Microsoft is changing how you use the Control Panel in Windows

The set of icons is being replaced by a menu accessible from the keyboard

We all know Windows 10 is a continuously evolving operating system with regular changes made over the course of its release cycle. It seems those changes are extending to the Control Panel, the central hub for system settings.

Windows10Update.com noted that a modest but significant change in build 14942, the latest Fast ring preview version released by Microsoft, made a change to how the Control Panel is presented when using the Power Menu (the Windows and X key)

Instead of the Control Panel shortcut that was placed between the Task Manager and File Explorer in the operating system, there is now a full menu of options that match the Control Panel’s set of applets.

The site said it is unlikely that the traditional Control Panel will disappear from the OS completely, since the Settings app actually calls for it for more advanced configurations and legacy settings. It speculated that Microsoft would probably just leave it somewhere in Windows 10 unused.

Microsoft has made changes to the traditional Control Panel since Windows 8, rolling out a whole new Settings app that was the default for users with that OS. There have been other changes and tweaks as well, but the emphasis now seems to be on transitioning over all settings and options to the modern application.

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