A lot of people may not have a clue as to what the Windows Control Panel is. Basically, in older versions of Windows (Windows 7 and older), this serves as a way to configure your computer's basic settings. With the release of Windows 8, Microsoft began the transition from the Control Panel to Windows Settings, and with the latest build of Windows 10, 20H2 (as of the time of writing), a lot of the functionalities of the old Control Panel are staring to fade away and are being moved to the Windows settings. But, a lot of settings still remain in the Control Panel as the Control Panel offers more control over Windows. In this blog post, we'll show you what remains in the Windows Control Panel and what does these things do.
Control Panel Applets
In the Control Panel, there are these things called applets. And in each applets, are submenus that have different functions. Here are the Control Panel applets in Windows 10 (version 20H2) and their submenus:
- System and Security
System and Security includes different settings to modify and configure your computer system. Here are the different things that you can modify in these applets.
Security and Maintenance
Security and Maintenance includes a quick view about your computer's security and different maintenance tasks. You can see whether or not you have virus protection on, if you have Windows Firewall on or not, and so much more. TL;DR, it's a quick dashboard to see if your computer is secure and whether or not there are problems with your computer.
Windows Defender Firewall
In the Windows Defender Firewall, you can set networks restrictions and whether or not you want a specific app to access the network that you're connected to, whether a public or a private network.
System
With the release of Windows 10 version 20H2, this System tab will redirect you to the settings app of Windows. But nonetheless, whether Windows settings or Windows Control Panel, the functionality remains the same. Here, you can see your PC's information such as whether or not Windows is activated, what version and edition of Windows you have, RAM capacity, CPU information, what architecture your CPU is and what architecture your OS is, and many more.
Power Options
In modern laptops that runs newer versions of Windows 10, Microsoft has eliminated a lot of different things from the Power Options menu and instead moved the controls to the battery icon on the taskbar. Nonetheless, for people running older versions of Windows 10 or to Desktop users, here is what the Power Options is and what is in here. In the power options, you can set your computer to High Performance mode, Balanced mode, and Power Saving mode, (if you have a pre-built computer or you're running on a specific platform, such as AMD Ryzen, you may see some of the options renamed or you may see different options available), all of which are very self-explanatory. You can also set how long before the computer sleeps, or turns off its screen, and you can choose what will happen if you press the power button, press the sleep button, or if you close the lid of your laptop.
File History
In File History, you can backup specific drives/folders on your computer to another drive and be able to restore them if something goes wrong.
Backup and Restore (Windows 7)
In Backup and Restore, you can restore your previous backup, maybe even from Windows 7, or you're able to backup your files and folders.
Storage Spaces
In Storage Spaces, you can also backup your drive/s so when you encounter a drive failure, which as some point will happen whether during times unexpected or for many years to come, you're prepared and will no longer worry about losing your files.
Work Folders
Work Folders are used to be able to sync and make your work files from all your devices. This is especially useful if you have a separate computers at home and at your workplace. With this tool, your work files will be available on all your devices.
Administrative Tools
The Administrative Tools gives a lot of different tools for system administrators. When you click on this, it will bring you to File Explorer and show you different programs that will help you manage and see more information about your computer. As the name suggests Administrative Tools is very useful to computer administrators.
Flash Player (32-Bit*)
Flash Player is an application based on the 32-bit instruction set. If you have a 64-bit OS, it will say 32-bit beside the name Flash Player, and if you have a 32-bit OS, it will not say 32-bit. That's why there's an asterisk in the 32-bit portion in the name of the applet in this blog, because the name may different for some people depending on the architecture of their OS. In this applet you can go ahead and adjust Flash Player settings. Flash Player's end of life is December 2020, which is the date as of time of writing.
- Network and Internet
The Network and Internet applet, as the name suggests, has options to configure your network and internet connection. You can check your network status, set preferences for sharing files and computers, configure Internet display and connection and more.
Network and Sharing Center
Here in Network and Sharing Center, you can go ahead and change your network status (whether to set a network to private or public), change different network settings and set preferences for sharing your files and printers to other devices in the network you're connected to.
Internet Options
Here in Internet Options, you can configure your Internet display and connection settings. Most of these settings should be integrated to what browser you're using (typically Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox). This is used for when changing settings for IE (Internet Explorer).
- Hardware and Sound
Here in Hardware and Sound, you can add or remove printers and other hardware, change system sounds, play CDs automatically, conserve power/battery, update device drivers, and more.
Device and Printers
Device and Printers shows you different printers, devices connected to your computer (whether directly or through your network), and different print jobs for your printer.
Autoplay
Here in Autoplay, you can change default settings for CDs, DVDs, external drives, and other devices so that you can automatically play music, view pictures, install software, and play games.
Sound
As the name suggests, the Sound option contains options relating to audio on your computer. Here, you can configure your audio deices or change the sound scheme for your computer.
Power Options
This Power Options menu is the same with the one that is in the System and Security applet. As mentioned above: "In modern laptops that runs newer versions of Windows 10, Microsoft has eliminated a lot of different things from the Power Options menu and instead moved the controls to the battery icon on the taskbar. Nonetheless, for people running older versions of Windows 10 or to Desktop users, here is what the Power Options is and what is in here. In the power options, you can set your computer to High Performance mode, Balanced mode, and Power Saving mode, (if you have a pre-built computer or you're running on a specific platform, such as AMD Ryzen, you may see some of the options renamed or you may see different options available), all of which are very self-explanatory. You can also set how long before the computer sleeps, or turns off its screen, and you can choose what will happen if you press the power button, press the sleep button, or if you close the lid of your laptop."
Windows Mobility Center
The Windows Mobility Center is only available on devices that you can take on the go, such as laptops, notebooks, and tablets and by default, it's not available on desktops. Here, you can essentially do basic tasks that you would want to do on a mobile PC such as adjusting display brightness, volume, power options, and other commonly used mobile PC settings.
HD Audio Manager
This option, the HD Audio Manager may or may not be available, depending on the audio driver on your PC. For example, a PC with Beats Audio™ will replace this menu with Beats Audio Manager. But most commonly, it will be the HD Audio Manager as this is the most common audio drivers for PC, and, even it you have a different audio driver, it's functions are essentially the same. Here, you can adjust different settings for your speaker and microphone settings. You can increase or decrease the volume of both, the audio quality, and even change equalizer settings.
- Programs
Here in the Programs applet, you can see the programs and applications that you have installed on your PC, and also set what program will open specific file types, such as .docx, .pptx, .jpeg, etc. You can uninstall programs or Windows features, uninstall gadgets (which are obsolete since Windows 8), get new programs from the network or online*, and a lot lot more. Here are the options available in this applet and their. explanation/s
Programs and Features
Here in Programs and Features, you can uninstall or change different programs that are installed on your computer.
Default Programs
In Default Programs, you can choose which programs you want Windows to use for activities like web browsing, editing photos, sending e-mail, playing music, and more.
- User Accounts
In User Accounts, you can change different settings and credentials for the different accounts on your PC. In a nutshell, here, you can adjust and change account settings and passwords.
User Accounts
User Accounts can be able to change user account settings and passwords for people who share your computer.
Credential Manager
In Credential Manager, you can manage your different Windows credentials such as accounts that you use for specific websites, and programs on your computer.
Mail (Microsoft Outlook 2016) (32-bit)
You man not see Mail if you don't have Microsoft Outlook installed. Here, you can manage what e-mail account you will be using for Microsoft Outlook.
- Appearance and Personalization
In Appearance and Personalization, you can change the appearance of the desktop items, apply a theme or screen saver to your PC, or customize the taskbar.
Taskbar and Navigation
Taskbar and Navigation can customize the taskbar, such as the types of items to be displayed and how they should appear.
Ease of Access Center
Ease of Access Center can show you accessibility options in order to make your PC easier to use. This is especially useful for people with disabilities such as blindness, deafness, etc.
File Explorer Options
The File Explorer Options can help you customize what and how folders will look like and how files will look like as well in the computer's File Explorer.
Fonts
Fonts menu can show you all the different fonts that are installed on your computer. Here, you can add, change, and manage different fonts on your computer.
- Clock and Region
Here, you can change the date, time, and time zone for your computer. You can also change the way numbers, currencies, dates, and times are displayed.
Date and Time
Date and Time, from the name itself, can let you set the date, time, and time zone for the computer that you are using.
Region
Region, on the other hand, can customize settings for the display of languages, numbers, times, and dates.
- Ease of Access
The Ease of Access applet is where you can se a lot of different accessibility options for your computer, which, as I said above, is especially useful for people with disabilities.
Ease of Access Center
This is essentially the same with the Ease of Access Center that I have already mentioned above. Here in Ease of Access Center, you can adjust computer settings for the vision, hearing, and mobility, for ease of access of the computer for some people who has disabilities.
Speech Recognition
Last but not the least, Speech Recognition. This is kind of an old generation of Siri/Alexa/Google Assistant on smart home devices. This feature has been around years before the release of modern digital assistants. Here, you can configure how speech recognition works on your computer.
And that is the end of this blog post. I hope that you have learned a lot about the Windows Control Panel and how each applet and option works.
Komentáre