Settings vs Control Panel

It’s taken me a while, but I finally tried opening 2 Settings sessions at once: Update was running already, and I tried opening Display Settings too. All that did was switch the one Settings window to Display Settings, with no back arrow in the top-left corner.

Looks like Settings is truly a UWP-style app, and it can only handle one instance. If so, for PCs it’s a definite step backwards from Control Panel.

I wonder how long it’ll take MSFT to permit multiple simultaneous instances of Settings sections.

Conversation 9 comments

  • illuminated

    16 June, 2017 - 6:36 pm

    <p>Just curious. Why do you want multiple instances of settings? When update runs it does so in the background. You do not have to keep that page open. </p><p>In my opinion settings are slowly moving in the right direction. Control panel became a mess years ago. </p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      17 June, 2017 - 2:26 pm

      <p><a href="#126279"><em>In reply to illuminated:</em></a></p><p>I know various sections can run in the background.</p><p>It's more a question of navigation. In Control Panel it's possible to switch from one settings applet to another by switching windows. Navigation between different sections is much more cumbersome with Settings.</p>

    • spacein_vader

      Premium Member
      18 June, 2017 - 3:21 am

      <blockquote><a href="#126279"><em>In reply to illuminated:</em></a></blockquote><p>They're getting quicker: it took Control Panel years to become a mess, Settings has managed it in 18 months. </p><p><br></p><p>That said, having to use both still is ridiculous, they need to get all of Control Panels functionality into Settings &amp; then kill it. </p>

  • rameshthanikodi

    16 June, 2017 - 8:12 pm

    <p>I think UWP apps can run multiple instances, like the Photos app, you can open as many photos as you want and each photo will spawn a new instance. The capability is there, but I think the app needs to be specifically coded for it. In the case of the Settings app, I don't think they'll be adding the capability, your best bet is to drop a suggestion in the Feedback Hub and hope it gets upvotes, but this is not a common complaint, and until it becomes one, Microsoft isn't going to care much for it.</p><p>BTW, some Win32 apps are specifically coded to not open new instances either, like Steam, Photoshop, Spotify, etc.</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      17 June, 2017 - 2:21 pm

      <p><a href="#126291"><em>In reply to rameshthanikodi:</em></a></p><p>I'm aware some programs won't run in multiple instances. It wouldn't surprise me that it was uncommon to run multiple Settings sections at the same time. It took me years to do so myself.</p><p>It wasn't so much that there's just a single instance of Settings as the fact that when one part of setting is still running but another different Settings section is launched, Settings has really bad navigation.</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    17 June, 2017 - 10:39 pm

    <p>Settings doesn't need multiple instances. System Preferences.app doesn't need it.</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      18 June, 2017 - 10:00 pm

      <p><a href="#126416"><em>In reply to jimchamplin:</em></a></p><p>I'll admit tinkering with my monitor settings while Update was running was unusual. OTOH, wanting Network &amp; Internet and Printers &amp; Scanners at the same time could be infrequent but not exactly rate.</p>

      • jimchamplin

        Premium Member
        18 June, 2017 - 10:58 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#126632"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a></blockquote><p>… Now that you mention that… yeah! You’re right! I can see where that would be nice!</p>

  • Rcandelori

    Premium Member
    18 June, 2017 - 8:01 am

    <p>Control Panel will only die when </p><p><br></p><p>(a) all of its functionality is completely replicated in the Settings app; and</p><p>(b) there is the ability in Settings to have third-party extensions as occurs now with Control Panel.</p>

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