Microsoft has quietly migrated another set of legacy Control Panel features into the modern Settings app with Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5742, released to the Dev Channel on March 6, 2025. This preview build relocates time and date format options, time server selection, and the ability to add additional clocks, alongside keyboard character repeat delay and cursor blink rate settings. It also introduces a refreshed, more scrollable Phone Link companion panel that anchors to the Start menu for devices linked via Phone Link.

The changes, while modest individually, represent a significant step in Microsoft’s decade-long effort to unify Windows configuration into a single, searchable, touch-friendly interface—and away from the aging Control Panel that still underpins many advanced settings.

What’s New in Build 26200.5742

Time, Date, and Clock Controls

Build 26200.5742 moves three common time-related adjustments out of the Control Panel and into Settings:

  • Date and time format: Controls for customizing how the system tray clock displays time and date.
  • Time server: The “Internet Time” tab that lets users pick a server for network time synchronization.
  • Additional clocks: The ability to add up to two extra clocks that appear when hovering over the taskbar clock or in the notification center.

These settings have historically existed in both interfaces, but until now the Control Panel remained the only place to configure them fully. Their migration into Settings reduces duplication and ensures that everyday users no longer need to hunt through two separate apps to adjust mundane display preferences.

Keyboard Behavior Options

Two classic typing preferences also make the jump:

  • Character repeat delay: How long a key must be held before it begins repeating.
  • Cursor blink rate: The speed at which the text cursor blinks in input fields.

Previously buried in the “Keyboard” Control Panel applet, these settings now live alongside language, input method, and keyboard layout options inside Settings. This consolidation not only improves discoverability but also aligns typing adjustments with accessibility tools, as Settings offers better narration and visual guidance for such configurations.

The Phone Link integration—which allows users to mirror phone notifications, calls, and recent activity on their PC—gets a usability refresh. The companion panel that appears next to the Start menu now supports scrolling, letting users browse more recent phone interactions without switching devices. While a minor visual update, it underscores Microsoft’s parallel push to deepen cross-device integration within the modern Windows shell.

The Methodical Migration Strategy

Moving Control Panel items into Settings is not a simple copy-paste job. Each migrated feature must be reimplemented using modern UWP or WinUI frameworks, while preserving backward compatibility with enterprise management tools, Group Policy, and automation scripts. The Control Panel’s applets are often thin graphical shells over decades-old APIs, drivers, and registry keys. Microsoft must:

  • Rewrite the underlying functionality to work within the Settings app’s modular architecture.
  • Ensure that any programmatic access—via scripts, command-line tools, or Group Policy—remains intact.
  • Maintain localization and accessibility parity across hundreds of language and assistive technology combinations.
  • Test extensively with hardware partners who may have relied on legacy applets for driver-specific control panels.

This complexity explains why the migration has been incremental—and why some entries, like network adapter settings or advanced power profiles, still lack full Settings equivalents. Build 26200.5742 continues the pattern of targeting high-value, user-facing options that improve discoverability without destabilizing enterprise environments.

Who Benefits—and Who Should Stay Alert

Everyday and Mainstream Users

For most people, the shift is purely positive. Time formats, additional clocks, and typing tweaks are now accessible from a single, modern UI that works equally well with touch, high-DPI displays, and screen readers. Confusion decreases; support calls to family and friends likely drop. The Settings app’s integrated search also makes these options much easier to find than the old Control Panel ever could.

Accessibility-Focused Users

The move of character repeat and cursor blink rate into Settings places these controls within an environment that actively explains their impact, offers accessible defaults, and integrates with system-wide accessibility tools like Narrator. This is a net gain for anyone who relies on customized typing behavior or assistive technology.

Power Users and System Administrators

Power users should proceed with caution—but not alarm. The Control Panel still houses many advanced, irreplaceable options that Settings has yet to replicate. Administrators who manage fleets of Windows machines should:

  • Audit any scripts that invoke legacy Control Panel applets or related shell commands.
  • Test Group Policy behavior on preview builds before rolling out Windows 11 upgrades.
  • Track Microsoft’s official documentation for replacement APIs or new policy settings.

Fragmentation is a temporary side effect. Some settings may now appear only in Settings, while others remain split. Help desk teams will need to know both interfaces until the migration is complete.

Enterprise and Automation Concerns

Enterprise environments face the highest risk. If Microsoft removes a Control Panel applet without providing a fully equivalent programmatic alternative, automation scripts, deployment tools, and remote management workflows could break. Reliable migration demands clear communication: explicit mapping of old applets to new interfaces, documented replacement APIs, and Group Policy templates that cover every migrated feature. As of this build, such comprehensive documentation is not yet public.

Practical Advice for Windows Users

  • Start with Settings: Press Win + I first. Many Control Panel functions already redirect to Settings or have been duplicated there.
  • Maintain a personal checklist: If you rely on obscure Control Panel applets, verify whether Settings offers parity before upgrading production machines.
  • Use Insider VMs for testing: Spin up a virtual machine running Dev Channel builds to preview changes like those in 26200.5742 without risking your daily driver.
  • Check for redirects: If a setting seems missing, search inside Settings or launch the old Control Panel applet—Microsoft often places temporary redirects to point users to the new location.
  • Monitor Microsoft’s IT pro blog: For administrators, official guidance on Group Policy and MDM equivalents usually appears in the Windows IT Pro Blog or Tech Community before a public release.

What This Means for the Future

Build 26200.5742 confirms that Microsoft is ramping up the migration of user-facing controls while leaving complex enterprise-friendly applets for later. Expect smaller, high-visibility settings—display personalization, sound schemes, more keyboard options—to move soon. Deeper networking, Remote Desktop configuration, and legacy driver panels will likely be among the last to transition.

The Phone Link refresh hints at a broader ambition: Settings and the Start menu are evolving into a unified hub for cross-device experiences, not just a replacement for system toggles. This dual focus on modernization and device cohesion suggests that future builds will continue to blend configuration with contextual, phone- and cloud-driven features.

However, the lack of a transparent roadmap remains the biggest friction point. Microsoft would do well to publish an authoritative migration tracker, including ETA for each Control Panel applet and a clear matrix of API or policy replacements. Until then, users and IT professionals will continue to navigate a hybrid landscape where both Settings and Control Panel are needed.

The migration is slow, deliberate, and inexorable. For everyday users, the benefits are already tangible. For power users and enterprises, the message is clear: prepare now, test thoroughly, and keep one eye on the Control Panel—it’s not dead yet, but its days are numbered.