Goodbye to the Control Panel of Windows 11: Microsoft Tries Again

Windows 11 has, for years, been a constantly evolving project and carries some elements from older versions of Windows that continue to be an integral part of the operating system. One of these is represented by the Control Panel, which in the past was a fundamental section for accessing all system management tools. Despite years of development and numerous updates, the Control Panel is still an integral part of Windows 11. However, Microsoft intends to remove it.

This isn’t the first time the issue has been discussed, and more generally, Microsoft has anticipated the desire to optimize the operating system, making it more coherent and less tied to the old versions. Is Microsoft serious about this?

The project was confirmed this week by March Rogers, Director of Design at Microsoft, who also confirmed the intention to create a more coherent interface for Windows 11 (albeit with some years of delay). The initial idea of the project is not new. The functionalities of the Control Panel, currently accessible through the Windows search function, must be integrated into the Settings app.

"We're really focusing on design craft in Windows at the moment. There is still lots to do but this is the kind of work I love seeing ship: Settings pages redesigned for clarity, account dialogs updated for dark mode, Narrator working with Copilot on all devices..."
-- March Rogers (@marchr)
April 4, 2026

For the moment, however, there is no precise timeline. Microsoft developers would be working on transferring various functionalities to the Settings app, but the program could require multiple system updates, partly because it will be necessary to ensure optimal compatibility with older hardware as well. It may take months for a proper farewell to the Control Panel.

Further details will come in the future. In any case, it is likely that the Settings app will begin to receive small updates little by little to facilitate the farewell to the Control Panel of Windows 11 in the near future.