Windows Settings (formerly PC settings) is a component of Microsoft Windows. It allows users to adjust their user preferences, configure their operating system, and manage their connected devices. Microsoft introduced Settings with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, and initially intended for Settings to replace the Windows Control Panel. However, over the course of a decade, Settings has yet to completely replace the Control Panel.
Overview[]
Originally, the Settings app exposed a very small portion of Windows Control Panel's functionality. Over time, however, it has become the sole user interface and control point for other features such as Windows Update (which were removed from Control Panel) and several newer features that could never be set using the Control Panel, such as Windows Hello. The app categorizes its settings by function, just as the Control Panel did since Windows XP. Unlike the Control Panel, however, it does not offer a unified mode in which the bulk of all available settings assail the app window in a contextually haphazard fashion.[1]
The Windows Settings app is a UWP app, installed in the C:\Windows\ImmersiveControlPanel path. The Windows components in charge of servicing UWP apps also work with this app, but refer to it as Windows.ImmersiveControlPanel.
History[]
The first versions of Windows to make the Settings app available were Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, which Microsoft released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012. Before that, Control Panel was the sole interface meant to allow users to configure their operating system; despite this, the Settings app is not as comprehensive. Microsoft has suggested for years that Settings would eventually replace the Control Panel, though this has not yet happened.[2]
First generation: PC Settings[]
The first generation of the app, called "PC Settings", was included with Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2.
On Windows 8, the PC Settings app was designed as a simplified area optimized for use on touchscreen devices. It exposes a small portion of Control Panel functionality on a two-paned full-screen interface. Adding accounts and changing user pictures could only be done from this app.[3] Windows 8.1 improved upon this component to include more options that were previously exclusive to Control Panel,[4] as well as providing more organization and a redesign. It also added a small "Control Panel" link at the bottom of the left pane to allow users to open the Control Panel and access further options.
The categories listed are:
- PC and Devices
- Accounts
- OneDrive
- Search and Apps
- Privacy
- Network
- Time and Language
- Ease of Access
- Update and Recovery
- Activate Windows (appears only if Windows is not activated)
Second generation: Settings[]
The second generation of the app, simply called "Settings", has been included with all releases of Windows 10 (including the abortive Windows 10 Mobile edition),[5][6] as well as Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022. It includes more options that were previously exclusive to the desktop Control Panel.[7][8] Windows Update, which belonged to the Control Panel prior to Windows 10, now exclusively belong to Settings. The latest version contains the following categories:
- System
- Devices
- Phone (introduced in version 1709)
- Network & Internet
- Personalization
- Apps (introduced in version 1703)
- Accounts
- Time & Language
- Gaming (introduced in version 1607)
- Ease of Access
- Search
- Cortana (introduced in version 1703; removed in version 20H1)
- Privacy
- Update & Security
- Mixed Reality (introduced in version 1703; appears only if a device meeting minimum HoloLens requirements is connected to the PC)[9]
While most of these categories offer what their name says, the "Update & Security" category contains an amalgam of loosely related items, including: Update, delivery optimization, backup, troubleshooting, recovery, activation, finding lost devices, the developer mode, and the Windows Insider program. Contrary to what its name says, it cannot alter any security-related feature of the operating system.
Windows Server 2022 updates some of the visual elements of the app, but not as extensively as Windows 11's version.
Third generation[]
On Windows 11, the app has undergone a significant visual redesign, with a new layout, greater translucency, and refreshed icons, following the Fluent Design System. A persistent navigation sidebar has also been added, linking to various groupings of settings within the app.[10]
The Windows 11 Settings app contains the following categories:
- System
- Bluetooth & devices
- Network & internet
- Personalization
- Apps
- Accounts
- Time & language
- Gaming
- Accessibility
- Privacy & security
- Windows Update
References[]
- ↑ Kishore, Aseem (19 January 2016). "How to Enable the God Mode Control Panel in Windows". Online Tech Tips.com, LLC.
- ↑ Coppock, Mark (October 9, 2015). "Microsoft will fully replace Control Panel with "Settings" in future Windows 10 builds". On MSFT. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ↑ "Adding and Managing Users in Windows 8". IDG. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ↑ Bright, Peter (March 25, 2013). "Windows Blue leaks: More Metro, more multitasking". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ↑ Lowensohn, Josh (January 21, 2015). "Microsoft previews universal apps for Windows 10 PCs, tablets, and phones". The Verge (Vox Media). Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ↑ Bright, Peter (February 6, 2015). "Leaked images of Windows 10 for phones show us what to expect". Ars Technica (Condé Nast). Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Add or Remove Mixed Reality from Settings in Windows 10 - Winaero" (in en-US). Winaero. February 16, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ↑ Parmar, Mayank (June 24, 2021). "Microsoft shows off redesigned Settings app for Windows 11" (in en-US). Retrieved June 29, 2021.
External links[]
- Find settings in Windows 10 at Microsoft Support
- Get help with PC settings
- Launch the Windows Settings app at Microsoft Docs
- Settings (Windows) at Wikipedia
Articles[]
- What's new in the Windows 10 Creators Update Settings app by Mauro Huculak at Windows Central (2017-08-04)
- What's new with the Settings app in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update by Mauro Huculak (2018-11-29)
 |
Wikipedia (article: Settings (Windows) )
|
|---|