Microsoft has confirmed that the iconic Windows Control Panel will soon be removed and its functions replaced by Settings instead.

The Windows operating system is an ever-evolving beast. Since its introduction in 1985 with Windows 1.0, numerous new features have been added and removed. The Windows Control Panel has held up despite all the revisions, but not for much longer.

A new support page for Windows Configuration Tools states that the Control Panel “will be eliminated in favor of the Settings app.”

The beginning of the end of the Control Panel began with the introduction of Windows 8.

Some of the features that were previously part of the Control Panel have been moved to the PC Settings menu. This was done to make the operating system more friendly to touch-based interfaces.

However, the Control Panel remained, and many of the features that allowed users to tweak their PC’s settings, behavior, and hardware were awkwardly split between the old Control Panel and the new Settings menu.

Back in 2015, the intention was to completely remove the Control Panel and open the Settings instead. However, there are still some obstacles.

Microsoft states on the official support site that the two will continue to run in parallel due to various compatibility issues. This no doubt refers to various legacy software applications that rely on the old Control Panel’s behavior to function.

The official blog states: “The Control Panel is currently being phased out in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.

Although Control Panel remains for compatibility reasons and to provide access to some settings that have not yet been migrated, we recommend that you use the Settings app whenever possible.”