Microsoft has put the final nail in the coffin of its mixed reality adventures, confirming that Paint 3D will be killed off 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 for users to discover the shiny new world of 3D and leave the venerable Paint behind.
That’s not how it turned out. In 2021, Microsoft quietly began removing parts of its 3D Vision from Windows 10, and Windows Mixed Reality is scheduled to be removed from Windows 11 24H2.
Despite all the excitement surrounding its launch, Paint 3D was quickly relegated to the wasteland of the Microsoft Store while its older sibling received more than a little polish and the inevitable punch of the AI stick. Image Creator’s preview is just a toy for now, but it’s also a clear indication of the direction Microsoft is heading in – a direction that doesn’t include Paint 3D.
The same user who first revealed Microsoft’s AI intentions for Notepad, X-user @PhantomOfEarth, posted a screenshot of a banner in Paint 3D indicating that the software would be removed from the Microsoft Store on November 4, 2024 and would no longer receive updates.
We blew the cobwebs off our copy of Paint 3D but didn’t see the banner. We reached out to Microsoft for comment on the discontinuation and the company told us it would “come back if (there’s) something to add.”
This is quite a 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 With the debut of Paint 3D, Microsoft added the old warhorse to its list of outdated features and planned to relegate it to the Microsoft Store. A change of heart later, Paint has made a comeback and will be installed as part of Windows 11, while Paint 3D is set to be relegated.
The end of Paint 3D isn’t surprising, as Microsoft has already announced that Mixed Reality won’t be around for much longer. However, it’s disappointing that Paint doesn’t seem to be adopting all the features of its erstwhile successor, as it becomes increasingly dependent on a Microsoft account and AI image creation takes the place of a library of 3D shapes.
No flowers. ®
