After there were indications that Microsoft was discontinuing the tried-and-tested Control Panel, it seems as if the company has changed its mind.

The Control Panel has been a feature since the early days of Windows, providing users with a central place to configure their system, set up peripherals, and manage their computer. In recent years, there has been some overlap with the new Settings app, and Microsoft updated a support document a few days ago to indicate that the days of the Control Panel are coming to an end.

The Control Panel is a feature that has long been a part of Windows. It provides a central location to view and edit system settings and controls. Through a series of applets, you can adjust various options, from system time and date to hardware settings, network configurations, and more. The Control Panel is currently being phased out in favor of the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.

Tip: Although the 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.

Microsoft has now updated the support article again and significantly changed the wording regarding the future of the Control Panel.

The Control Panel is a feature that has long been a part of Windows. It provides a central location to view and edit system settings and controls. Through a series of applets, you can adjust various options, from system time and date to hardware settings, network configurations, and more. Many of the settings in the Control Panel are currently being migrated to the Settings app, which offers a more modern and streamlined experience.

Tip: Although the 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.

The new wording leaves the future of Control Panel much more open than it was originally. It’s currently unclear whether Control Panel will be deprecated at some point in the future, or whether the Settings app and Control Panel will coexist. If so, it’s possible that the former could be a streamlined, easy-to-use configuration tool, while Control Panel offers more in-depth functionality for advanced users.

Ultimately, only time will tell whether the Control Panel will remain a central part of Windows.