Microsoft PC · 25H2 · desktop settings
Windows Settings: the eleven categories of Windows 11, and the Windows 10 layout beside them
Windows 11 reduced Settings to eleven categories in a permanent left rail, with every page a scrolling stack of cards. This page walks that rail as it stands in Windows 11 25H2, notes what Windows 10 did differently, and links each category to a page you can open in the simulator.
- Newest release here
- Windows 11
- Versions you can open
- 2
- Top-level sections
- 11
- Rows in the tree
- 940
How Windows organises its Settings
The rail starts with System, which carries Display, Sound, Notifications, Power & battery, Storage, Multitasking, Activation, Troubleshoot, Recovery and About, so it is the category people spend most time in. Bluetooth & devices, Network & internet and Personalization follow; Personalization is where Background, Colors, Themes, Lock screen, Start and Taskbar all live, which surprises people who expect the taskbar under System.
Apps holds installed programs, default apps and startup entries. Accounts, Time & language and Gaming come next, then Accessibility, which Windows 11 promoted to a full category with Text size, Visual effects, Narrator, Magnifier and Contrast themes. Privacy & security is the longest page, with Windows Security at the top and every app permission below it. Windows Update closes the rail, with pause options, update history and advanced options behind it.
What changes between versions
Two releases are here and they differ in structure, not just polish. Windows 10 shows the older hub of thirteen tiles, each opening its own window with a left-hand list, and its Update & Security category bundles Windows Update, Backup, Recovery and Windows Security together. Windows 11 25H2 uses the permanent rail; it also replaced the For developers page under Privacy & security with an Advanced page under System, and added Quick machine recovery to the Recovery page, both of which the simulator models.
- Windows 11 (newest)
- Windows 10
Three settings worth knowing the path to
- Settings > System > Recovery
Reset this PC, Advanced startup and, since 25H2, Quick machine recovery, which lets Windows find and apply a fix when the PC cannot start. It is the page support articles send you to most often.
- Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security
Virus protection, firewall, account protection and Find my device are all reached through this one row. The Windows 10 equivalent sits under Update & Security instead.
- Settings > Apps > Startup
The list of programs that launch at sign-in, each with an impact rating. A slow boot is usually fixed here rather than anywhere in System.
Questions people ask about Windows settings
Where did Control Panel go in Windows 11?
It still exists, but Settings has taken over nearly every task. The simulator models the modern Settings app; the classic Control Panel is shown in the Windows 7 and Windows XP entries.
Why does Windows 10 Settings look different from Windows 11?
Windows 10 opens on a hub of category tiles and each category has its own left-hand list. Windows 11 keeps one rail on the left at all times and stacks the options as cards on the right.
Which Windows 11 release is this?
The tree is authored at 25H2, the release shipping through 2026. Windows 11 26H2 is still in Release Preview and will be added when it reaches general availability.