Microsoft to Retire Paint 3D App in November 2024

Microsoft will axe the Paint 3D app soon -- will be removed from the Microsoft Store in November, cementing classic Windows Paint's revival

Paint 3D, which was once billed as the modernized replacement of the classic Microsoft Paint app, is ironically getting the axe just seven years after its launch. Some users who open the app have found a banner under the toolbar saying, "Paint 3D won't be available in the Microsoft Store or receive future updates starting on November 4, 2024." Microsoft built the Paint 3D app with a focus on 3D modeling. But aside from that, it also introduced layers, transparency effects, background removal, PNG support, and more. However, Windows Central reports that users were up in arms when the company attempted to replace the classic Microsoft Paint app with the new 3D-focused version; this forced Microsoft to allow both versions to become available on Windows 10 and 11. Although Paint 3D has more features than classic Paint, many users still prefer the latter for its simplicity, ease of use, and launch speed. In 2023, Microsoft gave the classic Paint app some major upgrades. These included layers, transparency, and auto background removal -- features that used to be exclusive to Paint 3D. Aside from this massive update, Microsoft Paint also received an AI superpower with the Cocreator feature, available only to Microsoft Copilot users. With the classic Paint app getting all these upgrades, it seems Paint 3D wasn't getting any love from its developers. Furthermore, the 3D features available to the newer app didn't really become a mainstream hit. Due to these reasons, it has probably made sense for Microsoft to just combine the most in-demand features of Paint 3D with Microsoft Paint and simply discontinue the former. After all, it only launched in 2017, whereas the original Microsoft Paint launched in 1985 -- nearly forty years ago. Microsoft Paint itself was a licensed version of PC Paintbrush created by ZSoft Corporation, which Microsoft bundled with Windows 1.0. Because of its age, simplicity, ease of use, and nostalgia, many users are still in love with Microsoft Paint. The company has continuously been updating and adding more features to this simple raster graphics editor. While it cannot compete with the power and feature set of advanced apps like GIMP and Adobe Photoshop, the fact that it comes free with Windows and does the job for most users make it a crucial app within the Microsoft ecosystem. Windows wouldn't be Windows without Microsoft Paint.

Microsoft Is About to Kill Paint 3D

Microsoft is preparing to pull the plug on Paint 3D, its ambitious attempt at revamping the beloved and enduring Paint program. The company had already stopped packaging it with Windows, and in two months, Paint 3D will be completely discontinued. Microsoft announced that "Paint 3D is deprecated and will be removed from the Microsoft Store on November 4, 2024." Paint 3D users are being notified within the app, and Microsoft updated its depreciated features catalog with the new entry too. It will still be available on PCs that already have it installed, but the app will soon stop receiving support or updates, and in a few months it won't be available to download. Paint 3D was released in as a planned replacement for the classic Windows Paint application, with the added ability to create and view 3D designs, in addition to typical drawing and image editing. It could turn your doodles, emojis, or pictures into 3D objects. Microsoft had hoped that it woulkd gain popularity and a community of creators would eventually develop around it. Sadly for Paint 3D, it never took off. Pro designers found that it wasn't as powerful as other 3D software already on the market, and most other people continued to use the classic Paint app as normal. Unlike classic Paint which is as simple as it comes, Paint 3D doesn't have an intuitive interface. In 2021, Microsoft stopped shipping Paint 3D with newer builds of Windows 11. The company also removed Paint 3D from the right-click context menu, but the app remained available in the Microsoft Store. With Paint 3D gone, Microsoft is refocusing its efforts on the original Paint app. Microsoft Paint has a layer feature now and Microsoft is adding some AI functionality, though the Cocreator AI is only available on Copilot+ computers. Source: Windows Latest

Microsoft to kill off its Paint 3D app soon: Here's what that means for current users

Paint 3D's impending demise was revealed through a banner that appears for some people in the app itself. But if you're a fan, there is some good news. Microsoft is pulling the plug on Paint 3D. On November 4, the app will be kicked out of the Microsoft Store and will no longer be available for download. Those of you who already have the app in Windows 10 or 11 should be able to continue using it, but you won't receive any more updates. Also: Microsoft's Clipchamp video editor is getting free AI features - and they're very useful Paint 3D's impending demise was revealed through a banner that appears for some people in the app itself, as spotted in an X post by an account called @phantomofearth. I couldn't find the banner in any of my regular Windows 10 or 11 instances, but I discovered it in a Windows 11 Insiders preview. Clicking the Learn More link in the banner takes you to a Microsoft page for deprecated features, though Paint 3D isn't listed among future retirees. Launched in 2017 as part of an update to Windows 10, Paint 3D lets you create and design 3D shapes and images. The update was part of Microsoft's effort to infuse Windows with 3D-oriented graphics. As such, the 3D flavor was designed to replace or supplement the regular Paint app. Also: The Windows 10 clock is ticking: 5 ways to save your old PC in 2025 (most are free) Now, Paint looks to be the survivor of the two. As a long-stay in Windows for creating and editing graphics, Paint has been receiving more advanced skills, at least in Windows 11. Using layers, you can design an image with multiple elements and generate your own images via an AI-powered Cocreator tool. The banner in Paint 3D didn't reveal why Microsoft is discontinuing the app. But it's likely the usual reason -- not enough users to justify its existence. The traditional Paint app also boasts a certain simplicity and ease of use that Paint 3D lacks. Fans of Paint 3D will want to make sure you've downloaded the latest version of the app before November. After that, you'll need to turn to Paint or another editor to create and refine any images you need.

Microsoft to retire Paint 3D app in November this year - Times of India

Microsoft is set to retire its Paint 3D app on November 4, 2024, marking the end of an era for the 3D modeling and editing software. The app, which was launched with much fanfare in 2017 as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update, will no longer be available for download from the Microsoft Store after this date. Users of Paint 3D have reported seeing a banner within the app announcing its impending removal and the cessation of updates.This development was first spotted and shared by the X (formerly Twitter) user @phantomofearth, known for leaking Windows-related information. The banner directs users to a Microsoft page about deprecated features, although Paint 3D is not currently listed there. The decision to retire Paint 3D comes after years of declining interest in the app. Initially designed to replace the classic Paint app, Paint 3D faced resistance from users who preferred the simplicity of its predecessor. In 2021, Microsoft removed Paint 3D from the default app install list on Windows 10, relegating it to an optional download from the Microsoft Store. Despite its innovative features, including the ability to create and edit 3D models, Paint 3D failed to gain widespread adoption among Windows users. The app's retirement reflects a shift in Microsoft's focus away from 3D content creation for mainstream users. While Paint 3D is being phased out, Microsoft has continued to update and improve the classic Paint app for Windows 10 and 11. Recent updates to Paint have included new features such as a size slider for tools and improved pen and eraser options. Users who currently have Paint 3D installed on their systems will likely be able to continue using the app after November 4, but no further updates or support will be provided. Microsoft recommends that users interested in 3D modelling consider more advanced software options available in the market. As Microsoft moves forward, the company appears to be streamlining its creative software offerings, focusing on tools with broader appeal and leaving specialised 3D modelling to third-party applications. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

It's all drying up: Microsoft to erase 3D Paint from store

Unloved multi dimensional doodler set for axe as its predecessor gets an AI update Microsoft has hammered home a final nail in the coffin of its Mixed Reality adventures with confirmation that Paint 3D is to be ditched once and for all in the not-too-distant-future. The application was announced in 2016 as part of Microsoft's Creators Update and launched in 2017. The plan was that users would embrace the shiny new world of 3D and ditch the venerable Paint. It didn't turn out that way. By 2021, Microsoft began quietly removing bits and pieces of its 3D vision from Windows 10, and Windows Mixed Reality is set to be removed from Windows 11 24H2. Despite all the fanfare surrounding its launch, Paint 3D was swiftly relegated to the wasteland of the Microsoft Store, while its older sibling received more than a little gloss and the inevitable thwacking with the AI stick. The Image Creator preview is just a toy at the moment, but it is also a clear indicator of Microsoft's direction -- a direction that does not include Paint 3D. The same user who first uncovered Microsoft's AI intentions for Notepad, X user @PhantomOfEarth, posted a screenshot of a banner in Paint 3D indicating that the software was set to be pulled from the Microsoft store on November 4, 2024, and would stop receiving updates. We blew the cobwebs off our copy of Paint 3D but did not see the banner. We have asked Microsoft for comment regarding the retirement and the company told us it would "circle back if [there's] anything to add." It is quite the turnaround from Microsoft's dreams of replacing the venerable Paint, which appeared with the first version of Windows. With the debut of Paint 3D, Microsoft added the old warhorse to its list of deprecated features and planned to cast it off into the Microsoft Store. One change of heart later, Paint made a comeback and is installed as part of Windows 11, while Paint 3D is to be banished. The end of Paint 3D is not surprising given Microsoft has already announced that Mixed Reality is not much longer for this world. It is, however, disappointing that Paint does not appear to be absorbing all the features of its once-successor, with an increasing dependence on a Microsoft account and AI image creation taking the place of a library of 3D shapes.