With Windows 8,
Microsoft introduced the modern UI Settings app and it was
supposed to replace Control Panel at one point.
Windows 10 has been out for nearly six years, and Windows still
has two ways to change apps. The large scale migration didn’t
happen as Settings doesn’t have all the necessary features.
On Windows 11, which is the next generation of Windows, several
advanced settings still rely on Control Panel. Control Panel is
necessary if you want to change advanced settings like power
profile, but Microsoft is working on a few new features that
would push more users towards the modern settings.
For example, Windows 11 Settings app now lets you manage the
network adapters without having to use Control Panel. To change
adapter settings, you can open > Network & internet >
Advanced network settings.
As you can see in the above screenshot, you can now click on
enable/disable button for the network connection under the
“Network adapters” section. This feature was previously
accessible through the Control Panel only.
In the near future, the new operating system will automatically
direct you to the Settings app whenever possible.
Storage settings
Windows 11 has also redesigned the Storage Settings to help
users make more sensible use of their available storage space.
The latest introduction is an improved layout with the ability
to free up space on your drive by detecting older and unused
files on the local disk.
For advanced uses, there’s a new feature called “Manage Disks
and Volumes”. As the name suggests, this “modern experience” is
based on the legacy disk management tool and it has been
redesigned with accessibility in mind.
It features better integration with other storage Settings app
and Microsoft has promised additional design improvements to
the modern disk management utility.
Battery settings
Microsoft is working on a new settings page aimed at battery
users.
Windows 11 comes with a new settings page that will use graphs
to show you more detail about the battery and power usage of
the device. You can look at the resources-intensive apps which
are sapping the most power and filter the results based on a
certain time period like the past seven days.
As you can see in the above and below images, Windows Settings
can now give you a weekly and 24 hours breakdown of battery
usage. These graphs are similar to Android or iOS’s battery
saver and they can help users understand how much of their
battery is being used.
If you want to control power profiles, you still need to use
the traditional Control Panel-style settings.
Windows 11 is expected to bring in more pages from the Control
Panel, and some legacy pages (those still using Windows 10
interface) within the new Settings app will also receive a
facelift in the upcoming preview builds.
Microsoft understands that Control Panel has a very dedicated
fanbase and Windows Settings work isn’t done yet, so the
company is not planning to remove it anytime soon, but
Microsoft will be redirecting more legacy pages to the modern
Settings app.
