Microsoft to ditch ‘iconic’ Windows feature after 40 years

The world’s most popular operating system will soon lose the 39-year-old Control Panel

Microsoft Windows is used by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide in 2024 (iStock/ Getty Images)

Microsoft has announced that it will soon phase out a popular feature that has been a part of the Windows operating system since its inception nearly four decades ago.

The US tech giant said in a statement on its support website that the Windows Control Panel will be retired and replaced with the Settings app.

The Control Panel formed a crucial part of Windows when the software was first introduced in 1985, offering users the ability to adjust various options, such as the display, time and date.

“The Control Panel is a feature that’s been a part of Windows for a long time,” Microsoft’s support page noted.

“It provides a centralised location to view and manipulate system settings and controls... The Control Panel is in the process of being deprecated in favour of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.”

Windows users on social media lamented the loss of the “iconic” and “classic” feature, while the tech history site Version Museum described it as “the nerve centre for the world’s most popular desktop operating system”.

With around 1.5 billion active users around the world, Windows has a 73 per cent global market share, according to Statista.

At 39-years-old, Microsoft’s Control Panel is one of the longest lasting features of the Information Age, however its role has gradually been diminished over the last decade.

When Microsoft introduced the Settings app with Windows 8 in 2012, key components of the Control Panel began to migrate to the newer interface.

Microsoft did not give an exact date for the transition to be completed, but encouraged Windows users to use the Settings app “whenever possible” until it occurs.