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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Control panel (software)</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other uses, see <a href="Control_panel_(disambiguation)" class="mw-redirect mw-disambig" title="Control panel (disambiguation)">Control panel</a>.</div>
<p>Many <a href="Computer" title="Computer">computer</a> <a href="User_interface" title="User interface">user interfaces</a> use a <b>control panel</b> <a href="Metaphor" title="Metaphor">metaphor</a> to give the user control of software and hardware features. The control <a href="Panel_(computer_software)" title="Panel (computer software)">panel</a> consists of multiple settings including display settings, network settings, user account settings, and hardware settings. Control panels are also used by <a href="Web_application" title="Web application">web applications</a> for easy graphical configuration.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some services offered by control panels require the user to have <a href="System_administrator" title="System administrator">admin</a> rights or <a href="Superuser" title="Superuser">root access</a>.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Computer_history">Computer history</h2></div>
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<p>The term control panel was used for the <a href="Plugboard" title="Plugboard">plugboards</a> in <a href="Unit_record_equipment" title="Unit record equipment">unit record equipment</a> and in the early computers of the 1940s and '50s. In the 1980s, the <a href="Xerox_Star" title="Xerox Star">Xerox Star</a> and the <a href="Apple_Lisa" title="Apple Lisa">Apple Lisa</a>, which pioneered the first <a href="Graphical_user_interface" title="Graphical user interface">graphical user interface</a> metaphors, controlled user settings by single click selections and variable fields. In 1984 the Apple Macintosh in its initial release made use of fundamental graphic representation of a "control panel board" imitating the operation of slider controls, on/off buttons and radio-select buttons that corresponded to user settings.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Functionality">Functionality</h2></div>
<p>There are many tasks grouped in a control panel:
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Hardware">Hardware</h3></div>
<ul><li>Color
<ul><li><a href="Color_management" title="Color management">Color management</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Computer_display" class="mw-redirect" title="Computer display">Computer displays</a>
<ul><li><a href="Brightness" title="Brightness">Brightness</a></li>
<li><a href="Display_contrast" title="Display contrast">Contrast</a></li>
<li><a href="Color_calibration" title="Color calibration">Color calibration</a></li>
<li><a href="Color_calibration" title="Color calibration">Energy saving</a></li>
<li><a href="Gamma_correction" title="Gamma correction">Gamma correction</a></li>
<li><a href="Screen_resolution" class="mw-redirect" title="Screen resolution">Screen resolution</a> and <a href="Screen_orientation" class="mw-redirect" title="Screen orientation">orientation</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Graphics_tablet" title="Graphics tablet">Graphics tablet</a></li>
<li><a href="Computer_keyboard" title="Computer keyboard">Keyboard</a>
<ul><li><a href="Keyboard_shortcut" title="Keyboard shortcut">Shortcuts</a> and bindings</li>
<li><a href="Language" title="Language">Language</a> and <a href="Keyboard_layout" title="Keyboard layout">layout</a></li>
<li><a href="Text_cursor" class="mw-redirect" title="Text cursor">Text cursor</a> appearance</li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Mouse_(computing)" class="mw-redirect" title="Mouse (computing)">Mouse</a> and <a href="Touchpad" title="Touchpad">touchpad</a></li>
<li><a href="Power_management" title="Power management">Power management</a>
<ul><li>Energy saving</li>
<li><a href="Battery_(electricity)" class="mw-redirect" title="Battery (electricity)">Battery</a> usage</li>
<li>Display brightness</li>
<li><a href="Power_management_keys" class="mw-redirect" title="Power management keys">Power button actions</a></li>
<li>Power plans</li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Printer_(computing)" title="Printer (computing)">Printers</a> and <a href="Image_scanner" title="Image scanner">scanners</a></li>
<li>Sound</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Networking">Networking</h3></div>
<ul><li><a href="Bluetooth" title="Bluetooth">Bluetooth</a> connection and <a href="File_eXchange_Protocol" title="File eXchange Protocol">file exchange</a></li>
<li><a href="Ethernet" title="Ethernet">Ethernet</a> connection</li>
<li>Internet Accounts
<ul><li><a href="E-mail" class="mw-redirect" title="E-mail">E-mail</a> integration</li>
<li><a href="Social_media" title="Social media">Social media</a> integration</li></ul></li>
<li><a href="Wi-Fi" title="Wi-Fi">Wi-Fi</a> connection</li>
<li>System-wide <a href="Proxy_server" title="Proxy server">proxy</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Security">Security</h3></div>
<ul><li><a href="Public_key_certificate" title="Public key certificate">Certificates</a> and <a href="Password_management" class="mw-redirect" title="Password management">password management</a></li>
<li><a href="Firewall_(computing)" title="Firewall (computing)">Firewall</a></li>
<li><a href="Disk_encryption_software" title="Disk encryption software">Filesystem encryption</a></li>
<li><a href="Privacy" title="Privacy">Privacy</a>
<ul><li>File indexing and event tracking</li>
<li><a href="Data_sharing" title="Data sharing">Data sharing</a></li></ul></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="System">System</h3></div>
<ul><li><a href="Login_manager" title="Login manager">Login window</a></li>
<li>System information
<ul><li><a href="Hostname" title="Hostname">Hostname</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="System_time" title="System time">System time</a>
<ul><li><a href="Calendar_system" class="mw-redirect" title="Calendar system">Calendar system</a></li>
<li><a href="NTP_server" class="mw-redirect" title="NTP server">NTP server</a></li>
<li><a href="Time_zone" title="Time zone">Time zone</a></li></ul></li>
<li>Software management
<ul><li>Application management</li>
<li><a href="Patch_(computing)" title="Patch (computing)">System update</a> configuration</li>
<li>Software sources</li></ul></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Different_types">Different types</h2></div>
<ul><li>In <a href="Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Microsoft Windows</a> <a href="Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating systems</a>, the <b><a href="Control_Panel_(Windows)" title="Control Panel (Windows)">Control Panel</a></b> and <b><a href="Settings_(Windows)" title="Settings (Windows)">Settings</a></b> app are where various <a href="Computer" title="Computer">computer</a> settings can be modified.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>
<li>In the <a href="Classic_Mac_OS" title="Classic Mac OS">classic Mac OS</a>, a <b><a href="Control_panel_(Mac_OS)" class="mw-redirect" title="Control panel (Mac OS)">control panel</a></b> served a similar purpose. In <a href="MacOS" title="MacOS">macOS</a>, the equivalent to control panels are referred to as <a href="System_Preferences" class="mw-redirect" title="System Preferences">System Preferences</a>.</li>
<li>In <a href="Web_hosting" class="mw-redirect" title="Web hosting">web hosting</a>, <a href="Web_browser" title="Web browser">browser</a>-based <b><a href="Web_hosting_control_panel" title="Web hosting control panel">control panels</a></b>, such as <a href="CPanel" title="CPanel">CPanel</a> and <a href="Plesk" title="Plesk">Plesk</a>, are used to manage servers, web services and users.</li>
<li>There are different control panels in free desktops, like <a href="GNOME" title="GNOME">GNOME</a>, <a href="KDE" title="KDE">KDE</a>, <a href="Webmin" title="Webmin">Webmin</a>...</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Control_panel_(engineering)" title="Control panel (engineering)">Control panel (engineering)</a></li>
<li><a href="Dashboard_(business)" class="mw-redirect" title="Dashboard (business)">Dashboard (business)</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
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</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/what-is-a-control-panel">"What is a Control Panel? | DigitalOcean"</a>. <i>www.digitalocean.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-09-22</span></span>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/controlp.htm">"What is the Control Panel?"</a>. <i>www.computerhope.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-09-22</span></span>.</cite></span>
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