How to Use the Settings Charm in Windows 8 — Video Guide (Historical)

Historical support note: The Charms interface was specific to the Windows 8 generation. Windows 8 support ended in 2016, and Windows 8.1 support ended in 2023.

This article was part of the original Windows 8 video-tip series. The Settings charm gave Windows Store apps a consistent place for app-specific options and also exposed common system controls.

Watch the original video

Open the Settings charm

On a Windows 8 touch device, swipe in from the right edge and select Settings.

With a mouse, move the pointer to the upper-right or lower-right corner to reveal the Charms bar, then select Settings.

You can also press Windows key + I to open Settings directly.

What appears in the Settings charm

The upper part of the pane is contextual. A Windows Store app can place its own settings there, so the options change depending on the app you are using.

The lower part contains common Windows controls such as network, volume, brightness where supported, notifications, power, and keyboard options.

That contextual behavior was one of the main ideas behind the Windows 8 Charms interface: you could change an app’s settings without hunting through a different menu design in every app.

Historical context

Current Windows releases no longer use the Charms bar. This guide is retained to document the original Windows 8 interface and to help with legacy systems.

Official reference

• Microsoft Windows lifecycle status: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/what-does-it-mean-if-windows-isn-t-supported