Windows has many redundant applications, functions and tools that only slow down the system’s performance and also cause confusion among users. Little by little, Microsoft is cleaning up its system to try to make it lighter and also avoid confusion for users. Many applications are being merged to simplify their operation. But there is one element of the system that Microsoft is not going to eliminate, and it seems it has no plans to do so: the Control Panel.
The Windows Control Panel is one of the longest-running menus in the system. Within it we can find a series of tools designed to allow us to configure the entire operating system. We can see security tools, all the options related to user management, the appearance of the system, hardware, accessibility functions, etc.
However, with the arrival of the new Settings panel, this Control Panel has become obsolete. It is now much easier to find all the Windows configuration options and change the settings through a very intuitive and easy-to-use panel. The vast majority of the Control Panel functions have already been brought to this Settings menu.
As we can see, many of the functions that are still in the Control Panel are already in this new Settings menu. And those that have not yet been moved are either because they are too advanced and users do not need them, or because they are going to disappear. In any case, Microsoft continues to gradually bring all these functions to the new Settings panel. But it has been 12 years since the launch of Windows 8 and the arrival of this Settings menu, and the old Control Panel is still present in the system.
How to enter the Control Panel
In both Windows 10 and the new 24H2 of Windows 11, the Control Panel is still present in the operating system. And anyone can access it if they need to access any of the settings found here. Although, we can tell you in advance, we won’t need it.
To do this, all we have to do is open the Windows search engine (by pressing the Windows key, or by clicking on the search box on the taskbar) and type in the “Control Panel” or “CP” section, whichever we prefer.
Even if we are going to use it very often, we can pin it to the taskbar or the start menu itself to be able to access it much more quickly. However, this doesn’t make sense either, considering that by just pressing Windows + I we can open the Windows Settings menu.
God Mode, another redundant tool?
As if that weren’t enough, Windows has yet another configuration tool, but this time it’s hidden by default: God Mode. Despite its striking name, this tool is nothing more than a folder from which we can access all the Windows configuration tools. It is, roughly speaking, a folder where all the Control Panel tools are in disarray.
Most of the settings we can make from here are also found in the Control Panel, and even within the Windows Settings menu. So, does another tool like this really make sense?