System Settings

System Settings application in macOS Sequoia

Operating system| macOS
Type| Control panel

System Settings (known as System Preferences prior to macOS Ventura) is an application in macOS that allows users to modify system settings, such as displays, audio, peripherals, and network connections. It was first introduced in Mac OS X 10.0 to replace the control panels found in Classic Mac OS, replacing multiple fragmented utilities with a single interface.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Control Panels (Classic Mac OS)
* 1.2 System Preferences (Mac OS X)
* 1.2.1 Organization
* 1.2.2 Appearance
* 1.3 System Settings (macOS Ventura)
* 2 Preference Panes
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## History

### Control Panels (Classic Mac OS)

Before the release of Mac OS X in 2001, users modified system settings using control panels.[1] Control panels, like the preference panes found in System Preferences, were separate resources (cdevs) that were accessed through the Apple menu's Control Panel.

A rudimentary form of system preferences dates back to 1983 with the Apple Lisa Preferences menu item. This included a subset of configurable settings called "convenience settings" as well as other settings that adapted according to the programs and devices installed on the Lisa Office System. The original control panels in the earliest versions of the classic Mac OS were all combined into one small Desk Accessory. Susan Kare designed the interface for the original control panel, and tried to make it as user-friendly as possible. This design was used until System 3 when separate control panel files ("cdev"s) were added, accessible solely through the control panel.

With the debut of System 7 the control panels were separated into individual small application-like processes accessible from the Finder, and by a sub-menu in the Apple menu provided by Apple Menu Options. Mac OS 9, the last release of the Mac OS before Mac OS X, included 32 control panels. By Mac OS 9, many control panels had been rewritten as true applications.

The control panels included with Mac OS 9 are:[2][3]

* Appearance
* Apple Menu Options
* AppleTalk
* ColorSync
* Control Strip
* Date & Time
* DialAssist
* Energy Saver
* Extensions Manager
* File Exchange
* File Sharing
* File Synchronization
* General Controls
* Internet
* Keyboard
* Keychain Access
* Launcher
* Location Manager
* Memory
* Modem
* Monitors
* Mouse
* Multiple Users
* Numbers
* QuickTime Settings
* Remote Access
* Software Update
* Sound
* Speech
* Startup Disk
* TCP/IP
* Text
* Web Sharing

### System Preferences (Mac OS X)

System Preferences was introduced with Mac OS X 10.0, replacing the fragmented control panels with preference panes within a single application.[4] Preference panes are not applications but rather loadable bundles for the System Preferences application, similar to the arrangement used under System 6.

#### Organization

In Mac OS X 10.0, the grid of preference panes are alphabetical, but every version with System Preferences afterwards has some form of categorization by default.[5] In Mac OS X 10.1 through 10.5 Leopard, these categories are "Personal", "Hardware", "Internet & Network", and "System", with a fifth category, "Other", appearing when third-party preference panes are installed. In 10.6 Snow Leopard, the "Internet & Network" category was renamed "Internet & Wireless",[6] and in 10.9 Mavericks, the labels were completely removed, although the categories themselves didn't change.[7] The organization was revised in macOS 10.15 Catalina, which added a section dedicated to the Apple ID of the logged in user at the top of the screen, and replaced the four single-line categories with two multi-line categories.[8]

Apple has added new preference panes when major features are added to the operating system and occasionally merges multiple panes into one. When Exposé was introduced with 10.3 Panther, a corresponding preference pane was added to System Preferences. This was replaced by a single "Dashboard & Exposé" pane in 10.4 Tiger, which introduced Dashboard. When the .Mac service was replaced by MobileMe, the corresponding preference pane was also renamed.

In OS X Mountain Lion, the "Universal Access" pane is changed to "Accessibility" and "Speech" is changed to "Dictation & Speech".

#### Appearance

The System Preferences icon has changed several times. In 10.3 Panther, the Apple logo was made flatter and lower-contrast,[9] and in 10.5 Leopard, the icon was overhauled to match its iOS counterpart with a skeuomorphic gear-based design.[10] The icon was changed again in 10.10 Yosemite to match the new design language, simplifying the gear design and removing the realistic shading,[11] and once more in macOS 11 Big Sur to fit the new standardized squircle icon shape.[12]

System Preferences originally included a customizable toolbar into which frequently-used preference pane icons could be dragged, but this was removed in Mac OS X Tiger and replaced with an extended toolbar containing Finder-styled back/forward buttons, a "Show All" button to return to the preference grid, and a search field that highlights relevant items when a search is started.[13]

In 10.9 Mavericks, the preference pane icons were made 25% larger, going from 32x32pt to 40x40.[14] In 10.10 Yosemite, the icon design was overhauled to match the flatter design language of the entire operating system. The grabbable title bar and toolbar were consolidated into one top bar, with the "Show All" button becoming an icon button.[15] In macOS 11 Big Sur, the icon design was updated again to match the new neumorphic style.

### System Settings (macOS Ventura)

In macOS Ventura, System Preferences was renamed to System Settings and was redesigned to be similar to the iOS and iPadOS Settings app.[16] In addition to a new sidebar that contains all preference panes on a sidebar to the left of the window, and most icons are squared, minimalist, and smaller, instead of the original big, more detailed, varied preference panes that were used in prior versions.[17] Because of this nature, they can no longer be organized, but can in turn now be searched and organized alphabetically. If AirPods are connected, a menu for the AirPods will appear at the top of System Settings.[18]

## Preference Panes

In System Preferences, preferences are organized by theme into Preference Panes (abbreviated prefpane), which are special dynamically loaded plugins. Introduced in Mac OS X 10.0, the purpose of a Preference Pane is to allow the user to set preferences for a specific application or the system by means of a graphical user interface. Preference Panes are the macOS replacement for control panels in the classic Mac OS. Prior to Mac OS X v10.4, collections of Preference Panes featured a "Show All" button to show all the panes in the collection and a customizable toolbar to which frequently-used preference panes could be dragged. In Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, the currently-active pane would also be highlighted in the toolbar when it was selected. With Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, the toolbar was removed in favor of a plain Show All button and back/forward history arrows. With the release of macOS Ventura, they were redesigned to look like the ones used in iOS.

## See also

* Settings (iOS)

## References

1. ↑ "About the Control Panels Folder". https://udcf.gla.ac.uk/~gwm1h/system7.5.3/About_Control_Panels.html.
2. ↑ "Mac OS X 10.0: Using Mac OS 9 Control Panels in Classic Environment". http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22222.
3. ↑ "GUIdebook > Screenshots > Settings menu". http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/menu.
4. ↑ Toporek, Chuck (2007). Mac OS X Leopard Pocket Guide. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 978-0-596-52981-9. https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mac-os-x/9780596529819/.
5. ↑ Siracusa, John (2001-10-15). "Mac OS X 10.1" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2001/10/macosx-10-1/.
6. ↑ Siracusa, John (2009-09-01). "Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6/.
7. ↑ "OS X 10.9 Mavericks" (in en-US). https://512pixels.net/projects/aqua-screenshot-library/os-x-10-9-mavericks/.
8. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (2019-10-07). "macOS 10.15 Catalina: The Ars Technica review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/10/macos-10-15-catalina-the-ars-technica-review/.
9. ↑ Siracusa, John (2003-11-09). "Mac OS X 10.3 Panther" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2003/11/macosx-10-3/.
10. ↑ Siracusa, John (2007-10-29). "Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: the Ars Technica review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2007/10/mac-os-x-10-5/.
11. ↑ Siracusa, John (2014-10-16). "OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The Ars Technica Review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/os-x-10-10/.
12. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (2020-11-12). "macOS 11.0 Big Sur: The Ars Technica review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/macos-11-0-big-sur-the-ars-technica-review/.
13. ↑ Siracusa, John (2005-04-28). "Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2005/04/macosx-10-4/.
14. ↑ Siracusa, John (2013-10-22). "OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/10/os-x-10-9/.
15. ↑ Siracusa, John (2014-10-16). "OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The Ars Technica Review" (in en). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/os-x-10-10/.
16. ↑ "How to use the redesigned System Settings app in macOS Ventura" (in en). 2023-01-07. https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-use-the-redesigned-system-settings-app-in-macos-ventura.
17. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (2022-10-26). "macOS 13 Ventura: The Ars Technica review" (in en-us). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/macos-13-ventura-the-ars-technica-review/.
18. ↑ "macOS Ventura – New Features" (in en-US). https://www.apple.com/macos/ventura/features/.

## External links

* Mac Basics: Set your preferences, Apple Support
* The untold history of macOS System Preferences

* v
* t
* e

macOS

* History
* Architecture
* Components
* Server
* Software

Versions|

* Server 1.0 Hera
* Public Beta Kodiak
* 10.0 Cheetah
* 10.1 Puma
* 10.2 Jaguar
* 10.3 Panther
* 10.4 Tiger
* 10.5 Leopard
* 10.6 Snow Leopard
* 10.7 Lion
* 10.8 Mountain Lion
* 10.9 Mavericks
* 10.10 Yosemite
* 10.11 El Capitan
* 10.12 Sierra
* 10.13 High Sierra
* 10.14 Mojave
* 10.15 Catalina

Applications|

* App Store
* Automator
* Calculator
* Calendar
* Chess
* Contacts
* Dictionary
* DVD Player
* FaceTime
* Finder
* Game Center
* Grapher
* Home
* iTunes (history)
* Launchpad
* Mail
* Messages
* News
* Music
* Notes
* Notification Center
* Podcasts
* Photo Booth
* Photos
* Preview
* QuickTime
* Reminders
* Safari (version history)
* Stickies
* TextEdit
* Time Machine

Discontinued|

* Dashboard
* Front Row
* iChat
* iPhoto
* iSync
* Sherlock

Utilities|

* Activity Monitor
* AirPort Utility
* AppleScript Editor
* Archive Utility
* Audio MIDI Setup
* Bluetooth File Exchange
* Boot Camp
* ColorSync
* Configurator
* Console
* Crash Reporter
* DigitalColor Meter
* Directory Utility
* DiskImageMounter
* Disk Utility
* Font Book
* Grab
* Help Viewer
* Image Capture
* Installer
* Keychain Access
* Migration Assistant
* Network Utility
* ODBC Administrator
* Screen Sharing
* System Preferences
* System Information
* Terminal
* Universal Access
* VoiceOver

Discontinued|

* Software Update
* Remote Install Mac OS X

Technology and user interface|

* AirDrop
* Apple File System
* Apple menu
* Apple Push Notification service
* AppleScript
* Aqua
* Audio Units
* AVFoundation
* Bonjour
* Bundle
* CloudKit
* Cocoa
* ColorSync
* Command key
* Core Animation
* Core Audio
* Core Data
* Core Foundation
* Core Image
* Core OpenGL
* Core Text
* Core Video
* CUPS
* Cover Flow
* Darwin
* Dock
* FileVault
* Fonts
* Gatekeeper
* Grand Central Dispatch
* icns
* iCloud
* I/O Kit
* Kernel panic
* Keychain
* launchd
* Mach-O
* Menu extra
* Metal
* Mission Control
* OpenCL
* Option key
* Preference Pane
* Property list
* Quartz
* Quick Look
* Smart Folders
* Speakable items
* Spotlight
* Stacks
* System Integrity Protection
* Uniform Type Identifier
* Universal binary
* WebKit
* XNU
* XQuartz

Deprecated|

* HFS+

Discontinued|

* BootX
* Brushed metal
* Carbon
* Classic Environment
* Inkwell
* QTKit
* Rosetta
* Spaces
* Xgrid

* v
* t
* e

Classic Mac OS

Versions|

* System 1
* System 2, 3, and 4
* System 5
* System 6
* System 7
* Mac OS 7
* Mac OS 8
* Mac OS 9

Applications|

* Calculator
* Chooser
* Drive Setup
* DVD Player
* Finder
* Graphing Calculator
* Keychain Access
* PictureViewer
* PowerTalk
* QuickTime Player
* Network Browser
* Scrapbook
* Sherlock
* Software Update
* Stickies
* System Information
* SimpleText

Developer|

* HyperCard
* MacsBug
* Macintosh Programmer's Workshop
* ResEdit

Technology|

* Alias
* Appearance Manager
* Apple menu
* At Ease
* Balloon help
* Bomb error
* Command key (⌘)
* Control Panel
* Control Strip
* Creator code
* Dogcow
* Extensions
* Hierarchical File System
* HFS Plus
* Keychain
* Labels
* Macintosh File System
* Macintosh Toolbox
* Managers
* Menu blinking
* MultiFinder
* Option key (⌥)
* OSType
* PICT
* QuickDraw
* QuickTime
* Resource fork
* Sosumi sound
* Startup sequence
* System folder
* System suitcase
* Type code
* WorldScript

Related articles|

* Memory management
* Old World ROM
* New World ROM
* Software

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System Settings. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:System_Settings&oldid=4293076"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template