Windows Settings (formerly PC settings), or simply Settings app, is a component of

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. It allows users to adjust their user preferences, configure their operating system, and manage their connected devices. Microsoft introduced Settings with

Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012, codenamed "Windows Server 8", is the ninth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It is the server version of Windows based on Windows ...

and

Windows 8 Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, made available for download via Microsoft ...

, and initially intended it to replace the

Windows Control Panel Control Panel was a component of Microsoft Windows that provided the ability to view and change system settings. It consisted of a set of applets that included adding or removing hardware and software, controlling user accounts, changing acce ...

, something that has not happened after a decade.

Overview

The Settings app initially exposed a very small portion of

(Powershell)'s functionality. Over time, however, it has become the sole user interface and control point for functions such as

Windows Update Windows Update is a Microsoft service for the Windows 9x and Windows NT families of the Microsoft Windows operating system, which automates downloading and installing Microsoft Windows software updates over the Internet. The service delivers sof ...

(removed from Control Panel) and Windows Hello Control Panel Edition (never added to Control Panel). The app categorizes its settings by function, just as the Control Panel did since

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct successor to Windows 2000 for high-end and business users a ...

. 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. 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

and

, which Microsoft

released to manufacturing The software release life cycle is the process of developing, testing, and distributing a software product (e.g., an operating system). It typically consists of several stages, such as pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and release candidate, before the fi ...

on 1 August 2012. Before that, Windows users had to use Control Panel to configure their operating system. Microsoft has alleged that Settings would eventually replace Control Panel, but , it has not happened.

First generation of settings app on windows

The first generation of the app, called "PC Settings", was included with Windows 8, Windows Server 2012,

Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 is a release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its pr ...

, and

Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2012 R2, codenamed "Windows Server Blue", is the tenth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It was unveiled on June 3, 2013, at TechEd Nort ...

. 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.

improved upon this component to include more options that were previously exclusive to Control Panel, 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 * Account * OneDrive * Search app * Privacy Policy * Networks * Times and languages * Easing of Access * Update And Bitlocker * Reset Windows License Windows (shows up only if Windows is Activated)

Second generation of windows settings app

The second generation of the app, called "Settings", has been included with all releases of

Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. The successor to Windows 8.1, it was Software release cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on July 2 ...

(including Windows 10 Mobile edition), as well as

Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2016 is the eleventh major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It was developed alongside Windows 10 and is the successor to the Windows 8.1-based ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

and

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. It includes more options that were previously exclusive to the desktop Control Panel.

, 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 v1709) * Network & Internet * Personalization * Apps (introduced in v1703) * Accounts * Time & Language * Gaming (introduced in v1607) * Ease of Access * Search * Cortana (introduced in v1703; removed in version v2004) * Privacy * Update & Security * Mixed Reality (introduced in v1703; appears only if a device meeting minimum HoloLens requirements is connected to the PC) 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. Unlike what its name says, it cannot alter any security-related feature of the operating system.

Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2022 is the thirteenth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It was announced at Microsoft's Ignite event from March 2–4, 2021. It was rele ...

updates some of the visual elements of the app, but not as extensively as

Windows 11 Windows 11 is a version of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released on October 5, 2021, as the successor to Windows 10 (2015). It is available as a free upgrade for devices running Windows 10 that meet the #System requirements, Windo ...

's version and

Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2025 is the fourteenth and current major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It was released on November 1, 2024. Microsoft announced that the su ...

's version.

Third generation

and

, the app has undergone a significant visual redesign, with a new layout, greater translucency, and refreshed icons, following the

Fluent Design System Fluent Design System (codenamed "Project Neon") is a design language developed in 2017 by Microsoft. Fluent Design is a revamp of Metro (design language), Microsoft Design Language 2 that includes guidelines for the designs and interactions u ...

. A persistent navigation sidebar has also been added, linking to various groupings of settings within the app. The Windows 11 Settings app contains the following categories: * Home (added in Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2) * System * Bluetooth & devices * Network & internet * Personalization * Apps * Accounts * Time & language * Gaming * Accessibility * Privacy & security * Windows Update

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

What's new in the Windows 10 Creators Update Settings app
- Windows Central
What's new with the Settings app in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
- Windows Central 2012 software Computer configuration Universal Windows Platform apps Windows components