<s>
Windows	B-Application
Settings	I-Application
(	O
formerly	O
PC	B-Application
Settings	I-Application
)	O
,	O
or	O
simply	O
Settings	O
app	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
component	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
Settings	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
and	O
initially	O
intended	O
it	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
Windows	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
,	O
something	O
that	O
has	O
not	O
happened	O
after	O
a	O
decade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Settings	O
app	O
exposed	O
a	O
very	O
small	O
portion	O
of	O
Windows	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
's	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
time	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
become	O
the	O
sole	O
user	O
interface	O
and	O
control	O
point	O
for	O
Windows	O
Update	O
(	O
removed	O
from	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
)	O
and	O
Windows	O
Hello	O
(	O
never	O
added	O
to	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
categorizes	O
its	O
settings	O
by	O
function	O
,	O
just	O
as	O
the	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
did	O
since	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
offer	O
a	O
unified	O
mode	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
bulk	O
of	O
all	O
available	O
settings	O
assail	O
the	O
app	O
window	O
in	O
a	O
contextually	O
haphazard	O
fashion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
Settings	I-Application
app	O
is	O
a	O
UWP	O
app	O
,	O
installed	O
in	O
the	O
C:\Windows\ImmersiveControlPanel	O
path	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
Settings	O
app	O
available	O
were	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
which	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
on	O
1	O
August	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
that	O
,	O
Windows	O
users	O
had	O
to	O
use	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
to	O
configure	O
their	O
operating	O
system	O
;	O
they	O
still	O
do	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
Settings	O
app	O
is	O
not	O
as	O
comprehensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
alleged	O
that	O
Settings	O
would	O
eventually	O
replace	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
,	O
but	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
not	O
happened	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
called	O
"	O
PC	B-Application
Settings	I-Application
"	O
was	O
included	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	I-Device
R2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
the	O
PC	B-Application
Settings	I-Application
app	O
was	O
designed	O
as	O
a	O
simplified	O
area	O
optimized	O
for	O
use	O
on	O
touchscreen	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
exposes	O
a	O
small	O
portion	O
of	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
functionality	O
on	O
a	O
two-paned	O
full-screen	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
8.1	I-Device
improved	O
upon	O
this	O
component	O
to	O
include	O
more	O
options	O
that	O
were	O
previously	O
exclusive	O
to	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
providing	O
more	O
organization	O
and	O
a	O
redesign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
added	O
a	O
small	O
"	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
"	O
link	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
left	O
pane	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
open	O
the	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
and	O
access	O
further	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
generation	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
called	O
"	O
Settings	O
"	O
has	O
been	O
included	O
with	O
all	O
releases	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
(	O
including	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
edition	I-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2016	I-Device
,	O
2019	B-Device
and	O
2022	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
includes	O
more	O
options	O
that	O
were	O
previously	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
desktop	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Update	O
,	O
which	O
belonged	O
to	O
the	O
Control	B-Application
Panel	I-Application
prior	O
to	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
,	O
now	O
exclusively	O
belong	O
to	O
Settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2022	I-Device
updates	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
visual	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
as	O
extensively	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
's	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
the	O
app	O
has	O
undergone	O
a	O
significant	O
visual	O
redesign	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
layout	O
,	O
greater	O
translucency	O
,	O
and	O
refreshed	O
icons	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
Fluent	B-Application
Design	I-Application
System	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
Settings	O
app	O
contains	O
the	O
following	O
categories	O
:	O
</s>
