Windows 10 update is killing this big feature — and you might not like it

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By Henry T. Casey
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Microsoft is beginning to sunset the Control Panel ... hope you're OK with that

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Windows 10's latest update appears to be going after one of its longest-held problems: menu redundancy. And while I'm all for it, this kind of change is already angering some in the Windows world.

Windows Latest is reporting that the Control Panel's System section is getting removed in Windows 10 developer Build 20161, which has debuted the redesigned Start menu. When you try and open this screen, you'll instead be sent to the About System page in the Settings app.

The annoying part, though, is that the Settings app still is not complete yet, and can still wind up sends you back to the Control Panel, as the latter has functions the former has still yet to inherit (even though it was introduced back in Windows 8). For example, those links in the side menus of the Settings app, such as Additional Power Settings, will have users running between the two apps.

Twitter user @webinbristol is already bristling at the change, and is opining about how Windows 10 is an "unpolished mess."

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Tweeter @ItsMoirrey, however, doesn't like the Settings app because they think it's burying the features they need. 

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It feels an awful lot like public transportation construction, where train riders are rerouted through different escalators. This is all (seemingly) a part of Microsoft's plan to "bring Settings closer to Control Panel" as Brandon LeBlanc, Sr. Program Manager for Windows Insider, said in a blog post.

In that post, LeBlanc asks "If you rely on settings that only exist in Control Panel today, please file feedback and let us know what those settings are." This makes it pretty clear that Microsoft has plans to shut down the Control Panel in the long term, replacing it with Settings. 

Another aspect of the Settings app makeover is how Microsoft is "making your device information copyable" in the About page, with a big Copy button.

The Control Panel is expected to stay around until 2021, though, as it appears Microsoft is approaching this transition in a brick-by-brick method, so it doesn't pave over anything too soon.

Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • thomastmc
    It's not as if the Settings app couldn't replace the Control Panel and do a good job of it. It's just that Microsoft hasn't demonstrated that it can. For something as critical as system configuration, that's worrisome.

    If the Settings app had already presented itself as a mature and thorough option, I wouldn't care about the transition. The problem is that Microsoft has created a dual reliance on the Settings app and the Control Panel.

    Building the Settings app piecemeal and moving options over a little at a time has created a bit of a mess. It's only natural for people to be worried about what comes next. On top of that, Windows 10 was once solid, but continues to get more buggy and unstable. That also isn't increasing anyone's confidence in Microsoft to implement a new system critical feature without a safety net.
    Reply