Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it would be retiring the Paint 3D app. In other words, the app will no longer receive updates and will be removed from the Microsoft Store starting November 5, 2024. Microsoft has updated its official list of 'Deprecated Features for Windows Clients' with the following message:
Paint 3D is deprecated and will be removed from the Microsoft Store on November 5, 2024. To view and edit 2D images, you can use Paint or Photos. To view 3D content, you can use 3D Viewer.
Back in 2016, Microsoft made headlines when it announced that it was stepping up its investment in 3D experiences on Windows. The company unveiled its HoloLens technology and wanted its software to offer compatible 3D features. That’s why Microsoft decided to release an improved version of its Paint app for Windows 10 called Paint 3D in October 2016.
Instead of just creating familiar 2D artwork like in the old Paint app, Microsoft wants anyone to be able to create 3D artwork with Paint 3D. In fact, the app was originally designed to completely replace the old Paint app for Windows 10.

However, despite its innovative 3D creation features, Paint 3D failed to gain much traction with users. The user response to the new Paint 3D app was not as positive as expected, and Microsoft was forced to continue to maintain the old Paint app alongside the new Paint 3D. By 2021, due to low user numbers, Windows 10 build 21332 removed Paint 3D from clean installs of the operating system.
Now, the time has come for the Paint 3D app to reach end of life, three years after it was removed from new Windows 10 installations. The decision to discontinue Paint 3D comes just as Microsoft has added a slew of new features to the regular Paint app for Windows 10 and 11. Members of the Windows Insider Program can now try out the new Paint features, including a new size slider for the pencil, brush, and eraser tools, along with some new features for the pen and eraser options.
Additionally, over the past few months, Microsoft has been regularly updating the classic Paint app with new improvements and features. Recently, Microsoft announced that the Paint app will get AI-powered image creation features like Image Creator, Cocreator, etc.