control Panel.
The news at this time is that Windows 11 is taking a new step to say goodbye — at a very slow pace, it must be said — to that historic section. According The Verge, the latest development version of the current Microsoft OS rearranges some typical Control Panel functions in the Settings section.
On the one hand it is necessary to mention advanced network settings. This means that the folder and printer sharing settings now appear in a new location; and the same happens with the visibility options of the networks. But this is not all, since access to the section to uninstall programs has also been relocated.
Microsoft seems determined to remove the Control Panel in Windows 11, but not permanently
It is not yet known when these changes will arrive in the stable version of Windows 11, but we are facing a major change going forward. That Microsoft has decided to retire to one of its most recognizable characteristics, is not a minor fact. The fact that the operating system developed in Redmond has two simultaneous settings sections —Configuration and the Control Panel— it is confusing for the common user. While there is a technical (and support) reason behind this decision, at some point the company must opt for a permanent upgrade.
Let us bear in mind that the Control Panel as it currently exists has not undergone major changes since Windows Vista, and it keeps many elements introduced in XP. It is worth clarifying, however, that it is not the only old feature that has kept its place in Windows 11. Microsoft still has a fetish for tabbed Advanced Settings windows, the aesthetics of which have not changed since Windows 95.
It is clear that the Control Panel It won’t disappear overnight in Windows 11. But those of Redmond are taking an important step to slowly part with him permanently. We will see in the future what other functions make the migration to the Settings section.
While waiting for this to happen, Windows 11 continues to polish several other features. The latest update for the stable version introduced an expected performance improvement for storage drives. In this way, the operating system optimized read and write operations on hard drives and SSDs; as performance drops of up to 55% had been detected compared to Windows 10.
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