Paint 3D, once the darling of Microsoft, will be completely replaced by its older sibling Paint

Paint 3D is no more as Microsoft plans to remove the app from its Store and stop all updates. Paint 3D was once hailed as the modernised version we all deserved. However, the rapid decline of interest and usage meant that it wasn't long before the inevitable happened.

Microsoft's Paint application has been a part of Windows since the very first version. That makes it over four decades old. Microsoft decided to improve Paint 3D in 2017 as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update. Its main features are its support for 3D rendering and models.

Windows Central reports that despite some good features, the app is no longer supported by Microsoft Store after November 4, 2024.

The news is not surprising, given that Microsoft has been updating Paint with a background-removal tool and a generative artificial intelligence system in the past year.

Paint is a favorite of mine and many of my colleagues on the PC Gamer Hardware team. I use it regularly to perform basic annotations, format changes, resizing and more. GIMP is my go-to tool for more complex work. I also use Photoshop occasionally. When I worked in engineering, I used AutoCAD, Inventor or Fusion 360 to do anything 3D.

What I have never needed is a piecemeal combination of all these tools, and given Paint 3D’s rapid demise into software history, I suspect I am not the only one.

Windows 10 may still be the most popular Microsoft operating systems in the world, but that doesn't stop the likes Cortana or the Tips tool from being quietly pushed into the netherspace. Paint 3D is a good alternative to the other two. I'm sure some people will miss it.